Selling the Goods 1880-1900 See Pictures of the Period

• enormous economic growth accompanied dramatic changes: coal replaced wood as energy source; machinery was transforming life: sewing machines, reapers, typewriters; factory expansion at lower cost; light bulb, telephone, phonographs, streetcars; railway expansion
• illiteracy rate in 1880 dropped to17% because of free schooling
• populations of cities grew, with struggling farmers moving to the cites
• continued growth required addition of new customers who needed to be persuaded they should buy things instead of make them; they also had to convince buyers to by their brand over the competitions
• there was the realization that advertising could do more than increase sales- it could create desires to fuel consumer economy
• consumers bought goods that they didn't know they wanted until they saw them or were told about them
• expansion of mail order (Montgomery Ward, Sears, Roebuck) demonstrated wide scale national sales
• patent medicines had spectacular growth by advertising in weekly papers and mail-order magazines
• extensive marketing networks were set up with ties between managers, staff and retailers
• one leading company or a few had virtual monopolies
• other manufacturers used innovative machinery to make low priced packaged goods
• during this time advertising set foundation for many present day companies such as American Express, Campbell Soup, Proctor & Gamble,Pillsbury, National Biscuit Company (Nabisco), and Kodak
• read a story about the TTC during the period TTC history

New Role of Advertising

• most significant was national advertising of mass produced, brand-name packaged goods
• a company needed to not only sell once but again and again -advertising used newspaper, direct mail, magazines and outdoor to create a "new culture of consumption"
• before 1880 many products were not branded- tobacco was tobacco, flour was flour -individually package brand name products enabled marketers to advertise their brand-many showed a distinctive portrait with a strange name
• tobacco crate was actually branded
• between 1860-1920 factory produced branded products replaced locally produced goods in bulk containers
• individual packaged goods were considered a luxury at first
• standardized packaging was advanced by the simple paper bag and the folding box
• in 1879 mechanized printing, folding and filling

Quaker Oats was marketing's first brand named packaged goods success Ferdinand Schumacher originally sold his oats in bulk; he merged with 7 of the largest mills creating the American cereal Company they found they were producing more oatmeal than the market could bear and oatmeal was considered a meal for invalids or Scottish immigrants a competitor, Henry Crowell recognized what was missing -packaging and advertising but he also transformed it into a desirable product with a cardboard box with a Quaker on the front none of the producers were Quakers, they used the picture because the Quaker faith projected the values of honesty, integrity, purity and strength. the product was marketed as "healthy" in 1897 the company began rolling the oats to cut cooking time- it was " The easy food- easy to buy-easy to eat" the product had "personality"- a brand name that distinguished it before it was bought Today Quaker Still at top of trust level

Building the "Brand"

• in 1870 US protected rights of ownership with first federal trademark law- manufacturers could send drawing and description of goods for $25
• with the success of Quaker Oats, others realized the value of packaging to attract, to differentiate, to charge a higher price to instill confidence
• advertising could sell more product at a lower cost and make a profit
• usually the marketing established a brand name with a graphic image called a "trademark"
• in 1887 Patrick Towle in St Paul Minnesota created a table syrup with the flavour of maple and packaged it as Log Cabin Syrup , ordering miniature log cabin shaped containers- customers liked the novelty and paid extra for it
• a trademark guaranteed a certain standard and enabled manufactures to suggest consumers should not accept a substitute and ask for the product by name

A New Culture of Consumption

• after the Civil war there was rapid industrialization and a movement to the cites, North America was influenced by the English Victorian era and its ideas about family
• men and women lived in different spheres: the man was away at work, the woman at home looking after the house and children
• women became consumers who chose what and how much to buy but they were still dependent on men as money was given to them by men
• mass media and advertising showed the idealized image of the Victorian family; the Victorian culture demanded women stay in a traditional role-the home was a sacred place women should value and not leave the "wedded bliss"
• women were encouraged to "attract a man to avoid being an old maid"
• few women could live up to the expectation
• Victorian era encouraged desire to be fashionable- acquire goods that show you are worth something -rise up in class; men and women were encouraged to overdress, use over stuffed furniture, clutter their homes with symbols of mass production

