365 Days #119 - Avon - Campaign 13: Your Special Sales Meeting Record (mp3s)

MP3:
Side One
1. Coffee With Pat And Sunny (7:12)
2. Sweet Honesty (Radio Commercial) (1:08)
3. Natural Sheen "Telephone" (Radio Commercial) (0:37)
4. Natural Sheen "Man Talk" (Radio Commercial) (0:38)
Side Two
5. Welcome To The Club (8:26)
6. Reprise: Welcome To The Club (1:12)

"Youuuuu... you rate a brass band!"

Imagine yourself as a successful Avon manager. A couple of hundred reps in your territory are working hard every day, and it's your job keep sales figures and morale going up, up, up! You hold your monthly sales meetings at a local hotel conference room, and you cover all the latest, hottest sales techniques and products, and also make sure everyone has a great time. The room is full, there are flowers and pitchers of water on every table, and lots of catalogs for the newly-announced Campaign 13 sales event.

Then you walk over to the record player.

Yes, the record player.

The year in 1975, and Avon has sent you a 10-inch record for you play for the entire room. You start off with "Welcome To The Club" a peppy little ditty designed to motivate everyone present to attain membership in the vaunted, perk-filled President's Club. The lyrics end, and give you several minutes of background music for your pep talk, followed by a reprise of the peppy little ditty.

Then you can flip it over, and play "Coffee with Pat and Sunny," a long, pre-recorded, totally scripted "conversation" between Pat Neighbors (Avon Vice President) and Sunny Griffin (former actress/model and Avon Beauty Editor) complete with coffee-serving sound effects. They chitty-chat about new products, summer grooming tips, the mid-70's brand of safe suntanning advice, and the importance of having a new "wardrobe of frangrances" for every season.

And finally, we're on to some radio commercials for Sweet Honesty perfume and Natural Sheen hair care products. Message: Avon is for black people, too! The perfume commercial is going for a Delfonics or Chi-Lites vibe. The second Natural Sheen commercial is my favorite, featuring two guys joking with each other about their hair, and using the wife's Avon products.

"If you don't know Avon, you should..."

- Contributed by: Chuck Tomlinson

Images: Cover, Cover Closeup, Label Side A, Label Side B

Media: 10-inch LP
Album: Campaign 13: Your Special Sales Meeting Record
Label: Avon Products, Inc.
Catalog: SM-9477
Credits: Created & Produced by Contempo Communications, New York, New York
Date: 1975

Comments

[Dale Hazelton]

Always sublime! "Sweet Honesty" is only six degrees away from Incorrect Music staple, "Candy Pants." Loved it!

[Jen]

My favorite Avon perfume was Tahitian Holiday .It has coconut and monoi oil as top notes.Sadly,it was taken off the market in mid 2009 .:( Still,I'm an Avon junkie !