Life, 1928-11-02 · page 46 of 48
Life — November 2, 1928 — page 46: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **product advertisement**, not political satire. It promotes Kolster brand radios during the early radio era when home reception quality was a widespread consumer concern. The ad's strategy targets potential buyers by suggesting they should trust **neighbor testimonials over manufacturer claims**—a marketing appeal to authenticity and peer recommendation. The decorative Art Deco border frames the pitch, which emphasizes that asking neighbors "What do you think of Kolster?" will reliably produce praise: "Kolster is a fine set." The ad also promotes the **Kolster Program**, a weekly broadcast on the Columbia radio chain (Wednesdays at 10 PM), which served as branded content to drive set sales. Context for modern readers: this reflects 1920s radio's novelty status, when radio sets were expensive home purchases and reception quality genuinely varied widely. Word-of-mouth validation was considered more persuasive than advertising claims.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
g Radio reception is a national topic of conversation. Owners of radio sets tell their experiences frankly. Q Your neighbor, any neighbor, is the man to listen to, not radio manufacturers. Q Go where you like. Q Ask where you like. G “What do you think of Kolster?” g You will get the answer, Kolster is a fine set.” Q Ask for a Kolster home demonstration today. Enjoy the Kolster Program every Wednesday evening at 10 o’clock, over the nation-wide Columbia Chain. ‘THE DEVINNE-MALLENBECK COMPANY, INC, PRINTERS, REW YORK ©1928, Kolster Radio Corporation comicbooks.com