The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1921-11-17
Mr.. Whiting Speaks on Red Gross
Publicity


Mr.. whiting Speaks on Red Cross
Publicity
When about to enter upon its an.
nual roll call the Augusta Chapter of
the American Red Cross called a con
ference Of workers and asked Percy
H. Whiting. Publicity Manager of the
Central Maine Power Company, to
address them. Mr. Whiting has di-
rected publicity which, during the
past two years, often in spite of
vanishing security market. has mar
ketej successive issues of Central
Maine Z per cent preferred stock in
volume sufficient to provide funds fol
the magnificent SkUwhegan develop.
ment and other great projects of this
corporation. He has done this chief
Il through newspaper advertising
space and with a success never before
heard Of The result has been most
happy one. placing the ownership of
Names biggest Water Power Deyel-
| opment right where it should be with
Maine people. His record is such as
to give his words the weight of high.
! est authority
Mr. Writings attitude toward the
Red Cross must not be misunderstood
It Is an entirely friendly one. He rec
ommends liberal newspaper display
space, contracted for at regular rates
supplemented by general news mate
| rialpubished free. because, out of his
| knowledge as an advertising expert
| he knows this is the way to get re-
/ suits So far as the independents Re
| porter is concerned its columns are
! al the disposal of the local Red Cross
without limit. yet we know Mr. Whit
| ing is correct and we believe his rec
concentrations, carefully read, will be
accepted as correct by Red Cross
workers in general.
Speaking at the Augusta Red Cross
conference he said as follows
Your folder THE Annual Roll
/ CALI cOntaia3 more and better infor
nation than | can hope to give you
about the general publicity plans OF
ibis Roll Call
shall speak. therefore. only on
one point on which | radically disa
gree with the publicity policy of the
Red Cross That is. in regard to paid
| advertising.
If you will read the folder you will
see that the New England Division
will under pressure and if surround
! ed with a lot of restrictions. tolerate
| a little paid advertising Their whole
| plan. however. is to graft all the free
space possible from the newspapers
| To put a great national institution like
! the Red Cross Roll Call on the same
| publicity plane with strawberry
| festival.
This attitude is based on two mis-
conceptions.
The first is the misConceptOn that
the Publisher 6ight to give unlimited
space 10 Red Cross publicity merely
because the Red Cross IS great
charitable institution.
To show the fallacy of that posi-
ton let us compare dry goods mer-
chant and publisher. The former
! has goods for sale. The latter has
Advertising space for sale. his income
from subscriptions pays the cost of
white paper, and a little more. Now
lets say that solicitor calls on the
dry goods merchant and this man
gives SO and joins for his wife. three
children and himself He has done his
dutg. hasn't he? You don't ask him
10 contribute also hundred dollars
worth oi dry goods.
Alright. take the publisher next
door Wcll say that he also sub
scribes ten dollars, and joins for his
wife. three children and himself.
Hasn't HE done HIS duty as we'll
What right have you TO ask him to
contribute also a hundred dollars
worth of the one article he sells at .
profit his White space?
None whatever.
The Red Cross drive has news val
ne. you Say II has-but not much
1t is good news only while the drive
is actually going on. I'll take that
mp briefly later on.
The next msconception about Red
Cros, publicity is that reading space
is more effective than advertising
space In my Judgment the reverse is
true.
II the local paper should offer me
a double center spread free. would /
fill il with reading matter or with a
great hjc smashing advertisement
People will read only a certain
amount of reading matter. and that
only if it contains NEWS. BY the use
of big space and big display you can
Z MAKE them read your advertisement
Put nothing in your news column
J but NEWS You have no right to ex-
peet publisher to print there any
propaganda. any editorial utterances,
anything except NEWS.
Your advertising space is the place
TO tell the people what the Red Cross
has done aud will do with the money
of the American people.
The proper publicity plan for the
Roll Call is combination of news in
The news columns and propaganda in
the advertising columns.
How can YOU pay for it? Well go
to some of the biggest men in the
community and tell them that they