Broadcast Advertising, August 1930 (Volume 3, Number 5)
An issue of Broadcast Advertising, the Chicago monthly for radio time buyers, from the first summer of the Depression.
What it is
An issue of Broadcast Advertising, the Chicago monthly for radio time buyers, from the first summer of the Depression. Manly Wright Conant reports that Goodrich went on the air with short nightly programs while rival tire makers cut back, using money added to the budget rather than taken from print. Plymouth's "Why I'd Buy a Plymouth" contest opens on 208 stations with $65,000 in prizes and entry blanks handed out only after a dealer demonstration. Le Roy Mark of WOL describes his Musical Clock breakfast show, shared by many sponsors in spots of 100 words. Ray R. Morgan of Earnshaw-Young complains that stations cannot state their audience and pay agencies no commission on talent, and H. K. Carpenter of WPTF replies. Graybar reports on its "Mr. and Mrs." program, Russell Byron Williams argues against couponing every program, and A. J. Kendrick sets out the aims of continuity.
Why read it now
The Goodrich story is the one to keep. Phil Kelly advertised through the slump with money added to the budget, and research on downturns since the 1970s (reviewed by Tellis and Tellis, 2009) agrees that brands which hold or raise spending while rivals cut tend to gain share, at some short-term cost in profit. Plymouth's contest is a test-drive offer dressed as a competition: no entry blank without a demonstration, and more than half a million demonstrations in four weeks. Williams is right that coupon and letter counts measure responders, not the audience; a toy offer that drew 44,000 requests proves only that free toys draw mail. Mark's rule of moving each sponsor's spot to a different time every day, so it meets different listeners, is frequency planning before the term existed. Dated: Williams's claim that radio stands alone rather than supporting other media; the editorial view that rival advertisers create new demand, which evidence from mature categories mostly does not support; and Graybar treating stated goodwill as proof of sales. Use: when budgets are cut, price what share of voice you could buy while competitors are quiet.
Passages worth keeping
Today, as never before, a selling idea must be coupled with an entertainment idea if radio users are to stay on the air.
انتهى زمن الانبهار بالإذاعة، ولم يعد الترفيه وحده يبيع، فلا بد أن تقترن فكرة الترفيه بفكرة بيعية واضحة.
coupons in radio programs will no more reveal the extent of the listening audience than will the number of returned coupons indicate the total number of readers for your advertisement in a national magazine.
عدد القسائم المرتجعة لا يدل على عدد المستمعين، كما أنه لا يدل على عدد قراء الإعلان في المجلة.
Advertising copy is shuffled daily to reach a varying audience.
يتغير موعد إعلان كل معلن من يوم إلى آخر، لأن الناس يستيقظون في الساعة نفسها كل يوم، فالموعد الثابت يكرر الرسالة على الجمهور نفسه.
the oft quoted but seldom used theory that advertising is potentially the greatest merchandising stimulant at a time when business lethargy is most apparent.
الجميع يردد أن الإعلان أقوى ما يكون وقت الركود، لكن قليلًا من الشركات يجرؤ على العمل بهذه الفكرة كما فعلت غودريتش.
the Plymouth broadcasts are pure news talks, making no effort to entertain the listener but utilizing the full two minutes to merchandise the contest.
خالفت بليموث عادة البرامج الترفيهية، فجعلت إعلانها دقيقتين من الأخبار عن المسابقة وحدها دون أي ترفيه.
The scanned text has OCR errors. The passages are quoted from it, with only obvious slips fixed.
What it teaches best
Read the original worldradiohistory.com
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