Evening star., 1937-08-29
Rv ZeLa R0feLer.


IL adopts some new fad for its
Amusement. We had NAH
- jongs and jig-saw puzzles, |
miniature golf and monopoly. But
the 1887 version Of 4 popular pastime
offers . more thrilling game than the
ownership Of toy hotels. The stakes
are from 81 to 3lOO,000-and the
money Is real! Moreover, for once
John @. Public is on the receiving
instead Of the paying end. The
country has gone contest crazy.
1t had gotten that way before that
flying cadet on the West Coast, w. r.
Stages, won $780, 900 and Mrs. Emma
Barlow of Washington won 5000 in a
cigarette contest, the results of which
emblazoned all the front pages few
days ago. But since then Americas
contest consciousness has greatly In
creased.
Contests are by no means new
idea. While they are actually one Of
the Oldest known promotion schemes,
their boom days really began with the
depression. Desperate manufacturers
grasped at this method OF pushing
their merchandise across counters. II
the public would not buy their product |
for itself they would buy it for the
box top and a chance TO win prize
Then in the past year or two, with
the advent OF the great names" type
OF contest with their big prizes and
fascinating picture puzzles, everybody
and his neighbor began contesting.
More than q thousand persons living
in Washington and nearby suburbs
have won at least one prize in some
advertising contest in the last year
or two. More than a thousand have
won, but there is no way of knowing
how many have tried. OF this thou
sand, many are consistent winners,
winning prizes in large percentage !
OF the contests they enter. half
dozen or so are veteran contestants
who win over hundred prizes every
year, or q prize every three or four
days.
Lucky, you say? Well, if you value
your hide don't mention the word
luck to a contest fan who happens
to be lucky enough-pardon US, smart |
enough-to win consistently. They
resent 1t violently.
or COURSE, the sponsor profits as
we'll Is the contestant In order
to play the game it is usually necessary |
to purchase q certain brand Of tooth |
paste or soap or cereal or tear of the |
carton top rs proof of purchase In
one instance the contest rules called |
for the purchase Of 4 used car mo,
it wasn't necessary to tear of the top
and facsimilies didn't countD. How
ever. il the contestant limits himself |
to the purchase of products he would
buy anyway, the only expense to
contesting is for stationery and stamps |
When contests begun to gain popu-
larity, magazines sprang up devoted |
exclusively to this hobby. These !
magazines are sold almost entirely
through subscriptions, have practically |
no paid Advertising and yet they
have survived. Just recently one
magazine announced that subscrip- |
tons are increasing at the rate of 500 a |
month. Contest publications give the |
rules for all the contests of general |
interest tthe August issue OF one
journal lists 277 current contests and |
this is the slump season.. publish
hov-to-win articles, give winners In
major contests. and reprint 4 few
winning entries. In general. they
prove q very handy eadget for the
would be contest winner.
II you are seriously considering
writing the Great American Advertise
ment for contest, OF course)
there are two things you will
need-a flock of stooees and a hope
chest. Oh. yes, every dyed in the
wool contest fan has hope chest or
hop-they 'll-have-a-contest chest.
and no can is ever thrown away until
the label is carefully removed and
put in this hope chest. Box tops and
soap wrappers. bottle caps and cigar
bands, in fact, just about ee-fourths
Of the ordinary contents OF the trash
can Is zealously saved and woe unto
the member OF the family who care
lessly tears the wrapping from any
merchandise.
THE stooges you won't need until
later on. after you have won q
number Of prizes Some sponsors are
unwilling to give their prizes to regular
winners. However they have never
been known to turn down the box
tops OF the sc called professional
contestants. That's where the stooges
ia
entries in their names. The accepted
rate of payment for stooges is 10 per
cent Of all cash Won in their name.
Contesring draws its devotees from
every walk Of life. Ministers to con-
victs, the poverty stricken to the
affluent, they are all lured by the
hope of winning prize Several
months ago Bing Crosby won $40 for
slogan. A list of winners just
published has As first prize winner
Gov. Leslie Miller of Wyoming. His
prize was q thousand dollar wardrobe
of mems clothes for every occasion.
And, speaking Of hope chests, how's
that for start on a sena torial hope
chest?
Every consistent winner is anxious
to avoid the limelight, but Just let it
be known that some one has won a
prize and every one is interested.
They must know all the hows, the
whens and the whyfores. Last Novem-
Der The Star published front page
story about Mrs. A. Pearl McPherson's /
contest winnings and gave her address |
For the next few weeks she was
deluged with phone calls and letters
from Washington and several sur
rounding States, people wanting her
to give them some advice on how to
win. The volume of inquiries died |
down with the passing Of the weeks
but to this day she still gets an
occasional call or letter from some
one who learned about her through
that article.
ERANCIS MAURINE IRWIN Is