Two Letters on Your Desk

One an ordinary processed letter-obviously machine made and sent out in mass

The other a personally typewritten letter

Which would you read first?

Would you read the processed letter at all?

We turn out automatically typewritten letters that equal in every respect those you personally dictate -but at less than half the cost. And our work is rapid and painstakingly exact.

Direct Advertising Service

OF THE

West Side Printing and Supply Co.

9 Murray Street New York City

We Co-operate with Agencies

Have you got the job?

My experience has been profitable, pleasant and educating.

Eight years with four publishing houses in as many different fields, as follows:

FIRST-Solicitor for leading trade paper in its field. Covered territory from Cleveland to St. Paul. Promoted to cover New York to St. Paul. Gained 50 per cent in advertising. SECOND-Successively solicitor, assistant manager and manager of department for one of the largest and most influential newspapers in the United States. Handled half a million lines of advertising yearly.

THIRD-Department manager for one of the oldest literary magazines. Qained 50 per cent in my department and created new sources of

revenue.

FOURTH-I am now in charge of a department for one of the largest magazines in the Country. My principal work is to sell advertising space by mail.

Another large advertisement directed to the householder is captioned "What You Own," and makes the point that unless policies on homes and household goods have been increased, the owner is dangerously under-insured.

To clinch the prospect on the cost of increased fire protection, the copy points to lower rates and the shortsightedness of pinching pennies at the risk of dollars. "Proper protection," explains the copy, "costs but a trifle more. Under-insurance saves but a penny or so a day, and thereby jeopardizes hundreds and thousands of dollars. Since 1913, in the face of almost everything else going up in price, Cook County fire insurance rates have gone down. They are on the average about one-fourth lower to-day. And the rates are uniform for equal risks, the poor man gets as low a rate as the rich man. . The Chicago Board of Underwriters is largely the cause of lower rates and equal treatment to all."

The Board of Underwriters, however, is not taking it for granted that the public will accept education talks on fire insurance without inquiring as to the interest behind the promotion of increased insurance holdings. Public confidence, however, is sought in describing the organization and the important services it renders to the public. "Facts You Ought to Know About the Board," are used in concluding most of the advertisements. "No capital stock," explains the copy. "Conducted for protection—not for profit. Organized for the prevention and fighting of fires and

I am thirty-two years old and have a family. Have a thorough knowledge of printing and what type will do, correspondence, sales letters, follow-up, office systems, etc.

As a boy I worked during the summers in different lines from printer's devil to compositor in a printing house, and from errand boy to salesman in a department store in a town of 50,000.

Travelled in Mexico, South America, Porto Rico, Cuba and Canada, and Western part of United States.

Some man has a job, preferably in the East, that fits me. Have you? Full details gladly given.

Address "Trustworthy." Box 1, care P. I.

of fire insurance rates. Before building or remodeling have your plans examined by the Board and thereby secure the lowest possible insurance rate."

The Board, by assessing its members, supports eight fire insurance patrol companies, pays for a large force of inspectors and rate makers, and contributes toward the expense of city fire

departments. Other copy makes the point that the Board in 1916 expended $150,000 in making building inspections and establishing regulations which work toward the reduction of fire insurance rates.

Early in the preparation of the campaign, it was appreciated by the agency in charge of the advertising, that as with all new advertisers, one of the biggest obstacles to be overcome is to win the active interest of a dyed-inthe-wool non-advertising force. With this problem in view, plans were laid for the education of the insurance solicitors and agents to ways in which they could capitalize upon the campaign to the best advantage.

sales

Instead of making the mistake of gathering the solicitors together for "sermonettes" or "ginger talks" at the risk of making a negative contact, those in charge of the advertising planned first to disarm skepticism and then work for good-will. To this end, a "boosters" dinner was given for the insurance men at one of the leading hotels. The affair was timed a few days before launching the campaign in order that interest might be timed with the insertion of the first advertisement. Music and features of entertainment were provided to establish a receptive attitude for what was to follow.

Then when an entente cordiale had been established, the lights were turned off and stereopticon slides were used to illustrate the campaign while the agency men pointed out the features of the campaign that was to aid them in increasing fire insurance premiums and their own commissions. Particular attention was called to features in the campaign designed to bring direct business. One feature, for example, was the coupon used in the campaign. "Meet Your Insurance Agent Half Way," the coupon was headed. "Phone or call at your insurance agent's office, or tear off this coupon and send it to him today. (His address is on your policy.) Delays may prove dis

The

astrous. Take no more chances." But the insurance men were not permitted to get an idea about selling "advertised insurance" to be forgotten as soon as the dinner was over. In order to visualize the campaign permanently and to provide "talking points" a gigantic twelve-page portfolio bound with a heavy manila cover, was prepared for distribution to the 5,000 agents affiliated with the Board. Advertisements to the different classes of prospects were reproduced. One page of the portfolio was devoted to illustrating the breadth of the campaign by a photograph showing the seventeen English and foreign language newspapers used, their circulation, and the dates on which copy was scheduled to run. portfolio then made the point that the extent of increased business to be expected depended entirely upon the mental attitude of the solicitor in putting his shoulder behind the campaign. "Over 20,000,000 People Will Read These Advertisements," explained the portfolio, after describing the combined circulation of the newspapers. "You as a member of the Board will benefit by this campaign in proportion to the personal work you do while the campaign is appearing in the Chicago newspapers. Outline specific duties for yourself for each day, starting with the first day of the campaign. Telephone, write, enclosing proofs of the advertisements, or call upon every one of your customers and make sure that they understand how it applies to their specific needs."

