Selling America

1964

January. Capitol Records: $50,000 hurriedly allocated for promotion in advance of Beatles' arrival 7 February. They distribute 5 million posters and stickers saying, "The Beatles Are Coming." They also prepare a four-page "life story" and a promotional record for disc jockeys. The record includes pre-recorded answers to questions that the jockeys read, making it appear they were interviewing the Beatles. February. Nicky Byrne arranges to distribute free tee shirts to kids who went to the airport to greet the Beatles on 7 February.

7 February (London): Pan Am flight 101: 1,000 fans see the Beatles off. On the plane Epstein, Cynthia Lennon, and Phil Spector, along with members of the British press, nervously wonder what the American Beatle experience will be.

7 February (New York): 3,000 to 5,000 people wait for them at JFK (Beatles think the US president must be arriving)

9 February: 50,000 applications swamped The Ed Sullivan Show for the 700-seat theater. The Nielsen ratings for the performance estimate that 23,240,000 homes tuned in, or approximately 73 million people.

First Set	Second Set
"All My Loving"	"I Saw Her Standing There"
"Till there Was You"	"I Want to Hold Your Hand"
"She Loves You"

Every seat in US concert tour sold out.

	Go to
Marketing	Outline	Beatlemania
	31-aug-09