Selling- Hard versus Soft Sell/ Honesty in Advertising:

John Powers Copywriter -Wanamaker Department Store

in this era the sales pitch changed to a soft sell rather than patent medicine hard sell the brand name product no longer depended on giving product information- instead a feel good approach that established the brand name as a personality there was a linking of the product to a memorable feeling to build a desire for the product whenever a type of appeal works it tends to be copied up until 1870s ads generally were blaring lists of overstatements in 1880 copywriter John Powers became known for his understated honesty; he used a few words as a headline, brief anecdotes and catchy slogans in his ads for Wanamakers Wanamakers were the first to hire a full time copywriter- John Powers customers liked his candid style the style plus heavy ad expenditure doubled sales in the 1880s in his own words Powers states that "The first thing one must do to succeed in advertising is to have the attention of the reader. That means to be interesting. The next thing is to stick to the truth, and that means rectifying whatever's wrong in the merchant's business. If the truth isn't tellable, fix it so it is. That is about all there is to it" A short example ad: "This isn't much of a paint, but it is cheap, and good enough for hen houses and things like that." other copywriters copied the style and raised the standards of advertising a few books were written on advertising- Advertising and Printing by Nathaniel Fowler (1880s), Building Business (1893) and Fowler's Publicity 1897); Charles Austin Bates wrote Good Advertising (1896) and Short Talks on Advertising (1898) also a number of trade journals were launched- Printer's Ink founded by George P Rowell (printer's Ink told why one should advertise, how to do it as well as analysis of industries and markets read about John Wanamaker at http://www.wanamakerorgan.com/johnw.html

Slogans and Jingles

• ad slogans evolved from earlier times and out of the repetition that was necessary to get around the no display rule of newspapers
• admakers would select short two word phrases and repeat them in bold type with lots of white space
• in general a good slogan was brief, appropriate, simple, memorable, easy to repeat and needed to reinforce a key theme of product ( example: Prudential - Rock of Gibraltar )
• Charles M Snyder wrote jingles for DeLong Hook and Eye and mentioned a special feature- a hump in the hook that kept it attached at the eye, but consumers didn't quite understand

He wrote -

He rose, she took the seat and said,
"I thank you," and the man fell dead. But, ere he turned a lifeless lump,
He murmured, "Do you see that HUMP?"

It made no sense, but perhaps that piqued curiosity.

• pretty girls became the norm with many campaigns like Coca Cola
• see examples of Coca Colas ads at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ccmphtml/colatime1.html

With his invention of the flexible film in 1884, and the Kodak camera in 1888, George Eastman made photography possible for almost everyone. His product became associated with beautiful Kodak Girls Hear three Kodak tunes on this PBS site- http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eastman/sfeature/music.html read about Kodak history at http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/kodakHistory/index.shtml George Eastman's original 1888 roll-film camera revolutionized amateur photography. When its 100-exposure roll was completed, the camera was mailed back to the company, where the film was developed and stripped from its paper base, the negatives printed and the camera loaded with new film - all for $10. Read more about Kodak in The Triumph of Kodakery:The Camera Maker May Die, But the Culture it Created Survives by Alexis Madrigal (Jan 6, 2012)

The Visual Image

• first full colour ad appeared in 1893 on Youth's Companion- a lithograph of Cupid for Mellin's Food
• original paintings, oil and water drawings and sketches were used to build an image of a product
• a popular motif of the time -the healthy baby became popular-Pears soap popularized the use of original paintings (see Figure 2.8 in text page 67)

• posters from England and Paris were the rage in the art world. This influence set the stage for illustrators who would dominate the ad world
• two early artists were Frederick Remington ( western scenes for Smith and Wesson) and Jesse Wilcox Smith (created original art for Ivory and Kodak)

Frederick Remington Smith & Wesson see more Remington http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/ OREGON/rem_toc.html

Jesse Wilcox Smith see more Jesse Wilcox Smith http://giam.typepad.com/100_years_of_ illustration/jessie_willcox_smith_18631935/

