Weekly television digest (Jan-Dec 1960)

VOI.. IG: No. 48 7 Advertising more about LOCAL SALES SUCCESSES: Our own mail survey of TV outlets in the U.S. & Canada proves again that there’s more to buying spots than seeking big ratings. Smashing sales impact — overnight sales results in local-level TV — are not merely a memory, a phenomenon of TV’s earliest days. They still happen — and frequently — ^for all types of sponsors (see p. 3) . The report below is the first of a series (by category) drawn from questionnaires which asked each station for its “most successful case history of advertiser results.” In this initial report, we cite some representative examples of sales success for a major advertising category — autos & auto supplies. In future issues, we will present other success stories for other types of spot-TV advertisers. Although cars — even used cars — represent a comparatively “big ticket” consumer purchase, auto dealers have long found TV an effective ad medium, producing big, direct and traceable results. KABC-TV Los Angeles has listed Brand Motors-Ford City as a “constant advertiser” for nearly 3 years. One of Los Angeles’ largest auto dealers. Brand recently informed KABC-TV that it attributed 90% of its sales volume to local-level TV advertising (largely Sat. -Sun. saturation campaigns in morning & afternoon periods). CFCM-TV Quebec, a French-language outlet, solved a poor-location problem for Tanguay Automobiles, a DodgeDeSoto dealer. Tanguay’s showroom is across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec’s 350,000 city population. Non-TV ad media had failed to deliver much in the way of new auto prospects. Then Tanguay, in 1958, took a chance on TV, buying a 15-min. travel show. La Rose Des Vents, which stressed the pleasures of motor travel (in, of course, a new Dodge or DeSoto). A contest promotion on the program brought in “over 2,000 customers.” Short-Term Campaigns Sell Cars, Too WREX-TV Rockford, 111. also proved that short-term campaigns can sell autos successfully. Forrest Hills Motors, a regular sponsor of the station’s Fri.-night feature movie, recently staged a 60-hour local “Sell-A-Thon,” and backed it with a heavy TV campaign. Results, according to Robert White, gen. mgr., Forrest Hills Motors: “We wrote 49 new-&-used-car deals. More than 90% of them were obtained from the audience of WREX-TV. I cannot praise the power of TV enough.” CKVR-TV Barrie, Ont. turned in a job for Hanna Motor Sales Ltd., a Ford-Monarch dealer in nearby Stayner and Collingwood. Reported CKVR-TV: “Hanna began advertising on our station in Jan. 1956. In his first 6 months, Doug Hanna stated his sales had increased by 200% and that TV was bringing customers to his locations in greater number than if his sales staff were out beating the bush. He has increased his TV budget every year, and he is currently running three 60-sec. spots per week, to which are added saturation campaigns from time to time.” Other auto successes: WWL-TV New Orleans sold part-sponsorship of Tombstone Territory reruns to a local Buick dealer in prime time, and in 2 weeks the show had sold over 80 new cars. WCAU-TV Philadelphia has counted Reedman Motors as a regular participation sponsor of its feature-film Early Show and Late Show for the past 3 years, now reports that “a high percentage of the transactions for new & used cars is directly traceable to advertising on WCAU-TV.” WEAT-TV West Palm Beach, Fla. so convinced Wayne Akers Foi’d Co., a local dealer, of the value of auto selling by TV that Akers’ spending on the station “increased from $100 to $750 weekly, and moved more cars than was necessary to justify this increased budget.” WCKT Miami sold a local sports program to a used car dealer — and promptly sold 11 used cars with the first show (considerably more than the cost of the kickoff). In a related field: KGW-TV Portland, Ore. sold sponsorship to U.S. Rubber Corp. (for Royal Tires) of a 30-min. station-produced, film-&-live series on fishing & hunting. During the colorcast series, U.S. Rubber offered a giveaway of fishing lures at 3 different local dealers each week. One dealer sold 10 new tires the following morning as a direct result, and other dealers reported lines of customers waiting to get the free fishing lures — and to buy U.S. Royal Tires. Now in its 3rd year, the show is being considered by U.S. Rubber for expansion to other markets. WALB-TV Albany, Ga. sold the syndicated Border Patrol series to the local Amoco distributor, who soon thereafter reported to the station that he was having trouble keeping dealer tanks filled with Amoco “because of the great demand.” Sponsors, of course, seldom drop a show that’s riding high in the rating lists. CBS-TV therefoi'e was considerably surprised last week when notified that Pet Milk Co. was canceling before mid-season its alt.-wk. sponsorship of The Red Skelton Show (Tue. 9:30-10 p.m.) which has been a fixture of the Nielsen “top 10.” Pet Milk gave no reason, but there was little trouble finding a customer. As soon as co-sponsor S.C. Johnson was notified of Pet Milk’s decision, the wax firm doubled its budget for the program to move up to full sponsorship. Johnson has co-sponsorship of 4 other shows on CBS-TV this season {Angel, Zahe Grey Theater, Garry Moore Show, Ann Sothem Show), is now one of the network’s biggest customers. New “spot TV cost summary” has been published by rep Katz Agency. The 28th in a semi-annual series, the booklet is designed to aid timebuyers in making quick estimates of spot TV costs “in as many as 230 markets.” Market-by-market rates are listed — grouped in descending order of market size, starting with N.Y. — for a variety of basic spot TV purchases. These include: nighttime 30-min. slots, 20-sec. announcements; daytime 60-sec. & 20-sec. announcements on a one-time, 6-plan and 12-plan basis; and late-night announcements on similar plans. Copies are available without charge from Katz at 666 Fifth Ave., N.Y. Sunday afternoon is prime time with a low cpm, reports a new TV Advertising Representatives Inc. survey. Distributed to advertisers & agencies last week, the TvAR study is based on viewing habits in Westinghouse’s 5 major markets from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Major findings: 68% of TV families watch TV during this period. Viewing ranged from 2 hours in San Francisco to 3 in Pittsburgh & Boston. Programming delivers a family audience (220 viewers per 100 homes). Cost comparisons showed: 5market average for a Sunday schedule of 20-sec. spots was $1.31 per-lOOO-homes, against $2.70 for prime night spots. Ad industry will sell advertising during the industry’s first national all-media campaign. The project, launched by the Advertising Federation of America and the Advertising Assn, of the West is scheduled to be launched during National Advertising Week, Feb. 5-11. It will be sustained throughout 1961. The theme, “Let’s Keep Rolling Ahead,” will play up the cycle of “advertising mass demand mass production,” stated NAW Chmn. George W. Head. McCannEi'ickson is preparing the campaign format.