Life, 1928-11-02 · page 5 of 48
Life — November 2, 1928 — page 5: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is **primarily advertising, not satire or editorial content**. It announces a $4,000 cash-prize contest run by Spud Menthol Cigarettes, seeking letters from smokers about their experiences with the product. The accompanying text describes the contest's success: 20,000 people submitted letters praising Spud cigarettes' cooling properties and throat-soothing effects. Testimonials mention smokers switching from pipes, former doubters becoming convinced, and relief from "alkali dust." The image shows sample handwritten letters (reproduced as promotional quotes) from winning contestants, though individual names and faces are not clearly identifiable in the reproduction. This reflects **mid-20th-century tobacco marketing**, when cigarette companies routinely sponsored consumer contests and prominently featured customer testimonials before modern health warnings existed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
LIFE The Winners of *4000 Cash Prizes for the Best Letters on MENTHOL HE contest for the best letters on Spud Cigarettes has been decided. Some 20,000 people took time to write us their experiences and opinions and inquiries concern- ing this menthol-cooled smoke. Contrasting Replies Veteran pipe smokers told of using Spud as a “change-off", Cow- boys described how Spud eased throats parched by alkali dust. Dyed-in-the-wool cigarette en- thusiasts wrote of switching toSpud, because their last cigarette of a two- pack Spud day tasted as good as their first... Tobacco connoisseurs lauded Spud’s blend as epicurean. Novice smokers were grateful for Spud’s gentleness. Many New Slants Throat specialists, in considerable umber, cited Spud’s conquests over “leukaplakia” (1) the raw, fiery throat. _Innumerable Spud rooters tured up among actors and lectur- ers, whose throats are their bread- and-butter. Thousands and thousands told ot meeting Spud in the midst of atem- THE AXTON-FISHER TOBACCO CO., SPUD CIGARETTES COOLED 28 40 the noratne porary cold....and continuing the friendship when the cold was gone. There were also the puzzled experi- ences of those who first doubted Spud... . who went through a whole Spud pack before being con- vinced. One Great Similarity Whatever its special experience, nearly every letter indicated public taste is getting a new development in cigarette smoking ...a better tobacco enjoyment, unhampered in every way. To all who wrote us letters, the Axton-Fisher Tobacco Company extends its thanks, The company will always keep the names of these 20,000 as Spud’s special friends. A Contest Difficult to Judge Competition was keen.... Select- ing the best from among so many good contributions was difficulc. The judges were: Frederick C. Kendall, Editor of “Advertising and Selling”; John Lee Mahin, Vice President, Street Railways Adver- tising Company, Floyd W. Parsons, Feature Writer, Editorial Director INC., 7 2ag and special writer for The Saturday Evening Post. By careful comparison and elimination they awarded the first nineteen prizes as follows: KennethR. Close, Miami,Fla.....$1,000 Pastor,Coral Gables Methodist Church Martha Petelle, Maranacook, Me... Actress, N.Y, Address: 53 Charles Street David Thompson, Greeawich, $250 Conn., Master in English. Paul A. Fitzgerald, 916 Delaware $100 Ave., Wilmiagtoa, Del., Doctor $500 Mrs. Alfred Bailey, Berkeley, Cal. $50 William T. Gray, Brooklyn, N.Y. $50 Col. Edward R. Stone, U.S. A., Fort Omaha, Neb. W. R. Brown, Wyoming, New York $50 Dr. Herbert L. Herschensohn, a waukee, Wis. L. M. Mitchum, Kansas City, Missouri Rev. Howard D. Grant, Meyersdale, Penn, $30 Jules Moret, Kennewick, Washingtoa. $. Mrs. J. Talbott, Seatdle, Washington Elsie Marie Hauger, Phil Le. Walter S. Gian, U.S. Arthur Berggren, Stillwater, Minnesota. Helen Goode Bragg, Walla Walla, Wash.. Kenneth B. Murray, Sturgis, Michigan. . Edward F, Lane, New Britain, Connecticut. . Cheques, ranging from $10 down to $2, were also mailed the remain- ing 540 prize winners. For complete list of prize winners address LOUISVILLE, KY. comicbooks.com