River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1921-03-03
Creating Price Standards
By P. w. Ramer

The business of the Quaker Oats |
Company is selling their trademark.
In proof of this, we viii suppose they
sell the exclusive use of their trade
mark to a manufacturer that has no
trade established-we will call it the
King Oats Company. BY the sale of
their trademark, they will have sold
all the good will and established trade
to the King Oats Company who inn
mediately have thoroughly develop
ed trade and the Quaker Oats Co. 4
would not be able to sell their oats.
The psychology of the public mind is
the basis of the Quaker Oats trade.
If the people suddenly changed their
mind and called for the oats under the
name king Oats" the Quaker Oats
business would be ruined, but the oat
meal trade would not be ruined.
We have labored under the mistaken
idea that the Quaker Oats Company
were advertising oats, when in real
ity the were advertising Quaker Oats
had nothing to do with it beyond the
fact that he name had to attached to
some article in order to sell it and
apply trick to the trade. The oat-
meal trade was established, but the
demand was changed from rolled.
to Quaker" Rolled oats is descrip-
tive-it was the goods on which diff
| ferent manufacturers were exerting
! their best efforts to improve quality
| and reduce cost in order to get the
trade by giving the consumer better
value for his money. Just in pro-
portion as the Quaker Oats Company
persuade the consumer to call for
Quaker oats instead of rolled oats
they could control the trade on oats
and secure a monopoly on staple
food product. Three things are in
vowed in any advertised brand of
goods-quality, quantity and price.
Quality is necessary to hold the trade
that advertising gets, just in pro-
portion to the amount of other brands
of the same goods that are on the
market. The price charged and the
quantity given for the money is pref
ty well optional with the owner of the
name. Experience and observation
has taught us this to our sorrow.
If the name of an article indicates
a definite quality or character in the
goods, it is descriptive of the goods,
the same as No. / or No. wheat,
and could not be monopolized. If it is
simply trade name, then trade is in
the name and not in the goods. When
trade is in the name, business must
be completed before judgment re-
garding quality can be exercised, and
faith must take the place of judg-
ment in business. Therefore, Great
ing a demand for name is the fun
damental principle involved. This
throws competition into advertising.
You cannot engage in business that
HldhtS uSc VI lflC IlduCiii0Ah lAShS ia
less you can put millions into adver-
Using, for the trademark right would
have no value to you unless you were
in command of great wealth. Conse-
quently the trademark law has be-
| come fundamentally government
concession to wealth; to carry on a
confidence game under the guise of
advertising; to manipulate the public
mind for private benefit. Is that good
/ political economy? Hasn't that some
thing to do with severing the rela-
tionship between the production and
distribution" of wealth." why some
are prosperous" and others the "re-
verse;"