Life, 1925-04-09 · page 5 of 41
Life — April 9, 1925 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical advertisement masquerading as consumer advice. A character named "Andy Consumer" critiques grocery shopping practices and brand loyalty. The illustration shows a shopkeeper presenting six product boxes to a consumer—labeled as "Presto," "Saxo," "Miffay," "Lowie," "Kix," and "Wooao." Andy's complaint is straightforward: consumers once had to hunt through stores to find specific items, but now face overwhelming brand proliferation. He argues that standardized product names would simplify shopping and give him time for leisure activities. The satire's point: Life magazine is mocking how manufacturers use trademarks and advertising to differentiate nearly identical products, forcing consumers into brand loyalty rather than rational choice. The fictional products with similar names emphasize how interchangeable these goods actually are—undercutting the national advertiser's claim that "his product is right."
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE DONATES THIS SERIES IN BEHALF OF BETTER MERCHANDISE “SOME OF THAT EMEMBER when we used to have to know where the bin or barrel was and point to it, in order TO GET THE SAME THING TWICE in a grocery store? My pointing days are over. I’m through buying “a pound of this and a half-dozen of those there.” I want to call crackers and coffee by name. I want to go into a store and say six words and get six articles that I know all about. It shortens shopping. If I know “CRUNCH CRACKERS" I don’t have to stop and eat a sample cracker out of a barrel. It gives AND SOME OF THOSE THERE” me more time for radio and read- ing. movies, golf and gardening. When I buy something and find I like it, I want to go back and say “BINGO” or something equally simple and get it again. If I buy something I don’t like, | want to know itsname sol won'tget it twice. You birds who advertise trade- marks have to take a chance. Maybe your trade-mark is a give- away. Maybe I don’t come back for more. Maybe I do. If I don’t lots of other people don’t either— and pretty soon where do you get the money with which to keep on advertising? You don’t. Yours truly, cH CY mer ! THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER BETS HIS —|| ADVERTISING MONEY THAT HIS PRODUCT IS RIGHT | ‘ | comicbooks.com