Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-28


swered, land / am going to spend this
money to do 1t, whether you like It or
not
An opportune Fire.
| I went back to the hotel. laid out =
schedule and started the campaign That
night I left the Inter Ocean Office. whore
had seen the last form on tho press.
and arrived at my hotel to find q tele-
phone call from the Inter Ocean. The
Ford branch is on fret was tho Pleas
ruined.
We made the best OF the situation and
rented temporary place-for the show
opened on the following day-got on more
advertising we had done and the extra
publicity due to the fire we did tho rec
ord business of the show.
That branch manager, who up to that
money through daily papers, is now tho
most successful branch manager in Chi
cago-still selling the Ford line. I am
sorry to say, because We are now COM
petitOrs.
The point I wish to make Is this: In
trying to meet the local conditions which
existed in Chicago I found / had solved
the entire advertising proposition which
confronted the automobile manufacturer.
In concentrating on Chicago we had not
only developed q profitable business there,
but hade also created business and es-
tabiished dealers In every city, town and
hamlet IN Illinois. northern Indiana.
southern Michigan, eastern Missouri and
all the other territory covered BY the big
chicago sunday newspapers
From that time to this my plan Of cam
paign has been to concentrate through
the daily newspapers in the various CEN
mako my national campaign.
In the early days we used only the
big Sunday papers OF ten cities-New
York. Philadelphia, Chicago. Boston.
Atlanta. Los Angeles. AS the industry
grew we increased the schedule to
cover twenty-five cities. And in one of
our recent campaigns We used 900
Sunday and daily newspapers. covering
almost as many cities and towns all
over the United States.
We assume as the basis Of operation
that the problem is not merely to Gre
ate inquiries, not merely to create a
scattered demand for our product. but
to create q general demand and at the
same time establish dealers to take
care of the demand In tho various
towns
For example. what would 1T avail us
to impress an individual In Waco, Tex,
or Stockton. Cal. or Puyallup. Wash,
with the merits OF our car IL after re-
ceiving his inquiry we could not sell
him. and even though he sent US the
order by mail It would cost us $500 to
ship one car to Puyallup?
After he got It he probably would
not get much satisfaction out of II,
because there would be no garage In
terested in the car to an extent SUM-
cient to take care Of 1t. An automobile
is q complicated piece. Of machinery.
Our aim, then. 10 ffrst to establish a
dealer in Puyallup, and then send him
twenty or thirty or. fifty customers to
as 1s, S ans oras ms
while to give those customers first
class attention.
The conclusions / have reached in re-
gard to circulation are different from
held. For instance, the Flanders Man
ufacturing Company had designed an
electric automobile. Up to that time
electyics had been sold In g. few cities.
and limited demand for the cars.
What we wanted was quantity demand.
Experts. or those who consider them
selves advertising experts, told me my
methods would not serve for the electric;
that must use pretty pictures. printed
on double coated paper. and conventional
LANGUAGE to express the idea back OF the
product. At first believed 1t myself
After thinking the matter over CAREFUL
media. And had been forced to defend
my policies 90 vehemently that DECIDED
to 70 the limit and not only use Aaily
newspapers but to use tho same schedule
for the electric that had used Tor saso-
line cars.
The result Of that campaign is well
known In the automobile. It was tre-
mar,dous, and to US the most Striking
we used. the big popular Sunday papers
In New York, Chicago and San Francisco
pulled heavier than any others.
II I were asked to explain this or 70
only explanation to myself Is that q
mans literary taste IL no indication Of
his purchAsing power-his ability to buy
IN aukomobile.
Problem Of Glass Circulation.
Now I don't claim that statement Is 100
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