U. S. Radio (Jan-Dec 1961)

She is not only the "happiest and hu kicst timebuyer in New York"; she is also the most decorated woman timebuyer in the same city. Her name is Hope Martinez and she recently beI came the first woman to win I the Silver Nail Timebuyer of I the Year award of the Station Representatives Association. "Although reps may com■j plain about Hope because she I is a tough individual," said Frank Pellegrin, executive vicepresident of H-R Representatives Inc., in presenting the award, "they know that when they make a sale, BBDO has made the top buy." Hope takes her reputation as a tough-minded buyer with grace and good nature. This combination of qualities has easily made her one of the best known and most respected of female timebuyers along Madison Avenue during the 15 years she has been with BBDO Inc. She stepped out of a "dull job in an accounting office" to walk into advertising in 1945. She did so on the advice of a friend who thought she should give advertising a whirl. And give it a whirl she did. When she went to BBDO she started in the accounting department there. A year later she was in the hospital for the birth of her only child, Claudia, now 14. Within four months she was back in the office, this time in the media department as an assistant timebuyer. It was during these years that television was a baby and radio enjoyed the prominence of big billings — whether stars or advertisers. Hope first worked on the American Tobacco account for Lucky Strike (she still does) and the New York Telephone Co. account. "In those days I learned a lot about radio that I've never forgotten. I think radio is terrific and I never hesitate to tell an account group they ought to use it if it's what the client needs," she says. In the past few years she has bought time for United Fruit as well as Luckies, two of the biggest radio users in the past decade. Her real name is Esperanza, the Spanish word for hope. She was born in Spain, in the capital cit\ oi Madrid. Her parents brought the family to New York when she was very young. She is married to John Anzolin, who works in New York in the automobile finance and insurance field. Of her career, she says, "Sometimes my husband doesn't exactly understand my work or why I find it so interesting. But we have always been able to keep a happ\ marriage in spite of my job. During a buying spree I may be in the office until 9 p.m., but we always make allowances for this because it is just unavoidable." The Anzolins lived at one time in their own home in Nassau County, Long Island. But they now live in a Kew Gardens, Queens, apartment. "I just got slowly sick of pulling up weeds, cutting grass and commuting," she explains. It now takes her one-half hour to get to the office on the subway. Hope says that daughter Claudia does not particularly want to be a timebuyer. "But if she did, I certainly wouldn't want to discourage her. I have loved my job. Claudia would like to study the dance. If she still wants to do that when she is old enough to start a career, I'll be 100 percent behind her." Claudia now attends a private school in Queens. Her mother would like to send her to college. But she thinks nothing can replace the education of learning the ropes on the job. Recalling her own education, Hope says that she never planned on a particular career. She attended Washington Irving High School and Benjamin Franklin School of Business, both in New York City. "I liked my business courses, but I could never stand shorthand. All I knew was that I'd better train for something because I had to earn a living some day." As the Silver Nail Timebuyer of the Year, Miss Martinez has not done badly at earning a living. Not badly at all. ■ U. S. RADIO/June 1961 1Q