Stereotypes in Ads

• ads, packages and trademarks perpetuated gross stereotypes; African Americans were portrayed as minstrels, porters, cooks perpetuating the misconception that they were meant for menial jobs
• Aunt Jemima hired Nancy Green to portray Aunt Jemima traveling around and cooking pancakes at fairs with the line "I's in town, honey" read more a thttp://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/nancy-green-original-aunt-jemima and about the controversy at http://zmblackhistorymonth2011.blogspot.com/2011/02/feb-13-aunt-jemima-negative-stereotype.html
• Cream of Wheat used the caption "de bes known man in de worl" see http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/question/dec04.htm
• Asian Americans had long braids, swallowed rats for Rough on Rats poison; Native Americans were also simplistic caricatures ( see Figure 2:10 page 69)
• see and read more at Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/
• it wasn't until the civil rights movement in the 60s that these demeaning images were addressed

National Advertising

• with trademarks, packaging, advertising products like cereals, soaps and food ingredients went national-success demonstrated the value of advertising- three respected brands were Ivory, Royal Baking Powder and Sapolio soap
• JC Hoagland in 1868 mixed baking powder that eliminated consumers mixed various substances to activate in baking; he used a picture in his ad with his motto Absolutely Pure and some simple text (see figure 2.11 page 71)
• Soap makers took lead in mass advertising at a time when cleanliness was a concern with tuberculosis a problem
• Sapolio Soap shifted focus to a variety of media (including streetcar ads)under ad manager Artemus Ward who made Sapolio into a household name; he used various techniques such as creating a mysterious legend that Oilopas Esu had been found in an Egyptian tomb,and his Spotless Town campaign-a quaint Dutch village that used Sapolio; the campaign was such a success that people waited for the next chapter- references to Spotless Town became familiar in popular culture- in speeches and in plays; an actual play by Ward was created (see figure 2.12 page 72)
• about the same time Harley Proctor created Ivory Soap( supposedly a divine inspiration and a manufacturing accident when the soap was left in machinery too long- it floated "the soap that floats"; Ivory used creative ideas and attractive illustrations; contests were run to find prize winning jingles
• Heinz and Coca Cola advertised with trade cards; Heinz used its name and "57 varieties" line with a pickle distributing pickle shaped pins, watch charms, posters, streetcar signs and a presence at the Chicago's World Fair; they erected the largest electric sign a 50 foot pickle on Broadway

• By the 1830's, both artificial and natural mineral waters were considered healthy and refreshing products in America
• The local pharmacy was the center attraction in many towns . It was customary to gather around the new soda fountains and enjoy one's favorite healthy refreshment mixed on the spot.
• A prohibition law, enacted in Atlanta in 1886, persuaded physician/chemist John Pemberton to rename and rewrite the formula for his popular nerve tonic, stimulant and headache remedy, "Pemberton's French Wine Coca," sold at that time by most of the city's druggists. Later that year Coca-Cola debuted still possessing "the valuable tonic and nerve stimulant properties of the coca plant and African cola nuts," but sweetened with sugar instead of wine--Pemberton advertised as a "delicious, exhilarating, refreshing and invigorating" soda-fountain beverage and the ideal "temperance drink." The drink was on sale and Pemberton promoted trial testing with tradecards that allowed the bearer a free Coke. (See Figure 2.14 page 75)
• Coca Cola was sold as a fountain drink at first and later bottled. Customers had become used to sipping sodas at the pharmacist's counter. The drinks ( also Dr. Pepper, Pepsi Cola and Ginger Ale) were initially marketed as healthy, energy sources, for headache, exhaustion or even as Brain food. Around 1900 the pitch switched to the "refreshing" theme with the product surrounded by pleasant people in elegant surroundings
• dozens of beautiful Coca Cola girls (stars and actresses) appeared until 1906 when an attempt was made to appeal to all with pleasant wholesome women -the ideal of the middle class
• read about the history of soda at http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa092399.htm and see http://youtu.be/Pdrr3ZxZUOc

Marketing Technology

• department store advertising proved that customers would buy products they previously didn't know about -even if expensive

