Life, 1925-11-12 · page 38 of 41
Life — November 12, 1925 — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a satirical advertisement advocating for *public advertising* over secretive sales tactics. The cartoon character "Andy Consumer" uses megaphones—symbols of loud, public announcement—to reject confidential pitches from salesmen. The satire mocks the old-fashioned practice of whispering "insider tips" about products. Andy recounts losses from confidential advice: a bogus oil well investment, a bad horse racing tip, and an unadvertised breakfast cereal that nobody wanted. His point: he distrusts hushed recommendations. Instead, Andy argues consumers should trust products advertised openly in major magazines and newspapers. The more public visibility, the more trustworthy the product becomes. The irony is that this advertisement *itself* is making a sales pitch—but for the concept of transparent, large-scale advertising rather than secretive word-of-mouth marketing. The footnote emphasizes that legitimate advertisers confidently bet their money on quality products, suggesting transparency proves confidence in merchandise.
📄 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 ( UD MEGAPHONE IT TO ME DON'T want any more confi- dential buying advice. Don't whisper to me on the q. t. what you have to sell. Aman once told me confidentially about an oil well that (confidenti- ally) was going to be a gusher. Confidentially I'll never see that thousand dollars again. A man once gave me a quiet tip on a horse and I put one hundred berries on him—another hundred Mrs. Consumer is still asking about. Two years ago a grocer got confi- dential with me about a new unad- vertised breakfast food, and we have it yet. DON'T TELL ME SECRETS. I am through buying fodder and folderols that merchants tell me are just-as-good. They are just- as-good—for the Grand Canyon. If you want me to believe it, broad- cast it. Advertise it out loud. If it's good enough for me it’s good enough for millions. The more magazines and news- papers I see it in, the more I trust myself. THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER BETS HIS ADVERTISING MONEY THAT HIS PRODUCT IS RIGHT BUDE TERIENAL PRINTING CORPORATION BROOKLYR, NEW YORK comicbooks.com