Life, 1912-05-23 · page 29 of 44
Life — May 23, 1912 — page 29: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **full-page advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. It's a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company promotion for their "No-Rim-Cut" tires, published in *Life* magazine. The visual metaphor shows five tires progressing from dark to light, illustrating the company's narrative: ten years of obscure development ("darkest obscurity") before sudden market success. The ad emphasizes that this overnight success was actually built on a decade of testing 240 materials and 40 tread formulas. Key selling points highlighted: - **No-Rim-Cut design** prevents rim damage (saves 23% tire wear) - **10% Oversized** for greater load capacity (adds 25% mileage) - Sales increased 500% in two years; 200,000 users now - Price reduced from premium to equal competitors despite superior performance - Company maintained only 8½% profit margin This reflects early automotive-era marketing: emphasizing rigorous scientific development to justify premium pricing and build consumer confidence in an evolving technology.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
n Years O Obscurity Ten Years Spent Getting Ready for This Sensational Success Testing 240 Materials ted tire making 13 years ago, to our plant the best ex- perts we knew, And we kept on bring- ing them. For nobody knew in those days how meet automobile conditions. To prove ideas quickly we built test- ing machines, where four tires at a time are worn out under every road condi- tion. There we have tested some 200 fab- some 40 formulas for treads. There we have tested every method of of wrapping, of vulcanizing. terial and method was com- ‘ual mileage, on this metered of ours. 1s year after year we increased tire dd lessened tire trouble finally brought the Goodyear ut as close to perfection as men it. Cattng Tire Bills in Two ‘¢ started on other savings. thousands of ruined tires No-Rim-Cut tires have seemed to come like a meteor into the leading place in Tiredom. In two years the sales have increased 500 per cent. They have trebled in the past 12 months. Now these new-type tires by far outsell any other tire in existence. But this, remember, is our 13th year. Some of those years were spent in darkest obscurity. Ten of those years were spent perfecting this tire. So this amazing success has big reason behind it. It has come through slow progression. This led to the invention of No-Rim- Cut tires. This patent type has made rim-cutting impossible, It saves tire users that 23 per cent, by a method which we control. 10% Oversize Next we dealt with blow-outs, due t overloading tires. We made these tire —No-Rim-Cut tires—ro per ce the rated size. No-Rim-Cut Tires ‘That means 10 per cent more air—10 per cent added carrying capacity. And that, unde ge conditions, adds 25 per cent to the tire mileage. These two features together, with tens of thousands of motorists, have cut tire bills right in two, 84% Profit d to sell these perfect st price possible, Our multiplied output aided in this. So did our modern equipment. o-Rim-Cut tires used to cost one- fifth more than other standard tires. brought them to an equal price. our profit last year, despite all our facilities, was but 834 per cent. 200,000 Users It was ten years from the start before men woke to these tires. Then one told another, and the tide of demand devel- oped like a flood. Now over one million have gone into use. Sales have doubled three times in two years. Now some 200,000 motor car owners insist on these premier tires. You will also insist when you know + them. Our 1912 Tire Book—based on 13 years of tire making—is filled with facts you should know. Ask us to mail it to you. THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, AKRON, OHIO Branches and Agencies in 103 Principal Cities We Make All Kinds of Rubber Tires, Tire Accessories and Repair Outfits Main Canadian Office, Toronto, Ont. Canadian Factory, Bowmanville, Ont. at 23 per cent had been rim- With or Without Non-Skid Treads J) comicbooks.com