U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

7 The Frito Company Agency: Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample Inc., Chicago Product: Fritos Corn Chips Marketing Objective: To create and sustain a strong trademark and name identification for Frito corn chips. Pre-condition the shopper through repetition with heavy network radio saturation; use of seasonal tie-in promotions geared to the radio advertising. (Digested from U. S. RADIO, April I960, p. 22) Radio Solution: TAKE a snack product that has the ability to keep taste buds tingling coast-to-coast; add an effective network of national distribution; mix in a consistent program of advertising and sales promotion with generous portions of radio. This is the recipe for sales success that has made it possible for The Frito Company, Dallas, to boost its sales by $42 million since 1954. A consistent user of radio since 1932, when the company was founded, Frito employed the sound medium in 1960 to spearhead its advertising and promotion efforts. It is estimated that $950,000, representing 35 percent of the company's total budget, was spent over the facilities of NBC, CBS and ABC to tell the story of Frito corn chips. "This was the largest radio network buy the company had ever made," said Thomas K. Denton, vice president of Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample in Chicago, Frito's agency. After checking the coverage maps and the number of stations (700) that carried the Frito story, we determined that this campaign penetrated every county in the United States but one." Citing depth as well as coverage, Mr. Denton pointed out that an average of 21,000 spot announcements were used each week, with listener impressions in the multi-billion category. "Radio has always been one of our most important outlets," said John R. McCarty, advertising merchandising vice president for Frito. "Ra dio was the first medium employed to introduce corn chips when the company started. We have been regular users ever since. "Our product," he continued, comes under the heading of an impulse item. In order to get the shopper to pick up a package of Frito corn chips, we have to 'pre-condition' her. This is done through concentrated exposure. Repetition and heavy frequency, therefore, are two of the things we look for in our adverting and promotion efforts. We have found that we can get this with radio. We have discovered that with the proper type of copy we are even able to get appetite appeal across on our radio announcements. Varied Audience Croups "In order to hit as many different audience groups as possible, the company bought announcements around ne^vs shows, comedy, drama, adventure, music and almost every type of program aired on the networks. An example of the broad audience base was the Frito schedule on NBC. The Frito campaign involved participations on A^exvs of the World, People Are Funny, a news analysis show. Emphasis and Monitor, including the Paul Winchell show, Ernie Kovacs, Bob Hope and Duffy's Tavern segments. To speak most directly to the wide variety of listeners tuned to these programs, and the programs on ABC and CBS as well, the agency pre pared as many as 15 copy approaches. The company used extensive point-of-purchase promotion displays to tie in w'ith the radio advertising. In order to keep the in-store displays fresh and interesting, the company conducted a new promotion each c^uarter year. The radio campaign was carefully geared to fit into the pattern. During one promotion, a radio commercial called attention to a free flower seed offer to purchasers of Fritos. Each of the networks provided Frito with a variety of merchandising support designed primarily to alert the organization's selling force and dealers to the extent of the radio campaign. For example, one of the networks placed ads in food trade publications drawing attention to radio activity. Letters went out to dealers and distributors explaining the on-air support by Frito. Telegrams, post cards, books, dollar pocket watches and records were also part of the networks' efforts to back Frito's well-integrated merchandising concepts. In addition to Frito, a national product, the company produces and sells six brands of potato chips sold under different brand names on a regional basis. Radio is used to merchandise these products, too. "Since radio has always beeh able to reach our number one customer," Mr. McCarty says, "we expect the medium to retain its important place in all of our basic promotion planning." • • • U. S. RADIO .\IRFAX 1961 71