The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-09-05
How the Rock Island Advertises
the Southwest.
Deals Direct with individuals
Who Want to Move.
INFORMATION BUREAU
Tells People Inst What Town
Needs Them Most.
Interview With Traffic Manager
John Sebastian.

Printers Ink, the New York maya
zine devoted to scientific advertising
says I'm a recent issue:
One of the most thorough systems for
advertising states and municipalities
ever set a-going is that Of the Rock
Island railroad, under the direction OF
John Sebastian, at Chicago 1t takes
into account not only the promotion
of the vast territory lying along the
company's own lines. but as much ter
ritory again that lies beyond them. 1t
deals not only with states as a whole.
but with every city, town and hamlet
IN each state. down to the tiniest wa
ter-tank and siding. Every railroad
has an industrial department for deal
ing with big things. like factories or
colonies of settlers The Rock Islands
system handles these, too, but it also
takes care of individuals in a way new
er dreamed OF by the old-fashioned in
dustrtal department If 5000 Swiss
herders and dairymen want to estab-
lish a cheese-making community in
Oklahoma the Rock Island bureau will
attend to the details placing the set
tiers where they will do best and are
most needed. If Chauncey AlgernOn
Smythe. having completed his law
course at Harvard, wants to go west
and grow UP with a new country, the
Rock Island bureau will help him ind
a promising town that is short of law
yers, or one where there is an abund- |
ance of attorneys who neglect business
and scarcity of capable ones.
The Rock Island bureau is a large at |
fair. yet its principles are simple. They
ought to underlie every municipal and |
state advertising campaign. There are |
two observation-disclosures for gathering |
and distributing information. and an |
other for attracting inquiries through 1
advertising. The first is by far the |
most important. Municipal advertising /
often runs 10 generalities. 1t sounds Il
-e2l1 m "a in fr1f ~ hac
climate. and the country roundabout /
has fertile SOIL and there are numerous /
openings for merchants. manufacturers. |
farmers, mechanics and professional /
men, But the very first reader attract |
ed by such a statement will want to i
know the exact nature of the SOIL and |
and whether there is room for another |
printer. or shoe store or foundry. ONLY |
exact information will answer the /
questions of the prospective settler.
With this mass of informant ton fled /
away in its Chicago archives the Rock
Island began an advertising campaign /
two years ago, using mediums that |
reach farmers, business men. manufac-
turers, mechanics and other classes
likely to pull up stakes and go to new
country The advertising itself went |
straight into mail order journals and /
farm papers, instead of being accom-
plished through the usual mailing list |
that satisfies the average advertising
municipality.
ing we were on the lookout for results
says Mr.. Sebastian. For many months
there were no results but inquiries. To
all these went replies naming towns
where opportunities or raw materials
could be found. A carbon copy of each
letter sent out was mailed to our near
est agent, and sooner or later the man
I'm West Virginia received a personal |
call from our Wheeling representative.
This personal visit follows every serious
inquiry, for we have agents in every
part Of the United States. The secre-
tary of the Commercial club in
the town recommended was notified,
too, and urged to get into correspon-
dence with the inquirer. so that we
had three lines upon him. From our
Office here ten days later went a re-
minder card and booklet, then another
letter. Then we stopped. on the assump-
ton that ii pays to follow up an in
quiry vigorously to the stopping point
and then it pays to stop.
We'll. we are doing a large business
IN this line But whenever we tried TO
md definite results man settled or a
factory located through our advertising |
it was difficult to show that any |
Roadway was being made. Yet we
were making Roadway. Investigation
showed that after our bureau had in |
terested a man to the point where ne
was willing to take trip of investiga-
ton we practically lost sight of him
He was busy, and stopped writing tous
Only the secretary of the local COM |
mercial club could tell us whether he
had settled. and sometimes it took two
letters to find out this fact. Whenever
we heard of n settler or factory-owner |
going into one of our towns. however
We made a point of learning his name
and former locality. and in seventy-five
per cent of these cases we found him
In our files as an inquirer Another /
valuable thing VIC learned about re-
suits was that it takes at least six :
months to get campaign of this kind II
under way-and this is just about the /
time the single town gets DISCOURAGED I
and stops advertising. Then the man =
you convince after three months cor |
dependence may not be ready to move ,
Tor year or more. This is another
point to remember.
While We have sent two large home ;
seekers excursions out of Chicago the