The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-10
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORM ALTON
BUREAU =
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Daroe40g.
Waahfngt2. .. c
ADVERTISING VERSUS UNREST.
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Washington, D. c., Nov. 7.-Adver-
tising played tremendously import
ant part in winning the war. Can it
be relied upon now to help US out of
our industrial crisis?
The advertising men think 1t can.
They believe that, Systematically and
properly applied. advertising can bring
about state of cordial cooperation
between employers and employees;
that it can prevent strikes and in
crease production. At any rate, they
are going to try 1t, and see what
happens.
"You know what We did in,the war.
don't you?" inquired an advertising
genius here the other day, in discuss
ing the new mission of his profession
why, whenever we needed Ger
man prisoners for information about
the enemy's locations. my dear fellow.
we advertised for them. And we got
them in spite of the fact that the
Germans had circulated the rumor
that German prisoners were killed by
Americans Our advertising men at
the front merely had the American
mess menu reprinted and shot across
the trenches, with a display postscript,
reading These rations are given to
prisoners We knew that this was,
responsible for the arrival of so many
they came into camp they would in
uuire about the food advertised"
We'll 1 wish you would think up
something equally clever to get the
men who are on a strike back in our
plant" said a Massachusetts business
man. who had Joined the group.
I'VE will" replied the advertising
expert confidently I'VE WILL
While the business men are a bit
dubious as to the results, many are
seriously considering advertising as
means of maintaining industrial har-
mony within their shops. Nearly every
large company now has its so-called
'house organ"-a magazine which
plays up the interesting details OF the
business and does all in its power to
foster a spirit of friendly cooperation
between empIoye and employer. This
is an advertising feature based upon
the same idea as John Wanamaker's
personal ad in the daily newspapers
In nearly every factory now. more
over the walls are adorned with dis
play notices and posters. But these
are no longer concerned merely with
the duty of the employees towards the
firm: instead the most conspicuous
ones deal with the firms broadened
conception of its duty toward them.
At the end there is always a snappy
statement about team work for the
,
This is advertising, pure and simple.
The employers are advertising them
selves as zealously in this fashion as
they do their automobiles or paints or
talcum powders.
But the latest thing in industrial ad-
vertising is the moving picture. This
usually consists of several reels, show
ing every detail which occurs in the
manufacture OF a product from its de-
sign to its sale to the consumer. This
is one of the most valuable advertis-
ing mediums yet invented. for it shows
each empl We just how much he con-
tributes to the service not only of his
firm but of his country. When a man
works day in and day out for months
at . time on a single process, it is often
difficult for him to see this, without
the help of a movie.
The story is told by one advertis-
ing man of an employe in a New Eng
land plant who did nothing all day
long but punch steel discs which
were brought to him on a moving
platform. Ut vas during the war, and
the mans son was in the trenches. He
did not find steel discs the slightest
bit interesting, but it was a practical
way of earning a living. Then one
night the employees were invited to
see a moving picture shown in the
plant. Watching this picture, this
man saw his steel disc carried on to
the next worker and then the next
until finally it was shown fitted in its
place in finished machine gun,
where it was taken to the port of en-
barkation, sent across the Atlantic and
up to the front line trenches, where a
boy who might have been his son
handled it. This man returned to his
job with new zest for steel discs that
greatly increased his efficiency.
The great advertising job now"
declares the man who told this story,
@is to make the working man see his
Importance in bringing down the high
cost of living. The great demand is
for increased production but some
times it is difficult to make the worker
see why. He is often too far removed
as consumer to make his increased
production evident to him and his
family in reduced living costs. And
while 1t is true that a wage which is
not earned is added to the cost of the
finished product and eventually to all
products, it is hard to make that point
evident to the Individual"
But it is strange that so little has
been done heretofore to make him see
1t. During July and August of this
year an average of 336 strikes were
going on daily in this country. No
state has been immune from them.
Many have been victories for labor,
many have been triumphs for capital,
but all~have been loss to the public,
and none has contributed anything to-
ward the general adjustment of in
dustrial conditions. There has been
plenty of talks on rne part of econo-
mists about the need for increased pro.
duction and the danger of curtailing
supplies, but no one has come forward
with satisfactory solution of the
difficulties. 1t remained for the ad-
Observation-Disclosures
SThe George M