American Fork citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1912-1979, 1916-07-29
Confessions ST a
Mail Order Man
By MIR. M. O. x.
Revelations by One Whose Experiencein
the Business Covers a Range From
Once Boy TO General Manager
FAIL TO sUssIplzE THE COUNTRY
EDITOR.

In waging campaign for in
creased mail order business | wanted
the country press on my side.
wanted to get more kind words into
the columns of the small newspapers
and country weeklies because real
lied them as | do now, the power Of
the country press q; the great
value It possesses to =, rsent claim
Tor preference before Ho people Of
the community.
outlined a plan TO " ~ the coun-
try newspapers into line nd arrange
for them to carry my advertising mat
ter as well as to persuad, them to
give me free reading notice. and ed
itorials, telling what great nelp and
comfort the mail order houses were
to the people OF the country.
II was nothing more nor less than
bribery. | believed that | could get
tho editors of the country newspa.
pers to be false TO their home inter-
ests and foster ours, for grice.
] had the money to pay them and |
thought lots of dollars could 10 the
work easily and readily.
worked months over that cam.
paign. prepared an electrotyped
advertisement in which advised
the use of the mail order medium and
urged the readers of each newspaper
TO send into the big cities for the cat
alogue. | prepared sheets OF press
notices. and editorials, with elab.
crate and plain instructions for their
use. was going to convert the PEG.
pie OF the whole country to mail order
buying.
expected to spend thousands of
dollars during the course of the next
few years. but 1t would be worth it.,
If | obtained the results. was after
the peoples dollars.
A strong form letter was prepared
as the first step, this letter to be sent
out to the editors of the country news.
papers From advertising agencies
and from various other sources
compiled list of something like 49,.
900 newspapers, all of which were pub
lished In small towns. | was already
fixed with the big daily newspapers.
The only touble was | couldn't some
how or another fix 1t with the coun-
try newspaper.
The letter read something like this;
To the Editor:
Dear sir-You are publishing a newspa-
per for business reasons not for your
health.
You find II difficult to obtain adequate
support from the merchants in your town
They do not appreciate the value of your
newspaper as an advertising medium
I We know that you are printing "A live
newspaper In your community and that
you are entitled to more support than you
| are receiving
The postal laws, under which you enjoy
| the privileges OF second class postage for
mailing your newspaper. require you Ia
accept all legitimate advertising offered
| at your rates
Enclosed please find a contract for adj
vertsng TO the amount of........... dol
! lars. Please sign It and return to us and
we will forward electrotypes Of adver-
tisements to be run together with in
| structions.
| In giving you this business II Is but
] natural that we shall expect you TO run.
each week, the reading notices and edit
torials sent herewith
Very truly YOURS.
BLANK ADVERTISING AGENCY.
Yes, It was a great scheme. ex
pected to swamp the country with
sugared editorials and splendid no
tees about the mail order business.
cheerfully anticipated that I would
put the country merchants out Of bust.
ness, | even went so far as 10 fig.
{ urN out a plan for taking advantage
, OF the coalitions Of business depres.
sion that would inevitably follow such
q sweeping fall In values and consid.
cred the organization OF some sort OF
a land trust 10 buy mp the richest
farms and mosr o. Irablo town prop.
crty in the communities whore the pol.
Icy would work ouJ the quickest !
was becoming a northumberland with.
out delay
But ! experienced the most aston.
fishing disoUpo'r'~u' 1f mv sc. The