Life, 1916-01-13 · page 33 of 44
Life — January 13, 1916 — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Goodyear tire advertisement**, not satire or political commentary. The page uses a clever visual metaphor: a giant tire frames a cityscape (appears to be New Orleans, based on the text), creating a "window" effect that suggests Goodyear tires provide clarity and perspective. The ad's argument is straightforward: Goodyear dominates the market not through lower prices, but through superior quality and customer loyalty. It cites a survey of 71 major cities showing Goodyear outsells competitors significantly. The text emphasizes that repeat customers are "sane, clear-headed, careful buyers"—implying that choosing Goodyear demonstrates rational judgment. This represents early 20th-century advertising strategy: building brand prestige through market dominance statistics and appeals to consumer wisdom, rather than price competition. The "conquest of America" framing suggests inevitable market triumph.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
The Goodyear Con- quest of America four chose Goodyears. No Other Tire Tempts Goodyear Users think that one tire is much like another. But the largest single group of tire buyers in America evidently does not think so. The proof of this is, that they continue to buy one Goodyear equipment after another, year after year. Goodyear leadership in New Orleans merely illustrates the predominance of Goodyear everywhere. A count of cars parked on the streets of 71 prin- cipal cities, showed more Goodyear Tires than any other tire by far. If they did not prefer the Goodyear to any other, they would surely be tempted away by the lower prices on scores of other tires. Titik are still thousands who But they are not tempted away. Goodyear branches, Goodyear dealers, Goodyear salesmen all say the same thing—they say that these customers buy, and buy, and buy again. Now this group is not merely the largest tire group in America, but it is a very large group—aggregating hundreds of thousands. Each year the number of tire buyers in- creases; and the preference for Good- year Tires keeps pace. Goodyear buyers are sane, clear-headed, careful buyers like yourself. They firmly believe in Goodyear features, because they have found, in these fea- tures, the source of longer tire service and greater tire economy. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio