The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-05-12
BAN Ks Fl n D
ADVERTISING
PAYS
Many Novel Features Adopt
ed by Financial institutions
in Publicity Campaigns
By RICHARD HATTON.

By RICHARD HATTON.
While the opening years of the
present century have witnessed the
greatest advance in both the nuan-
tity and the quality of advertising
and even the leading governments
in the world, during and after the
war, maintained their advertising
forces with as much attention and
expert direction as was expended
upon military or diplomatic branches
of their organization, the adVancS
made by banks and other financial
institutions in the realm of adVer-
-tising and publicity has been most
marked
Today the bank and the tt 1T
company is not behind the merch@n:
in realizing the advantages of We'll
considered and properly placed adj
,.ertising, nor is the bank heslt1nS
in regard to proclaiming the va.!;e
of its services or in the very I'M
portant and unitarian matter of
spreading the gospel of saving. {
Many novel features have been
introduced into advertising cam.
naiens by the banks of this country
end there are few large financial
institutions today that do not main
tain a we'll conducted publicity de-
partment under the direction OF an
expert.
In the matter of the ACQUISITION
of new business banks have found
advertising or the greatest Vald.-:
The Guardian Trust Company, OF
Cleveland, has novel new business
campaign which it stages each year
among its employees in the shape OF
a four-weeks' contest which taxes
the form ola yachting cruise. Inc
campaign is always accompanied o.
;,beral newspaper advertising int
ing the cooperation of friends and
customers of the bank This wear
the contest takes the form OF a
figurative cruise in which thirty
yachts" manned by crews of twenty
or more made up from the director
ate and staff of the bank take part.
Mileage is determined by new bust
ness. checking or savings accounts
trusts, bond sales and safe-depos1t
rentals obtained. A gigantic map IN
the main banking office records the
score day by dav.
Thrift Essay Contest.
Another method Of publicity en-
ployed by a savings bank was the
recent thrift essay contest put on
by the Bankers Trust Company Of
Indianapolis in cooperation with a
motion picture theater in which
the prizes were a start for saw
ings account awarded to winners
who produced the best essays upon
the subject of THE Value Of a
Bank Account.
Not many years ago it would
have been a hard matter for the
advertising manager OF a magazine
or newspaper to convince a banker
that display advertising could be
of value TO a financial institution.
Today bank and financial maya
zines TEEN with large advertise
ments inserted by banks in every
section of the country while daily
newspapers are being used with
more and more profit by the adj
vertising departments Of banks and
trust companies.
The banker, being essentially a
business man, has come to realize
that the sort of advertising that
he recommends for the merchapt
and the real estate man or any OF
his clients having commodities or
Services to sell. is just as efftca-
cious when applied to his own
business. The utilization of adyer-
Using space in daily newspapers
by banks is becoming more and
more widespread each year Ind 1t
is obvious that the Judgment Cf
those modern bankers who believe
in telling the public of the advan-
tages and banking facilities offered
have found that this method Oh
publicity pays.
Use Full Page AID.
A somewhat novel method of ac-
curing reserve accounts of firms
and individuals was recently inaug-
urated by the Alabama Home
Building and Loan Association
which used a full page advertise
ment I'm a Birmingham newspaper
which was entirely out of the usual
advertising paths Of such rnstltu'
tons. This particular advertise
ment was designed primarily to
interest business institutions, So
cieties, churches and lodges in the
idea of accommodating a cash re-
serve by its plan of Investing
funds. Facsimile reproductions OF
five checks ranging in amounts
from $1,000 to $25 900 paid to
prominent local firms and indiYidu-
ais were used to illustrate the
page. Many banks throughout the
country adopt somewhat similar
lines of advertising in stressinS
the importance of savings accounts
while there is a very general line
of publicity and advertising ap-
pearing from trust companies and
banks covering the important mat
ter Of wills, estates and trust funds.
While the daily newspaper is rec
Senized as the BEST advertising
medium for getting immediate re-
cults in the shape Of new depositors,
and many banks place their adVer-
tiSemeTsts in such mediums every
day. there are numerous other
methods being adopted as a conse-
uuence of the necessity OF keeping
constantly before the public the
name and the advantages Of bank
ing institutions. This is particularly
the case III cities where the banking
field is fairly we'll crowded.
Because of their intense interest
IN all matters Of local progress
bankers today are appearing more
and more in all civic movements as
sponsors or directors. While this
serves to bring the personality of
the bank official into the public
consciousness and thereby benefits
his institution, the greatest good or
this personal activity, accrues to
the community which is given the
advantage of the trTined wisdom
Of the bankers business intelligence