Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1931-05-24
LETTERS to
the EDITOR

Sio 6ct Ooscl1SI III one Dig z
operative marketing agency. We
are manufacturing grapefruit in the
Valley on a big scale and we should
DC marketing grapefruit as a unit.
As q grove owner looking on from
the outside ana subscribing to
nearly all of the daily and weekly
papers Of the Valley I have been
keeping In close touch with the
progress Of the. cooperative mar
keting idea. 1t looks nov like petty
jealousies, short-sighted politics and
local squabbles were going TO stand
In the way OF a real cooperative
marketing agency.
The big competition OF the VAL
ley Is Florida and other citrus pro-
1 ducing sections. There should not
be competition in marketing within
the Valley itself. Unless we get to-
gether to combat the huge adver-
Using campaigns OF Florida and
California We growers in the Val
ley are headed for financial ruin.
We will be getting bills Tor our
freight instead Of q ne return for
our fruit.
1t takes good advertising to Gre
ate markets, no matter how good
the product may be. Il will take at
least 1850 Of the Valley grapefruit
going through n great cooperat-
live agency to provide an advertis-
ing appropriation large enough TO
make much Of a dent in creating a
demand for Texas grapefruit.
If a $4,000 carload crop should
be realized and If IL we're all mar
keted through one agency under
one brand. with sc a box set up for
advertising the total appropriation
would be only S270.O00. That may
seem Like a lot Of money. but il Is
not a big advertising appropriation
as advertising appropriations 80.
II would take all Of that to do a
really effective job Of creating a
demand for Texas grapefruit strong
enough to bring us growers a larger
net return.
But even with only one big CO.
operative In the Valley we could
not expect to have an appropria-
ton that large. AS matters are now
shaping up il looks like we would
have a divided appropriation for
the Valley. This would be fatal. One
Texas brand would be competing
against another Texas brand with
out either N getting anywhere.
II We have only a 10000 a crop
next year and succeed in market
ing 1876 of it through M agency,
that would provide an advertising
appropriation of only S135.000. With
two so-called cooperatives in the
Valley. this appropriation would be
divided into two appropriations ad-
vertising competitive Texas brands.
Folks. we should De fighting
unitedly for the markets Of the
word, instead Of each other.
one Of the big objects Of organ
izing TO market comparatively Is TO
raise an advertising appropriation
large enough To effectively tell the
world about Texas grapefruit.
AT the present rate OF consump-
ton OF grapefruit there Is going TO
be a huge oyerproduction when all
Of the new groves now planned
come into bearing unless powerful
advertising Is used 70 increase de-
mand and consumption. There will
not be an over-prcduction If our
growers can rise above petty local
s%quahbles and get a vision Of the
! possibilities of united effort in Gre
ating larger markets for Texas
grapefruit.
The people OF this great Chicago
market "a logical Texas markel
hardly know there Is such a thing
as Texas grapefruit. They do not
know that Texas grows a better
quality fruit. The largest campaign
that the Valley can have in the next
few years even with one big CO.
operative. would hardly be Sufti-
cient TO cover this n big market
with a trading area Of over 4,OOO,-
900 people.
II would be futile to spend our
money unless we can all get to-
Gether and market and advertise
together. No wonder the govern
ment refuses to loan money 70 our
growers unless there IS more eyld-
ence Of real cooperation.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley is
only a small speck on the map but
IL can make itself felt as a mighty
force in marketing grapefruit with
united advertising. How can the
Magic Valley. with two puny adver-
Using appropriations expect TO
! make M headwav against such
campaigns as the Florida campaign
as described in the March issue or
The S~eald-Sweet Chronicle?
The strongest campaign ever re-
leased on Florida Citrus fruit. Re-
produced above are specimen pieces
Of copy being used in the news
paper phase Of the tremendous eX-
change advertising campaign on
/ Seald-S Sweet and Moriuce Florida
fruit. This copy Is appearing IN II
newspapers in the SO largest mark
cts III the country. These papers
have a combined circulation OF
/ 9.158GT0 Two. three and some
/ times four insertions Of large size
space per week are used.
Added to this tremendous circu-
lation is over 100000 additional
in the national publications-Am-
erican Weekly. Liberty, Golfers.
and Physical Culture
Huge outdoor 24-Sheet posters in
/ IS cities OF the east and middle
west will be seen and read by
many more millions. Posters in the
! New York subway and Chicago ele-
waited add a circulation OF $780,
600 more
The aggregate effect gained In
the repeated use OF these many
media assures Florida growers Of
effective sales contact with over
half Of the consuming families in
the United States.
Not only is the market literally
blanketed by Exchange advertis-
ing but the advertising itself takes
oranges and grapefruit right out Of
the luxury class and makes them
necessities--for the teeth, for colds.