U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1960)

Radio Strategies 18 Switzerland Cheese Association Agency: Williams & London, Newark, N. J. Product: Swiss Cheese promotion Marketing Objective: To determine the value of fm programming for a quality product like imported swiss cheese. Radio Solution: Run a four-week trial on one station. (Digested from U.S. FM, October I960, p. 3) LIKE many national advertisers, the ^Switzerland Cheese Association is a newcomer to fm. It tried it, found it appealing to the taste buds and is now ready to take a bigger bite. It all started last April. At that time, it tried fm in New York on one station for a four-week trial. This was extended to a 13-week schedule; then it grew into a new contract for a year involving two shows. And the association, through its advertisinq a^encv, W'illiams &: London, Newark, N. J., was contemplating buying fm time in five additional markets. The markets that were tentatively set for the added fm promotion were Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It was estimated that when the expanded fm schedule got underway, the association would budget at the start about $25,000 for fm out of a yearly advertising budget that ranges between $150,000 and S250,000. The story of how the association came to use fm goes back to last spring. A salesman for WRFM New York, John Keeshan, approached Heinz Hofer, manager of the Switzerland Cheese Association in New York, on the idea of using fm. Mr. Hofer candidly asserted, "We weren't really interested in fm, but we were interested in reaching people whom we felt had an appreciation for the kind of story we wanted to tell. We don't like hard sell. We wanted to talk to people about Switzerland, its history and geography and its many fine industries, especially the cheese business. "Following the initial trial, we considered the program to be successful. People were interested in what we had to say; they liked it and were talking about it." The first program sponsored h\ the Swiss group was an hoin ly show of semi-classical music, film scores and show tunes. Called the Hi-Fi Slinu'casr, it was heard on Sundays, from 1 to 2 j).m. During the hour, tiiere were four one-minute commercial and two 50Nccond messages. Initial results, however, seemed to warrant additional thought and consideration. Because the commercial messages dealt with the many aspects of Switzerland, an attempt was made to incorporate Swiss flavor in the content of the program. It was decided to use Swiss classical music as well as other classical music performed by Swiss artists. The Swiss Consul in New York cooperated by making available ^vhatever records they possessed. There then evolved two programs that started in August and were contracted to run for a year. The original Sunday program remained the same, except that it played Swiss classical music exclusively. A second program was added. It was a Monday-through-Friday show that was aired from 7 to 7:15 p.m. The 15-minute program played light music, using Swiss and other classical music performed by Swiss orchestras. In its continuing expansion of fm use, the Switzerland Cheese Association will have these two programs taped by WRFM and place them on fm stations in the other markets. The association generally allocates between $150,000 and $250,000 a year for advertising. Mr. Hofer estimated that about $25,000 would be budgeted for fm initially. He termed the contemplated expansion into fm as a "trial." The rest of the advertising budget was spent on newspapers, radio and some tv in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore and Wilmington, Del. In addition, the association was running a special premium olfer in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. Mr. Hofer referred to this aspect of the advertising program as the "hard sell." The fm commercials were designed as basically institutional messages. Robert Allen of Allen Associates Inc., New York, public relations and advertising, was brought in to write the special fm commercials. "The association was looking for a soft sell approach, one that would avoid repetition," explained Mr. Allen. Other commercials may even put in a push for Swissair or for Swiss watches, but the quality of Swiss cheese was tied in with the "other" service or product mentioned. How did Mr. Allen feel about fm after watching the results thus far? "For a product of this type, which retails for twice the price of domestic cheese, fm is ideal. Response to air offers of material and recipes have been increasing steadily. We are sure fm will become a regular part of the Switzerland Cheese Association's advertising program." • • • 82 U. S. RADIO • AIRFAX 1961