In 1888 George Eastman, a high school drop out, introduced his Kodak (an invented name) small black camera box for $25. After use, customers shipped the entire box back to develop the film and to reload it; his "you press the button, we do the rest" quickly became part of everyday language; he advertised in magazines that catered to those able to afford the $25

Bicycle manufacturers soon showed they could sell an item over $100 to the masses with the introduction of the "safety bicycle" in 1889. The bike had equal sized wheels Columbia bicycles and Victor bicycles advertised widely they pioneered ad strategies that auto makers would later adopt early ads showed mechanical aspects Columbia claimed that 21 engineers inspected every detail before a bike left the shop later the ads focused on sport and fun with countryside and pretty girls the bicycle gave freedom to the individual Canada saw a phenomenal increase in the number of manufacturers and riders of bicycles in the 1890s, culminating in the great bicycle boom of the late 1890s. The increase in the number of manufacturers and bicycles brought about the collapse of the bicycle market in 1899, the same year that Canada Cycle & Motor Co. Ltd, or CCM, was formed. CCM, was established when the operations of four major Canadian bicycle manufacturers amalgamated: H. A. Lozier, Massey-Harris, Goold, and Welland Vale Manufacturing. CCM weathered the worldwide collapse of the bicycle market in 1900 and continued to produce bicycles until it declared bankruptcy in 1983. The CCM name continues to be used on Canadian bicycles built by Procycle of St-Georges-des-Beauce, Quebec. visit Canadian Science and Technology Museum and see and read about Bikes in Canada see the Bicycle Museum of America see some vintage ads

Rise of Advertising Agencies

• with national advertising and numerous newspaper across the country there was a need for agencies to expand their role
• in New York agencies NW Ayer & Son (1869), J Walter Thompson - JWT History (1871) Lord & Thomas (1871 became Foote Cone and Belding), George Batten Company (1891 later BBDO),Bates(1893) Mathilde C Weil, Mary Compton and Meta Volckmann
• a few made fortunes but many struggled in what was thought to be a "dubious profession"

Cyrus H.K. Curtis expanded advertising in magazines- began as a weekly 4 page and turned it into Ladies Home Journal (1883) it offered a mix of reading, decorating tips, fiction and romance he only accepted high grade ads a different image was on every monthly cover was first magazine to have a circulation of one million Curtis also purchased the Saturday Evening Post with the aid of J Walter Thompson the magazines were transformed into "eye-catching issues underwritten by advertising" ( Thompson held a virtual monopoly on magazine advertising)

• in 1895 Anson McKim in Montreal formed the first Canadian agency A. McKim & Company after a long relationship with the Mail newspaper and the backing of several newspapers- solicitation of ads and space buying were the main services
• in America by 1900 many agencies began to offer more services- NW Ayer &Son had a full time copywriter in 1892, Bates agency had an art department and Lord & Taylor under Albert D Lasker had a copywriter and commercial artist

New Design

• printing innovations enabled new design and possibility
• one of the first to break with the Victorian style was William Morris in England-the movement was away from the ornate mass produced towards the sturdy craftsmanship of the Arts and Crafts Movement

William Morris style above Arts & Crafts style to right

• Art Nouveau (click to go on a visual tour) influenced the art world expressing a new aesthetic- a statement about industrialization
• in 1890s America was influenced by Art Nouveau posters of Paris and boldly coloured illustrated ad posters followed
• American's intro to Art Nouveau may have come in Harper's cover illustrations

Maxfield Parrish 1897

Edward Penfield 1896

Fred Hyland

Sources:

Johnston, Russell. Selling Themselves: The Emergence of Canadian Advertising,Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001.

Silvulka, Juliann. Soap, Sex & Cigarettes. Belmont, CA:Wadsworth Publishing, 1998.

Reichert, Tom. The Erotic History of Advertising, New York: Prometheus Books , 2003.

Madrigal, Alexis, The Triumph of Kodakery:The Camera Maker May Die, But the Culture it Created Survives The Atlantic Jan 6, 2012

Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/

John Wanamaker http://www.wanamakerorgan.com/johnw.html

John Powershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Emory_Powers

William Morris and Arts and Crafts Movement Arts and Crafts Movement

and those noted in body of notes

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