Life, 1928-09-28 · page 35 of 36
Life — September 28, 1928 — page 35: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is not a cartoon or satire—it's a **straight automobile advertisement** from Dodge Brothers (a Chrysler division). The page promotes the Victory Six automobile, emphasizing that its popularity stems from word-of-mouth recommendation rather than paid advertising alone. The circular vignette illustration shows the elegant four-door sedan in a romantic nighttime scene with figures and foliage. The advertisement's rhetorical strategy claims the Victory Six's success is "priceless"—earned through quality, not marketing spend. It positions word-of-mouth endorsement as more credible than paid promotion, then paradoxically uses a paid advertisement to promote test drives. **Context for modern readers:** This reflects 1920s-30s car marketing, when the automobile industry was still competitive and new. Pricing ($995-$1170) suggests mid-market positioning. The emphasis on "earning" customer loyalty through quality reflects manufacturing pride of the era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
BSSoeBse B B822222 228 ee veeeesB ef Z2ees2ze Sz 28 11CMCSS / There is something outside of and beyond expert salesmanship and paid-for advertising. It is the friend to friend, word of mouth recommendation expressed by the man in the street when he says, “I wouldn’t change my Vic- tory Six for any other car in the world!’? An advertisement like that is priceless. It can’t be bought. It must be eamed. te It is because the Victory Six has earned this honor that it has be- come the most popular car in its price class in America. We can only suggest the superior- ity of the Victory Six in a paid advertisement like this; the ad- vertisement that can’t be paid for confirms it. The first step toward bringing you and the Victory Six together is a demonstration that any Dodge Brothers dealer will be glad to give you. Why not take it today—your- self at the wheel? The CT O RY. SIX DODGE BROTHERS DODGE BROTHERS CORPORATION, Division of Chrysler Corporation TOURING CAR $995—COUPE $1045—4-DOOR SEDAN $1095 — DELUXE SEDAN $1170 — DELUXE 4-PASSENGER COUPE $1170, f. 0. b. Detroit comicbooks.com