Life, 1928-06-14 · page 6 of 42
Life — June 14, 1928 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is primarily a **advertisement for the Mimeograph machine**, not satire or political commentary. The ornate framed image shows the device itself—a duplicating machine used for copying typed documents. The headline "Thrown to the Wind" uses a metaphorical critique of traditional advertising, contrasting wasteful broad advertising spending with the Mimeograph's efficiency for **direct mail marketing**. The text argues that while companies spend heavily on general advertising (much "thrown to the wind"), the Mimeograph offers a more economical, targeted approach to reaching customers directly. This reflects early 20th-century business thinking about marketing efficiency. The A.B. Dick Company (Chicago manufacturer) is credited as the vendor. The advertisement emphasizes speed, accuracy, low cost, and privacy—selling the Mimeograph as a practical business tool for cost-conscious companies.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THROWN TO THE WIND This company spends a great many thousands of dollars every year in general advertising. A substan- tial part of it is thrown to the wind—that chance may carry it where it will get attention. We must cannonade our messages to every possible user of duplicating devices. We must maintain a world-wide reputation. But for the getting of immediate sales there is an infinitely more direct way. The Mimeograph is the great duplicator of typewritten letters, announce- ments, bulletins, etc., in which may also be easily included tracings of maps, plans and designs. The work is done at high speed and accurately, at a very small cost and privately, without skilled help. And every message it duplicates can be sent directly to the person to whom it should go. Little waste there! In direct selling the world over the Mimeograph is a mighty and economical factor. Get particulars from the A. B. Dick Company, Chicago— or from branch in almost every large city. Dealers everywhere. MIMEOGRAPH > comicbooks.com