Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1912-05-31
HOW ADVERTISING
SAVED A COLLEGE
BY HERBERT n. SMITH

There Is no good reason why a man
cannot be persuaded by advertising
to join a church or donate 81 900 to a
with a peculiar name or fountain
pen with particular crook.
1t was left for small institution on
the prairies of South Dakota-Huron
college of Huron-to make a conspicu-
Gus success of college advertising
aimed at the people with money rather
than children, in an effort to obtain
sufficient endowment to enable it to
continue its efforts to educate the
youth Of the frontier state. The goal
was an endowment fund of 100000
to be raised before a certain date in
order to secure large contingent gifts.
and President G. H French ascribes
much of the success of the campaign
to the advertising of the college.
Before the advertising began Presi-
dent French had good distribution, -
to use the terms of merchandising. He
and his college were known to the
members of the Presbyterian church
over the country. The school is at
tached to that denomination. although
as Is usual with the small western col
leges, young people of all denomina-
lions attended President French, who
was his own agency and advertising
man, was also provided with supple
mental advertising to that done In pc
riodicals and had follow-up in the
shape of college bulletin which went
lege
Because the college could appeal to
but limited class the advertising was
confined to two church papers. the
Continent and the New York Observer.
The copy was changed each week.
There was behind the college his
tory replete with the sacrifices of stu
dents and professors so that there
were human interest tales in abun-
dance on which to hang an ad. The
college had been running $4,000 a
year behind in its expenses. This
money had to be raised by the presi-
dent on begging expeditions. The
trustees determined to end that and
set after an endowment. The general
educational board and J. ]. Hill helped
with large gifts contingent on raising
the rest-so much In South Dakota
and the rest elsewhere.
Used House Organ, Too.
Although South Dakota has had two
years of poor crops, work was COM
menced on the members of the Pres
byterian church in that state. They
were sent copies of the Bulletin, the
"house organ" in which history OF
the college was printed, together with
current news about the progress OF
the endowment campaign. Each week
these same families received the
quarter-page ads Of the college in
their church paper, pounding home the
message that Huron college would die
unless the money were found.
The ads. were rather unique In their
breaking away from ordinary religious
paper advertising. One was as fol-
lows: "a birthday dollar" A little
girl almost six years old overheard
her mother and father talking about
the danger that Huron college might
die If it did not get endowment.
what, that college de-? she cried,
We can't let it do that, can we, moth
er? / will give the dollar that grand
pa is going to send me for my birth
day"
The dollar came and it's simple story
won many other dollars. A small boy
who gave two cents got big head
in the advertisement Of the college
soon after.
All of the advertisements were OF
the same simple sort. The record OF
the college in regard to home and for
eign missions and men and women
who had gone from the college to
work in those fields was ''reasoa why
CODY that the college should be sup
ported with sufficient endowment.
Each ad. carried a statement OF the
amount of money raised and that
needed by the time the limit expired.
The space was usually quarter-page
with plenty of white showing to make
it stand out.
November II Huron college loses
$3.50 900" was the headline of one of
the ads. announcing the necessity OF
raising the endowment in time to save
the contingent pledges.
The money was raised on the last
night of the period amid the usual &C
compartment of college approval of
a thing we'll done. President French
expects that the number of students
will be largely increased through the
publicity the college has received, al
though no effort was directed toward
that end in this movement.