Sunspots

ATV SUNSPOTS
the hottest thing in holiday advertising

Move to the heart of the holiday market!

Large map of the region within the UK

ATV SUNSPOTS

move to the heart of the holiday market!

TOP TV PACKAGES REACH THE HIGH-RESPONSE MIDLANDS AUDIENCE – AND THE OUTLOOK’S FINE

  1. Over 7 million viewers regularly watch ATV Midlands
  2. Midlanders go on holiday more often than the national average
  3. Writing in for a brochure forms a particularly important part of Midlanders’ holiday booking

THAT’S WHY THE MIDLANDS TV REGION HAS A FIRST-CLASS REPLY RECORD

Midlanders go on holiday more often than the national average. And by tradition, holiday plans for many of these affluent people start when a TV commercial prompts them to send for a holiday brochure. That’s why the Midland TV area has such an outstanding record of success in pulling replies.

With ATV Sunspots, you reach the responsive Midlands area in the right mood, at the right time, at an economic rate. Sunspot packages are all-inclusive, and so designed that you reach your target audience with a professionally produced commercial, ensuring effective selling for you. And there are other top-level facilities and support to back you up.

ATV Sunspots - now in Midlands, the first-class reply region

Peak-reply periods

Small map of the region within the UK
  1. Air-time in Midlands TV area. Peak booking periods, starting December 25th
  2. Hard-selling Sunspot breaks, promoted on ATV by special trailer commercials
  3. Top production facilities in ATV Elstree Studios
  4. Computerised reply handling service gives 48-hour turnaround, plus bonus information
  5. Double-page spreads in full colour in TV Times to link commercials with coupon
  6. Merchandising support to Travel Agents

Everything about your Sunspot commercial is geared to create maximum, effective response. The commercials are transmitted in a special Sunspot break. This composite group of holiday advertisements benefits each participant, because viewers look to Sunspots as a source of holiday information.

This year Sunspots will be given additional impact with promotional commercials that tell viewers to be ready for holiday information. Each Sunspot closes with an invitation to send off the coupon from a double-page colour advertisement in the TV Times for the brochure of the holiday he is considering.

During December, ATV will mail travel agents a list of Sunspot advertisers. This gives agents a chance to cash in on Sunspots publicity by featuring your display material on their counters and in their windows.

Peak reply periods from December 25th

Top production facilities

BY POPULAR DEMAND

THIS IS THE SUNSPOT STUDIO

Last year for the first time, ATV Sunspots were shot at Elstree Studios, home of international ATV productions. Technically the studios are among the most advanced in the world. They offer Sunspot advertisers the benefit of up-to-the-minute equipment, expert crews and vast resources.

This year again, Sunspots will be shot on video tape at Elstree. Standard sets are supplied at no extra cost. Presenters, props, caption-cards – facilities that would cost hundreds to hire, all part of the Sunspot package!

TOP VIDEO DIRECTOR

JOHNNY FIELDER

will direct Sunspot commercials.

Johnny directed Sunspots last year, and played a major part in the success of the production. He is an old hand in this comparatively new field, and already an award winner with many years’ experience of working in all aspects of television. 

Johnny’s creative skill is your guarantee of a most attractive, effective commercial.

Two people sit at a production desk
Johnny Fielder and his Personal Assistant, Lyn Curry
Top production facilities are part of the Sunspot package

New this year

NEW THIS YEAR – TWO FULL PAGES OF TV TIMES

COLOUR

A double-page composite advertisement in full colour will appear in the TV Times (Midlands edition) each week of ATV Sunspots. This gives you three important extra benefits:

  1. You get the added impact of full colour
  2. There’s an added reminder in the viewer’s home for a whole week or more
  3. The coupon makes it so easy for the viewer to send in your brochure
A girl cuts out a coupon
Immediacy on TV + colour = Powerful Sun-Appeal
A woman sits on a beach towel looking at holiday brochures

This is a Sunspot

THIS IS A SUNSPOT
Cartoon of a man kicking a beachball

A commercial break, lasting up to 3½ minutes and devoted entirely to holiday advertising, takes this clear and recognisable form:

  1. Cartoon opening (one of a series) announces ATV Sunspots
  2. This ends with a beachball hitting the frame
  3. The first advertisement
  4. The commercials are separated from each other by the beachball symbol
  5. After the final commercial, there’s a recap. Brochures for all the holidays advertised are shown and mentioned. Reference is made to the TV Times coupon and emphasis is placed on the address where the brochures may be obtained.

NOW - SUNSPOT TRAILERS TOO!

Starting this year, Sunspots will have the added viewer-appeal of trailers, telling the audience that a Sunspot break is coming up and reminding people to have their pen and TV Times ready.

Sunspots start people thinking about holidays

Sunspot rates

SUNSPOT

RATES

Effective 25th December 1968 – 12 January 1969

SUNSPOT

1

SPOT RATES:- available over Friday, Saturday, Sunday – 27th, 28th, 29th December 1968; 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th, 12th January, 1969

FRIDAYS
Segment7 secs15 secs30 secs
Up to 6.00pm£115£200£280
6.40pm–10.0pm£220£385£550
10.20pm–close£135£236£335
and pro rata for spots of greater length
SATURDAYS
Up to 5.45pm£120£210£300
5.45pm–close£195£335£480
and pro rata for spots of greater length
SUNDAYS
Up to 6.15pm£150£265£380
7.30pm–close£280£490£700
and pro rata for spots of greater length

Sunspots are transmitted within a themed holiday break consisting of filmed introduction and final references to a TV Times advertisement. The offer is made as a “package buy” and includes participation in the break, production of the Commercial, a co-ordinated “on-air” promotion spot, participation in our TV Times colour advertisement with reply coupon and free handling of the first 2,000 replies.

