Television digest with electronic reports (Jan-Dec 1959)

14 shifted into the sponsor lineup on Playhouse DO, and punched hard this spring with a May 22 “Kovacs on Music” special on NBC-TV. Anxious to consolidate its sales & dealer gains (it has 800 dealers, about twice as many as Volkswagen), Renault is currently looking for a suitable program for the balance of the fall when the 90min. CBS drama show drops to an alternate-week slot on Thursdays. Renault is also a spot TV buyer, with TvB reporting a $47,930 expenditure in spot last year. English Ford (J. Walter Thompson): Although currently ranked in third place in U.S. imports of foreign autos and handled by one of the most TV-minded of agencies, the British-built Ford models receive small advertising support in print, and almost none in TV. Last year, national TV spot spending for this line amounted to a mere $680. JWT officials tell us there are no TV plans for English Ford this year. Fiat (St. Georges & Keyes): This Italian-made car is being advertised with a budget of about $1 million, but the only TV activity is confined to a few scattered local dealer buys. Hillman (Erwin Wasey, Ruthrauff & Ryan) : “Network TV is too expensive for this line,” said an agency spokesman of Hillman, leader of the Rootes Group cars imported from Britain, although he added that Hillman used spot TV last winter in the N.Y. area and will use it this winter on both East and West coasts. “Dealers in N.Y.,” added the EWR&R account man we contacted, “were exceptionally happy with the TV spot support.” Simca (Meltzer) : A Chrysler import from France, Simca recently finished a series of live-and-tape participations in NBC-TV’s Today show, and plans local sponsorship of sports events in TV this fall. There is also some minor selling of Simcas on Chrysler-sponsored network shows, but this may be dropped with the advent of Chrysler’s own small cars. “In most major markets, Simca dealers, most of which are Chrysler dealers, do their own TV spot advertising,” Jeremy Barkann of the Meltzer agency told us. Standard-Triumph (Doherty, Clifford, Steers & Shenfield) : The sporty Triumph TR-3, backed in TV spot to the tune of some $60,380 last year in a few key metropolitan markets, is now “definitely considering” more spot TV for the next fiscal year, says acct. exec. Bob Doherty of DCSS. Most ad dollars still go to print media. Volvo (Adv. Agencies Inc.): “We’ve thought about network TV, but it’s too expensive,” an AAI agencyman stated, adding that “supplying dealers with TV-radio commercials and letting them buy the time seems to be the best arrangement for our broadcast advertising.” Swedishbuilt Volvo otherwise has a $1 million budget concentrated in national magazines, and some spot TV. Saab (Gotham-Vladimir): Another Swedish-built auto, Saab is “considering a spot TV campaign in the East in the not-too-distant future,” acct. exec. Duncan Sutphen told us. Otherwise, no TV has been used, and advertising is confined to print. Vauxhall (MacManus, John & Adams): A Pontiac import from Britain, the Vauxhall was TV-sold with “a limited number of spots in Sept. 1957 preceding its entry into the U.S. market,” an MJA agency spokesman told us. “Since then, we haven’t used TV, even on Pontiac-sponsored network shows. We have sent TV spots to dealers, although there’s no report of dealer usage.” Citroen (Shevlo) : Last year, local dealer TV campaigns for this French import were used in New England, District of (Columbia, and Chicago areas, an official of Citroen Cars Corp. (N.Y.) told us. All contracts are being renewed and AUGUST 3, 1959 strengthened, and a part-sponsorship of Open End on WNTA N.Y. is being considered. Isetta and BMW (Gore, Smith & Greenland) : This line of German-made midget imports has a limited print campaign, and a somewhat unusual TV activity; cars are regularly traded in exchange for network TV plugs on such shows as Price Is Right, Garry Moore Show, etc., we were informed by an adv. dept, official of Fadex Commercial Corp., the N.Y. importer. Others-at-a-glance: We checked, and found no TV activity reported for Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Peugeot, Alfa-Romeo, Borgwai’d, Austin, MG, Lancia, Porsche, Opel, Moretti and the Japanese-built Datsun. All, however, have U.S. newspaper and/or magazine advertising campaigns to some degree. Advertising People: William D. Watson promoted from senior v.p. to exec, v.p., Erwin Wasey, Ruthrauff & Ryan . . . Anthony C. Chevins, Cunningham & Walsh creative dept, dir., elected senior v.p. . . . John O. Roche named creative dir. & v.p., Gardner Adv. Alfred L. Hollender promoted from v.p. in charge of TV to exec, v.p.. Grey Adv. In addition to TV, he will head mktg. services, production, finance & branch office operations . . . Dr. Clark L. Wilson named BBDO research v.p. . . . Frank Clayton, ex-Gardner Adv., named media dir., Kenyon & Eckhardt Chicago office . . . Roddy Rogers named head of N. W. Ayer’s Hollywood office, replacing Glenhall Taylor, resigned. Hugh M. Redhead, Fuller & Smith & Ross Pittsburgh office v.p. in charge of creative services, named mgr. of that office, succeeding John A. McKinven, named to special mktg. assignments, N.Y. office; David H. Echols moves from N.Y. office to become v.p.-mgr., Chicago office; John Leahy, San Francisco v.p. & group supervisor, will head that office, succeeding William P. Dumont, named West Coast co-ordinator; Edward J. Lauesen, named corporate mktg. programs v.p.; Kirk C. Tuttle, v.p.-mgr., Cleveland office, elected a dir. TV is going to the dogs to the tune of $15 million worth of dog-food billings this year, a 30% increase over 1958, TvB estimated last week. During Jan.-May of this year, 9 pet-product advertisers spent $2,858,593 for gross time on network TV, while spot advertising for the first quarter ’59 totalled $2,441,000. Leading network users are General Foods’ Gaines Dog Meal, Ralston-Purina’s Dog Chow, and Quaker Oats’ Ken-L Dog Foods. Largest spot spender this year is Gaines — with Rival, Kasco, Cadillac Dog Food, Archer-Daniels Midland, and Calo Dog Foods also on TvB’s list. Procter & Gamble has been accused of illegal restraint of trade in an FTC complaint citing exclusive contracts with manufacturers of automatic washing & dishwashing machines to provide free samples of Tide, Dash & Cascade detergents. The FTC also accused Procter & Gamble of making false claims in advertising that the manufacturers endorse the 3 products and recommend their exclusive use. “Sponsor’s” 13th annual Air Media Basics, is a 220page compilation of latest TV-radio, film & tape, timebuying & marketing facts, figures and charts covering such basics as what-it-is & how-it’s-doing. Included in the new edition are a special glossary on tape language, a 5-city directory of addresses important to advertisers.