Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-05-13
MAXWELL PRESIDENT
EXPLAINS COMPANY'S
ADVERTISING POLICY
Points Out That ScrupulOusly
Honest Advertising Makes
For Business Success

Some striking comments on the fun
damental value of honesty in adver
tising 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 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 remarks
have profound and timely interest.
While his views necessarily relate to
the Maxwell Motor Company, they may
easily be taken to apply generally
to national advertising of any charac
ter. No strain on the Imagination is
required to give his remarks broad
application, 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 a long time,
First Impressions.
Among other things he says:
"'The public has its introduction to a
business house largely through the me-
dium of advertising. In this as in
other instances, the first impressions
exert great influence and the line of
least resistance is to have those first
impressions favorable. If our adver-
tising contains exaggerated, sensational
or untrue statements, the public will
inevitably conceive a corresponding I'M
preston 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-
tarily stimulate our"saes. We are go
ing to be in business long while and
a lasting foundation cannot be built on
mere strategems.
"Maxwell must mean something. 1t
must make known that behind the car
there is an institution-not a 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.
Institutional Merchandising,
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 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
and indelibly impress ON the popular
mind definite and distinctive idea
"a recognized standard of vahte,
utility and excellence that will suggest
itself with the word MaXwell-an un'
conscious appreciation of the ideals,
the methods, the sincerity, the vast
resources, the integrity-the very
Spirit of the Maxwell Motor Company. "
Truth In Advertising
On the subject of truth in adverhs-
ing, the statement reads;
"An essential element of institu-
tional advertising is Truth. Unless
Won can accept as literally and wholly
true the statements made in Maxwell
advertising, you cannot do justice to
the Maxwell ear and the Maxwell Mo-
tor Company-you cannot truly reflect
the Maxwell organization and you can
not have the necessary confidence in
the ideals and honesty of the Maxwell
Motor Company. Let us have thus
clearly and definitely understood by
every man now and for all time
! 'cWherever you see 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,
owe make an honest product and we
insist that honest methods be em'
ployed by us and all Of our men IN
selling it. This, then, will be the eX'
,,.,ss;oo of truth in Maxwell Institu-