The enterprise of the Chicago Board of Underwriters in launching the campaign is being watched with keen interest by insurance and advertising men alike-not that it is an experimental effort, but that it marks an appreciation of the value of advertising to overcome the definite problem of developing business at a minimum of selling costs. It is not unlikely that other insurance organizations I will take their cue from the campaign of the Chicago Underwriters in the future.

Can the Advertising Value be Retained in a Changed Container?

Suggestion Is Made That Combination of Tin and Fibre Would Accomplish the Purpose-Package Would Then Retain the Appearance of an All-Tin Con

tainer

Special Washington Correspondence.

IF Uncle Sam is enabled to shift

to the fibre package any considerable proportion of the branded products in the lines which he has pronounced eligible the war may be held responsible for a far-reaching shake-up in packaging practice. Among the advertised lines for which fibre containers are now "recommended" by the United States Department of Commerce there may be mentioned marshmallow creams, dried fruits, preserves, mincemeat, relishes, pickles, deviled ham and chicken, vinegar, dry and prepared mustard, olives, etc. In the case of most of the above-mentioned items the official recommendation presumably refers only to the use of fibre containers by retailers who have purchased from manufacturers or producers in bulk. However, Uncle Sam seems willing to give the same advice to many producers or manufacturers who put out their products in packages designed to carry through to the ultimate consumer and who have heretofore used tin or glass.

Packaged products that have been specified at Washington as wholly acceptable in paper or fibre containers include coffee, tea, alum, baking powder, spices, raisins and prunes, etc., and producers who have been skeptical have been referred to the success attained in the marketing of House of Lords Tea in paper bags lined with tinfoil-a form of package pronounced attractive as well as moisture-proof.

Federal specialists who believe that revolutionizing packaging practice would serve Our war needs have also pointed out to

advertisers in some lines the advantage in cost to be attained by fibre containers as compared with tin-an advantage, perhaps calculated to counterbalance some of the rising costs of production and aid in enabling the producer to stick to a familiar advertised price. Tobacco is a product which the Government experts insist could just as well go to consumers in paper or fibre containers as in tins and other lines specified as perfectly adapted to enclosure in fibre include lye, cleansers, soap powders, shoe polishes, metal polishes, soaps and shaving preparations, dry drugs and chemicals and toilet articles such as talcum powder.

Naturally, the Government authorities do not expect that the ordinary type of fibre container will suffice for some of the new uses that have been proposed. What they have in mind, in most instances, is a fibre container coated with paraffin which is chemically inert or possibly with the paraffin baked into the paper material a type of construction that is claimed to render a container not only air-tight but likewise proof against leakage. While the Federal boosters play up the low cost of fibre containers, the opportunity to print directly on the outside of the package, and the "non-refillable" character of a fibre package, they had to face the objections of not a few advertisers who are loath to relinquish the good will built upon the style and shape of a familiar tin container.

For such contingencies the Federal experts propose the fibre container fitted with tin top and bottom, an economical container that when labeled has the appearance of an all-tin can and thus begets "advertising as usual" while aiding in the conservation of tin and saving money for the advertiser, both on the first cost of the containers and by reason of the lighter shipping weight.

Bunte Brothers, manufacturing confectioners of Chicago, have appointed Vanderhoof & Co., of that city, as their advertising agents.

ACCEPTING the authority of

the New York World, there were in the United States on the first day of the year sixty-nine cities having each a population in excess of 100,000. With one

exception, all of them possess a public library. The combined populations of these municipalities give a total of 27,056,000, or nearly a third of the entire population of the United States.

How many of these residents do the libraries reach directly or remotely?

How many fail to use the library for lack of opportunity; how many from disinclination? how many for want of knowledge concerning its resources and possibilities?

While authentic or even definite statistics are wanting in this particular, it is entirely within the facts to say that not to exceed 20 per cent of the inhabitants of any given community use a public library regularly, and for a general average, embracing the sixty-nine cities referred to, perhaps 10 per cent would be a nearer approximation. If it is conceded that a public library can be helpful to anyone able to read, it is evident that herein lies a problem two-fold in tendency.

Either the resources of the institution are woefully insufficient, or it fails to make those resources known to its possible users.

An analysis of the several local situations can be derived only from a study of the units, but perhaps a general view of the situation may be obtained by statistical reference to one of the larger cities-Chicago. Here the population of 2,511,822 may be

Address before the Public Library Advertising and Publicity Conference, Chicago.

divided as follows: Library users, 457,945; non-users, 2,053,877.

Of the 458,000 listed as users, 307,945 are registered borrowers, the others being users of cards by proxy, employing the passports of other members of the families. The 2,054,000 persons represented by the term non-users may be classified roughly as follows: Under six years of age, 320,000; illiterate, 80,000; no time to read, 300,000; no desire or opportunity to read, 500,000; others not served by the library, 854,000.

It will thus be seen that, making due allowance for the numbers unable or disinclined to use the library, there remain 854,000 persons in one city alone whose potential use of the library is unsatisfied. Maintaining the same ratio for other cities of the sixtynine, this would leave 9,000,000 possible patrons of libraries in these cities for whom the library does not practically exist.

HOW CAN THE LIBRARY REACH ITS PROSPECTIVE MARKET?

The basic problem of the largecity library systems, therefore, resolves itself into ways and means of reaching nine million additional men and women in all walks of life. It may be assumed without argument that the library desires to serve them, and possess material of service to them. Wherein, then, lies the lack?

In the first place, it is doubtful if there is a single existing library in the list of sixty-nine which, without additional financial support, would be in a position to give adequate service to its people, were all of these to respond to an invitation to use the library. Grudging and insufficient support of libraries does not make for efficiency.