U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

pied-piper signed to inloiiu rather than entertain the farmer," explains Robert W. Hall, radio and tv buyer for Thompson-Koch Inc., New York, d-Con's agency. "We concentrate our spots in the early morning and noon-time slots, since these are usually the segments devoted to farm news, market data and other 'use' material for farmers." Mr. Hall also says that the frequency of the d-Con spots varies with the individual market, with three to 12 announcements a week being the average. d-Con places its by the medical profession in the prevention of blood clotting. Dr. Link's experiments indicated that, paradoxically, this aiui-coagulant which is used to help save human lives, had properties which made it an excellent rodenticide, when properly used." The first commercial application of Dr. Link's discovery was made by d-Con which mixed the ingredient, called Warfarin, with a grain type of bait. Since VV^arfarin is tasteless and odorless, Mr. Corbet says, it became possible to develop a mixture which d-Con's management group is seen meeting with Its agency people. They are examining a marketing map outlining sales by area vs. expenditures on local farm radio shows in planning their I960 radio schedules. Seen (I. to r.) Bill Madill, vice president, Thompson-Koch, the d-Con agency; Bob Hall, agency media director and timebuyer; Frank A. Corbet, company president Walter C. Camas, d-Con advertising manager and Hamilton Hicks, Jr., educational director. heaviest blanket of spots in five key states — Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa — which represent the heart of the nation's corn belt. Primary Objectives One of tlie primary objectives of the educational and advertising programs, Mr. Corbet points out, is to explain d-Con's properties and its use, both of which are said to differ from most other rodenticides used on farms. "d-Con's active ingredient," Mr. Corbet explains, "was discovered by Dr. Karl Paul Link of the University of Wisconsin. It is an anti-coagulant similar to those that are widely used would not create "bait-shyness" on the part of the rats. When the rodent is exposed to multiple dose feedings of d-Con over a period of five to 11 days, the formation of prothrombin is inhibited and causes capillary damage. Mr. Corbet states that death is caused by shock due to loss of blood. "Since a single ingestion of d-Con has little or no effect," Mr. Hicks declares, "this rodenticide has a builtin safety guard. If a child, a pet or a farm animal accidentally does get a dose of the mixture, it is unlikely that any harm will be done." He also mentions that the neutral flavor and odor of d-Con makes it possible to use a mixture which is strong enough to compete with the odor of corn and other foods for the attention of the rodents. The firm's advertising program is built aroimd pointing out the advantages of the product, and the importance of multiple feeding. Copy for the radio sjiots follows these general points. "In 1957, when Sterling Drug acquired d-Con," William Madill, Thompson-Koch account exeaitive, states, "most of the spots consisted of three-minute and one-minute ET's. However, we found that the three-nu'nute length was too long to hold a busy farmer's attention. We also came to the conclusion that the one-minute ET's didn't get the story over with maxinnini impact." Live Commercials A decision was made to switch to live commercials, Mr. Madill says. Two types of copy are employed. One is a 52-se(ond announcement with the copy line stressing an endorsement from a satisfied user, and eight seconds devoted to local dealer tags. "The dealer names," Mr. Madill states, "are supplied by d-Con brokers. We have found that these tags are effective for two reasons. Naturally, it tells the listener where he can purchase the product. However, it has also proved to be very good for our dealer relations, since everyone enjoys hearing his name broadcast over the air." The second type of d-Con spot commercial employed is a straight, non-technical live annoimcement explaining the product's chief features. Here is a sample of the copy used in a one-minute spot: Friends, when you have a rat problem, then you know that a rat bait is only effective when the rats actually eat it. If you've wasted your time and money on baits that rats won't eat, listen to this. In demonstrations at county fairs all over the country, millions of people actually watched rats eagerly eat d-Con — the world's best rat-killer! Yes, rats just can't resist d-Con's 30 U. S. RADIO • February 1960