SUNSPOT

2

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY GHI’s:- A limited amount of time will be available over the two days, Christmas Day, WEDNESDAY, December 25th, to Boxing Day, THURSDAY, December 26th. Spots may be bought in multiples of 1,000,000 Home Impacts

Peak Time Rates:-7 secs15 secs30 secs
6.00pm–close£210£370£525

The audience is guaranteed at a maximum cost per thousand per 30 seconds Home Impacts of 10/6d. The GHI spots are transmitted within a special Holiday Break, normally between 6.00pm and close down. In the event of a short fall in Audience ATV Network Ltd. will offer a refund on a pro rata basis. 

Off Peak:-7 secs15 secs30 secs
Up to 6.00pm£180£315£450

The audience is guaranteed at a maximum cost per thousand per 30 seconds Home Impacts of 9/-. The GHI spots are transmitted within a special Holiday Break, normally up to 6.00pm. In the event of a short fall in Audience ATV Network Ltd. will offer a refund on a pro rata basis. 

The GHI Rate includes all the advantages of a conventional Sunspot, i.e. production of Commercial, a co-ordinated “on-air” promotion spot, participation in out TV Times colour advertisement, and free handling of the first 2,000 replies.

SUNSPOT

3

3 SPOT “LONG WEEKEND” PACKAGE
Advertisers buying spots of the same length in multiples of 3 (i.e. one per day on Friday, Saturday and Sunday) on the same weekend, shall qualify for a 5% discount on the package.

SUNSPOT

4

3 SPOT “SERIES” PACKAGE
Advertisers buying a series of 3 spots of the same length during the period December 27th – January 12th (i.e. one per long weekend) shall qualify for a 5% discount on the package.

SUNSPOT

5

9 SPOT “LONG WEEKEND SERIES” PACKAGE
Advertisers buying spots of the same length on each Friday, Saturday and Sunday over the three long week-ends, i.e. December 27th, 28th, 29th; January 3rd, 4th, 5th; January 10th, 11th, 12th; shall qualify for a 12½% discount on the package.

 

Save as expressly varied herein all the terms and conditions of Contract dated 9th May 1968 are incorporated.
ATV Network Ltd. shall not be held liable for the default of any sub-contractor nor for any event beyond the control of ATV which shall in any way effect the terms express or implied herein.

Hottest reply handling ever

HOTTEST REPLY HANDLING EVER

The coupon replies come in! They’re going to be valuable enquiries, because viewers have been firmly instructed to ask for no more than 4 brochures.
They’re going to be turned around inside 48 hours – frequently well inside! This year, replies will go straight on to an IBM computer.
That’s why the service will be fast.

Meticulous supervision and experience are important too. So a member of the ATV Sunspot team will be assigned full-time to reply handling during every day of the operation. He will be on the spot to see things through smoothly, answer any query.

A man works at a giant bank of computers
11 o'clock at night! Punch cards having been prepared are fed into the I.B.M. Computer which will produce names and addresses and statistical analysis by advertiser.

THIS IS WHAT YOU GET

A woman works at a complicated machine
3.30 a.m. Computer operation completed. The Cheshire Machine cuts and affixes labels from the computer print-out on to the advertiser's envelopes. These are then ready to be dispatched by early morning.
  1. Addressed envelopes. We produce name and address of every enquirer requesting your brochure, and stick it to your envelope (any size from 3¼” x 5″ up to 12″ x 12″). We deliver by van in London postal area, by rail or express delivery mail elsewhere. Or, on request, we can insert your brochure and post it. (Handling charge £6.5.0 per thousand, plus postage.)
  2. Alphabetical list of enquirers. Each advertiser receives a computer print-out of his enquirers, sorted by surname alphabetically. This allows easy follow-up mailing, or checking of actual holidays booked.
  3. Up-dated statistics, every day. A complete analysis of how many enquiries you received that day, and the total to date. All part of the computer service!
  4. First 2,000 all-inclusive. The first 2,000 enquiries directed to each advertiser are free. Further enquiries are charged at cost – £25.0.0 per 1000.
Computing power+brain power=48-hour turnaround+bonus data

Book your place in the sun

Book
your place in the sun
now!

RING 01-262 8040 AND ASK FOR SUNSPOTS

Our Special Sales Unit will be delighted to tell you how to get the most out of our packages

THIS IS HOW IT WORKS

Close co-operation between the agency/client team and the ATV production unit is essential to get the best result from the studio time available. Johnny Fielder’s company, Air-Time Productions, will be pleased to discuss plans with you from the moment your booking is confirmed.

An initial outline of the commercial – either in the form of a briefing or an outline script – should be submitted to him as early as possible, and in any case by November 1st. The script is then finalised by our script editor – for your approval. Some days before recording, the advertiser’s principals are invited to a pre-production meeting with Johnny Fielder to settle details of shooting.

You are of course welcome to be at the actual production at Elstree in December.

PRODUCTION NOTES

Your commercial will benefit if you can provide suitable visual material.

Film may be 16 mm or 35 mm positive. Black and white or colour. All films must carry a TV leader and be marked with an Agency/Client reference number.

Photographs, preferably 9″ deep by 12″ wide. Matt finish.

Leaflets, posters, showcards, etc. can be incorporated. Our production unit will advise on technical requirements.

Word-count in scripts. If you are preparing your own script, please bear in mind that an over-crammed commercial is not an effective one.
As a general guide: 7 seconds allows 10 words, 15 seconds 30 words, 30 seconds 65 words, 45 seconds 100 words, 60 seconds 140 words.

Cartoon of a telephone wearing sunglasses
1968 // THIS IS TRANSDIFFUSION