The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-04-05
FIFTY YEARS PUBLICITY
HISTORY COMES TO CLOSE
Largest Assembly Of Advertisers Ad-
vertising Men. Publishers and
Captains of Industry Ever
Gathered Together,
AVER AGENCY JUBILEE
Iiftieth Anniversary of Founding OF
1s~sasts cs.u.te~ssss, a ssettixs AL tsas
Country. is FIitingiy Celebrated By
Banquet in Philadelphia Hosiery.

8
/ Banquet in Philadelphia Hossclry
! Philadelphia. April "A half cen.
tury of advertising history wa.
brought 10 an suspicious close here
tonight by one of The largest assemb
lies of advertisers, advertising men
publishers and captains OF industry
ever gathered together. Nearly q
thousand OF these leaders of the ad.
vertising business celebrated the
fiftieth anniversary of the founding
OF y. w. Aver ~ Son, the oldest and
largest advertising agency in the
country, by banquet in the Bellevue.
Stratford hotel.
The event was notable, not only be.
cause OF the cminence or the guests
present. but because IL marked "A mile
stone in the progress of ono of the
most respected and powerful OF CON
suuctive forces in American business
II brings to the minds OF those who
have been associated with the adver-
Using business since it's early be-
ginning, The part played by n. w. Aver
q Son in building il up.
The speakers at the banquet were
cx-President William Howard Taft.
Victor Lawson, publisher of the Chi
cage ably News: Earl ID. Babst, pres-
dent of the American Sugar Refining
company. n, c. kingsbury. vice. presi-
dent OF The American Telephone and
Telegraph company: Edward w. Box,
editor of the Ladies' Home Journal
Edward s. Jordan, president of the
Jordan Motor Car company. and
members of the firm, Albert G..
Bradford, Jarvis A. Wood, Wilfred W
nd fnv Art.1
Wayland Aver. who, with his father
Nathaniel w. Aver, was the original
founder OF the firm of n. w. Aver L.
Son, and ts now the active head OF
business, presided AS POSTMASTER.
One OF the features OF the jubilee
was The presentation of portrait
painting of F. Wayiand Aver 10 the
1 organization The presentation was
made by Albert c. Bradford, a mem
Der of the firm. Mr.. Aver was then
presented with testimonial of APP
}-preciation signed by AL the guests
presented and employers of the firm
The testimonial. in the form of All
deliberately bound and illustrated au-
tograph book here bore the inscrip-
/ ton:
ITO T. Wayland Aver, who made a
motto and has lived it, who evolved
a principle and has practiced it. who
set an ideal and has attained It."
| Tribute was paid to the memory OF
! Henry n. Mckinney, member OF
! the firm who died April is, 1918. Mr.
Mckinney was associated with the
! firm for forty-two years end was
recognized by advertisers and publish
ers alike as the foremost developer and
seller OF advertising in the country
Perhaps the best known of his adver-
Using creations in Uneeda Biscuit, but
that it is only one example of his ge-
MUS which was applied to scores OF
articles and service in many lines to
which advertising had never been ap-
Iplied.
! a bronze tablet was inscribed Ellis
! constructive genius and tireless
energy made inestimabe contrihu.
! ton TO adequate recognition OF the
| power of advertising" wus presented
| to the organization in memory o,
! Mr.. Mckinney.
Numbered among the guests at the
I banquet were represe ntatives oil
! each of tho clients of n. w. Aver
| Son. and tho four hundred en- ployees
of the firm. Page boys and girls
were ranged behind the chairs o,
the speakers as living place cards
| Eusconceded behind the chair of Mr.
I rarft was a living picture of q. .
| Z.
Behind MI Box. of the Ladies
| Home journal, WAS Color Page" In
! blackf face makeup, Paging Mr.
| ordan, of the Jordan Motor Cal
company. was Miss Play Boy" II
icharac teristic Jordan Arrow cos
tune. Behind Mr.. kingsbury. OF thu
! American Telephone and Telegraph
b, company. stood a "lineman." Mr.
]
announced by a package of Domino
( Sugar"
! The history of n. w. Aver & Son
as told by Mr.. Aver, recalled to pub.
fishers and advertisers present, many
OF whom had been in the business foi
over fifty years. the early struggles
of advertising for "a respected place In
business At tho time the agency
was founded in 1859, advertising was
confined TO a very few lines such as
patent medicines, tobacco, seeds and
agricultural implements. There were
only very few great daily news
papers and the monthly magazines
were unknown.
n. w. Aver & Son started without
employees. In seven years there were
twenty, in 1903 they numbered 200,
and today they number nearly 400.
The firm early adopted the motto.
Keeping EverlastinRly at 1t Brings
Success" and with a beginning OF
$4,000 The first year, today ii points
to an annual business of many mil
lions. Within ten years I; had taken
the lead among advertising agencies
and in the amount of business placed.
and has kept II ever since, Since its
founding the agency has paid to pub
fishers more than 500, 100000.
The agency was the first to adopt
the open contract plan, with n fixed
commission, since adopted by prac-
tically all other agencies, which
quickly revolutionized American ad-
VertisinH and placed IL on a high
plane. The plan originated by ". w.
Aver & Son comedies the right OF an
agent to reasonable profit and
places the agent and the advertiser
na the same side ,pf the counter 4 s
Settlers 'rflr modern advertising
agency is az different from the old
AS a department store is from pick
peddler,
The Aver agency made the first sue
CtsSflI venture into advertising a