Mohave County miner and our mineral wealth., 1920-05-15
Why a Great Packing Concern
 Advertises
By Louis F. Swift
sident of Swift & Company.

 modities, but recently advertising space has been employed extensively to sell ideas. This type of advertis- ing has been termed educational or institutional. Swift & Company has used both forms extensively during the last two years.
 The institutional advertising of Swift & Company has had two ob- jectives; first, to place the facts of our business before the public, in or / der td build good will; and, second, to counteract misrepresentation and propaganda directed against this in- dustry. We have tried to make this advertising constructive and the greatest care has been taken to see that every statement agrees with the facts and does not misrepresent con- ditions. F
 We have been accused of ulterior motives in inaugurating such wide spread campaign as we have engaged in. Some have even accused us of trying to influence editorial opinion.
 THE EDITOR AND THE AID a
 In fairness to the American Press wish to go on record here IS saying that in placing our institutional ad- vertising no consideration has been given to the editorial policy of the paper or magazine. Circulation and territory have been the only factors which have influenced us, for we have, felt that our advertising has been needed equally in papers which are friendly and in those which are antagonistic to the packing industry.
 It has been my experience that the average editor has been absolutely uninfluenced by the fact that we were or were not advertising in his paper, except of course, as his opinion might be affected by the facts pre- sented in the advertisements. On the other hand, many editors with whom we have advertised have almost lean ed backwards have been less out spoken in favor of the packers, than they would have been had they not been afraid that their readsr might feel that they had been unduly in- fluenced by the financial returns from the space occupied by our advertise ments.
 So much for policy. Has the policy paid?
 To the casual observer, noting our recent compromise agreement with the Attorney General, it might seem we had failed. But the casual obser- yer hasn't his finger on the pulse of public opinion as we have. Public opinion has changed in way which it is difficult to describe in concrete terms. Perhaps I approach it when l say that the consumer is now real izing that there are two sides to the packing question and that there is danger of the American public's "blt ing off it's nose to spite it's face. Citing fact after fact in our adver- tisements, substantiated in many cas es by government figures, we have brought fair-minded editors from the viewpoint where they were seeing in the findings of the Federal Trade Commission proof positive of monop- oly and collision, to realization that, while many assertions were made, practically no conclusive evidence was given to support these assertions.
 THE PUBLIC AND THE AID
 At the same time We have sought to develop, step by step, the services rendered by the large packers and the 1 economic necessity for large, central ized organizations.
 Our campaign has started the pub lie asking two questions: Are the packing houses guilty of monopoly as the Federal Trade Commission charg- es; is not their continued existence an economic necessity to American progress and welfare? Our objectiv- es have been captured and institution al advertising has been our heavy ar tillery in this fight for public good will. We have tested it in a critical period and have found that it comes up to our expectations.
 At the same time, there are ob- stacles that institutional advertising will not batter down-obstacles that will come down of their own accord later. Among these I count the blind fear in the public mind aroused by our handling so many lines of food products.
 Since our success is dependent up- on public good will, and since that fear did exist and represented public opinion that was strong for the mo ment, we felt it better to make the compromise with the Attorney Gen. eral as concession, although we might have convinced the American consumer that our business in side lines was to his interest, and all though we had no doubt at any time that a favorable verdict would have hoop eyiyap ,,c ;f u,o hoI z.a-. :-L- |