Life, 1912-03-07 · page 41 of 60
Life — March 7, 1912 — page 41: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily **Goodyear tire advertising**, not satire or political content. The page presents a sales pitch disguised as news analysis. The visual shows a cross-section of a tire's tread pattern. The headline claims the "flood-like advance" of No-Rim-Cut tires demonstrates their superiority through exponential sales growth (from 28,685 tires in 1907 to 409,521 in 1911). The rhetorical strategy: "Are All These Men Mistaken?" challenges skepticism by citing adoption by major automobile manufacturers (44 makers in 1910, 127 by 1912), suggesting expert validation proves the product's worth. The copywriting emphasizes two benefits: eliminating "rim-cutting" (tire failure) and providing 10% extra size without extra cost. It quantifies savings ($20 per tire) to appeal to consumer economics. This reflects early-1900s marketing: using growth statistics and manufacturer endorsements as persuasive evidence, while presenting commercial advocacy as objective reporting.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Flood-Like Advance of No-Rim-Cut Tires—10% Oversize This is what happened when men proved that tire bills could be cut in two: In 1907 we sold 28,685 tires. In 1908 we sold 51,542 tires. In 1909 we sold 105,127 tires. In 1910 we sold 210,762 tires. In 1911 we sold 409,521 tires. That’s pneumatic automobile tires alone. So far this year the demand has run three times that of 1911. Are All These Note how that demand doubles every year—grows and grows with increasing experience. Today—after 900,000 have been tested out—the demand is growing faster than ever, Yet for years these tires cost one- fifth more than other standard tires. Now they cost but an equal price. Can you think these men mis- taken—these motor car makers, these tens of thousands of users who have come to this patented tire? They Sought What You Are Seeking . They sought for a way to cut tire bills in two.’ We proved that these tires could do it. THE GOODYEAR Branches and Agencies in 103 Principal Cities They sought tires which can't rim-cut. One glance at these tires proves rim-cutting impossible. They sought oversize tires, to take care of their extras—to save the blow-outs due to overloading. And they found this oversize with- out extra cost in No-Rim-Cut tires. That’s why they bought, in the year I9II, 409,521 Goodyear tires. (oop This is what happened when motor car makers made their final comparisons: 44 makers in 1910 contracted for Goodyear tires. 64 makers for 1911— 127 makers for 1912. And these makers are experts on tires. No-Rim-Cut tires now far outsell any other make. two years ago. And the demand is six times larger than It’s the coming tire. Men Mistaken? Loss—$20 Per Tire We figure the average loss of men who don’t use them at $20 per tire. It varies, of course, with the sizes. And care or abuse affects it. One can’t be exact on these savings. We figure it this way. Statistics show that 23 per cent. of all ruined clincher tires are rim- R No-Rim-Cut Tires With or Without Non-Skid Treads Main Canadian Office, Toronto, Ont. —: _—— cut. No-Rim-Cut tires wipe out that loss entirely. Ten per cent. oversize, under | average conditions, adds 25 per jf cent. to the tire mileage. And No- Rim-Cut tires, measured by air capacity, average 16.7 per cent. larger than five leading makes of clinchers. The clincher tire is the old-type tire—the hooked-base tire—which No-Rim-Cut tires are displacing. No-Rim-Cut feature, plus ize feature, will save motor car ers this year, we figure, million dollars a month. Our 1912 Tire Book—based on jj 13 years spent in tire making— is filled with facts you should jf know. Ask us to mail it to you. TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, Wayne Street, AKRON, OHIO] We Make All Kinds of Rubber Tires, Tire Accessories and Repair Outfits Canadian Factory, Bowmanville, Ont.