The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-07-08
BANKS ADOPT NEW
PUBLICITY METHOD
Dominion Institutions Gain
Advertising Experience
From the War.

A. G.. Sclater, manager OF the statis-
teal department Of the Union Bank Of
Canada, contributes a most interesting
article on why Banks Broke Away
From Old Style OF Advertising to
Associated Advertising for July. Some
Of its principal passages arc here given
The war and tho experiences spring
ing from It brought to each OF US o
more vivid appreciation of the COM
munity of interest that links all parts
Of the civilized world together. 1t gave
us a new sense Of the common duties we
all are expected to carry as citizens OF
our native country, and showed those
who did not before appreciate 1t that we
are not multitude OF more or less
self-sufflcient individuals. but citizens
OF a world community. with a very
definite set of duties as such.
The bankers OF the country have ben
Gifted by this change. Service they did
to the Upited States during the war
service which even to-day the public
knows little of, and in the doing of this
service they have come to larger ap-
probation Of their responsibilities and
their opportunities
The more progressive banks have been
governed by this new attitude long
enough to know that II pays. Financial
| advertising men who know the story are
! very fond OF referring to a certain New
York national bank-one Of the Oldest
and best known in the country. although
perhaps not one Of the largest-that has
within the past two or three years made
particularly effective use of UP to date
advertising. This bank, when It cele-
brated its eightieth birthday four years
ago had deposits of only $S,000.000
Reputation IT had a plenty. II was
known as one of the most dignified and
solid institutions of its kind in the coun.
l try; but, somehow or other, in spite oil
| its long and honorable history and the
| commercial and financial storms 1t had
weathered. business did not come to It.
, Drops Traditional Pride.
In 1915 an energetic young man. who
| had made n name for himself in another
| field, was elected to the board of direc'
| tors. Shortly this man became vice
president, then president. From the
| vantage point OF the presidents chair hi
| began complete reorganization OF the
| bank. from staff to policy toward adver'
| Using, printed and otherwise. Without
| sacrificing dignity. he took the organ
| !zations traditional aloofneess an
dropped It out OF the window. Tha
| bank, as he saw It. wanted more bust
ness and II could not get it by sitting II
a corner. nursing its pride.
| change in personnel. change o
spirit and an advertising campaign tina
| took the breath of his competitors away
| formed the essential parts of his plan
| The result OF this campaign? Why. tina
| bank, in four years, has increased II
deposits from sS,000,000 TO almost $40,
0OO, 900, and Is growing fast
| In Canada the bankers-trained In
school whose traditions were even NOR
conservative than those OF the banker
on this side of the line-until quit
recently took much the same disdainfu
attitude toward advertising. This wa
| reflected in the makeup OF all their pub
lcity. Many thousands OF dollar
found their way out Of the banks cof
fers and were CHARGED 10 advertising,
but it ia very questionable whether tn
banks every really received any return
for their money. IT was hardly to b
expected that they would. Neither thei
| printed matter nor the copy they use
in their advertising was designed TO &C
| results The men who wrote them an
tho banks who paid for them did no
believe they would or could get results
and they did not