U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

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Radio Strategies 8 Grosset & Dunlap Inc. Agency: Friend-Reiss Advertising Inc. Product: Children's and juvenile books Marketing Objective: To develop and utilize new ways to reach potential customers for a line of nationally distributed children s and juvenile books. Spotlight the pre-holiday campaign tvith a contest tie-in through the combined efforts of network and local radio coverage. (Digested from U.S. RADIO, October I960, p. 28) Radio Solution: UNTIL recently, the giant book publishing industry had never made use of nationwide radio as an advertising nicdiuin. But late in 1955), Grosset & Dunlap Inc. broke with tradition by putting radio to use to sell its line of juvenile books in book shops across the country. At that time, the firm bought an eight-week schedule on Don McNeill's Breakfast Club over the ABC network. In addition, book dealers purchased local spot announcements to tie in with the radio campaign. ".\s a result of oiu' first experience with radio," said Nils .\. Shapiro, advertising director of Grosset & Dunlap, "we are repeating our campaign with an increased network air time of 25 percent. The previous campaign resulted in dealer participation in HiO markets, and we have experienced an even greater response this year." The recommendation to use radio came from Lee Friend, president of Friend-Reiss Advertising Agency Inc., agency for the publishers. "The client presented us the problem of finding a sales-impelling replacement for the customary promotion efforts used in the book field," Mr. Friend explained. "Under Grosset's ground rules, there could be no giveaw'ays; no cut prices; there had to be full children's and juvenile line promotion; continuity, originality, retail interest and participation, and of course, sales." "Mail was ruled out," Mr. Friend said, "as this approach was already in use. Newspapers ^vere hackneyed and could not give a fresh approach. Television was discarded because of its excessive costs when purchased at a time when you can most effectively I each your target. The one medium that stood up against all our requirements, including the important one of cost, was radio." Since it is generally agreed in the children's book field that women constitute the batkgroiuid of the market, the mother was considered to be the primary target. The immediate problem, then, was to determine how this group could be reached most effectively. Develops Campaign Working closely with the client, Priend-Reiss began to develop the campaign around Don McNeil! and the Breakfast Club. Ghanneling the bulk of the promotion budget into network and cooperative local radio participations, a complete program was developed for the sound medium. Window material, counter material and newspaper ads were all geared to localize the national impact of the network show, and to take advantage of the strong audience appeal of Don McNeill. The 1960 network and local radio effort for Grosset & Dunlap was launched on October 20. In addition to the increased amount of air time purchased, other changes were made. Of these, the most significant was a college scholarship contest. Entry blanks were made available to the public only in the local book store. Through the combined efforts of Don McNeill's network show and local spot announcements, potential contestants were guided to tlie stores. Another important change from I he previous campaign, made by the publisher, was liie method of delivering the connnercials. In 1959, all ihe sales messages were given by Don McNeill, both on the network and the local spots with open end ET's. For this year's pre-holiday sales eflort, the ainiouncements had leadins by Mr. McNeill, but the actual selling message was delivered by a Grosset & Dunlap salesman. In this manner, Grosset effectively persoiialL/ed their sales ap])roa(]i. An indication of the eflectivciicss of the new radio-oriented approach was seen in a letter which a stationowner in upstate New York wrote. He said, "I have yet to see a better, more effective follow-through than tliat done by Cirosset & Dunlap. Their tie-in was a presold job, and in our case, the book department of our largest dejjartment store contacted us because tliey wanted tlie complete package. The same was true of other dealers in our area." "The best way to convince any businessman of the value of a new approach to promotion," Mr. Shapiro said, "is to show him that it brings in added business. The Grosset &: Dunlap line of juvenile and children's books sold better than ever during and after the initial 1959 radio promotion. From indications of increased participation in the 1960 campaign, we at Grosset are convinced that radio can and definitely does do a very effective job of selling." • • • 72 U. S. RADIO • AIRFAX 1961