Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-19
EXPLAINS POLICY
ON ADVERTISING
Walter Flanders, President of
Maxwell Co., Says Name
Will Stand For Value

Some striking comments on the fun
damental value of honesty in adver-
tisins are contained in a statement by
Walter f. Flanders, president of the
Maxwell Motor Company, just issued
to the company's dealers and repre-
sentatives. The statement is a con-
crete explanation of the aims behind
the company's advertising policy
In view of the national movement
in the direction of sincerity and truth
in advertising, Mr.. Flanders reuarks
nave profound and timely interest.
Whlle his views necessarily relate to
the Maxwell Motor Company, they may
easily be taken TO apply generally to
national advertising of any character.
NO strain on the imagination is re-
quired to give his remarks q broad ap-
plication, so that, literally construed.
they strike at the very root of what
those who have the best interests of
advertising at heart have been agitat-
ing for long time.
Among other things he says:
The public has it's Introduction to
a business house largely through the
medium of advertising. In this as in
other instances, the first impressions
exert great influence and the line of
iSoSI lSSlSleAnGc Is 10 nave lHOSe IISL
impressions favorable. If our 'adver-
! tising contains exaggerated, sensa-
tlonal or untrue statements, the public
will inevitably conceive a correspond
ing impression of the company behind
that advertising. And we can't afford
to put any such obstacles in our own
path, even though they do deceive a
few unsuspecting people and momen-
tarlly stimulate our sales. We are
going to be in business a long while
and lasting foundation cannot be
bullt on mere strategemS.
Maxwell must mean something. 1t
must make known that behind the car
there is an institution-not dealer or
salesman or any other representative
but an institution: a big, healthy,
permanent, institution possessing aims
and ideals, whose product naturally
will reflect its good name"
Speaking of the INSTITUTIONAL idea
behind the Maxwell advertising policy,
Mr. Flanders says:
institutional merchandising, which
includes advertising and selling, is not
an idle theory. 1t is not vague sophis-
try. 1t is a real and urgent necessity.
The biggest and best known industries
in the world are founded on it and
have their whole being in it. They are
not mere businesses They are institu-
tions-national or international in
their scope and their present eminence
was attained through the character
and ideals they possessed and that
they made known to the public.
Maxwell has started to institution
alize. Maxwell advertising will create
aii1 indelibly impress on the popular
mind definite and distinctive idea
"A recognized standard of value,
utility and excellence that will sug-
gest itself with the word MaXwell---an
unconscious appreciation of the ideals,
the methods, the sincerity the vast
resources. the integrity the very
Spirit of the Maxwell Motor Com
pany."
On the subject of truth in advertis-
ing, the statement reads:
AN essential element of institutional
advertising Is Truth. Unless you can
accept as literally and wholly true the
statements made in Maxwell advertis-
ing, you cannot do justice to the Max
well Motor Company you cannot
truly reflect the Maxwell organization
and you cannot have the necessary
confidence in the ideals and honesty of
the Maxwell Motor Company. Let us
have this clearly and definitely under
stood by every man now and for all
! time.
Wherever you see a Maxwell adver-
tisement-no matter whether it is in a
national weekly, standard magazine.
trade publication or local newspaper
you know or should know that you can
! pin your faith to it and assure your
prospects, your neighbors and your
! friends, that every word of that text is
| fact
I'VE make an honest product and we
insist that honest methods. be en-
ployed by us and all of our men in
/ selling 1t. This, then, will be the ex-
preston of truth in Maxwell Institu-
tional Advertising"