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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
as does all good advertising. Much more can
be learned from Wanamaker advertising than
J. B. Woodford, Managing Director of the from most books and papers, if one is of studious
Wanamaker Piano Interests, Discusses the nature. Many have been wondering where it is
Pre-Holiday Offer to Sell Pianos with Initial written, and the writer learns that the piano copy
Payments on February 1—Contrary to is the only advertising not created by the general
Trade Opinion There Were No Pianos Re- Wanamaker advertising bureau; that the piano
turned and Every Instrument Sent Out at business being along different lines from most
That Time Stayed Sold—Careful Credit commercial enterprises and having its individual
ways and means, requires the services of an ad-
Supervision the Secret of Success.
vertising man who is versed in things musical—
Last December a piano offer that seemed un-
one who in addition to advertising training must
precedented appeared in the New York papers. know the piano business.
A piano was to be placed in a home immediately
The name and personality of J. B. Woodford
on purchase and the first payment scheduled for
has been linked with the Wanamaker piano busi-
February 1; thereafter regular monthly payments. ness for years; he is the man who is the active
The piano trade in general, upon reading the head of the three piano factories mentioned in
•offer, could see the repossessions streaming back, the first of this article; he is also the managing
because they thought many people of little finan- director of the two big piano departments at New
cial means would secure the instrument over the York and Philadelphia, where the usual stock in
holidays and then send it back. The trade imag- both places embraces several hundred instruments.
ined that the house making such an offer did it
more for publicity than for profit when "the
pianos returned" were considered.
Since February 1 several people have written
Buys Stock of Pierce & Bell Which Will Be
and telephoned The Review asking how many or
Moved to New Quarters—The Gaskill Co.'s
what percentage of instruments were returned to
Strong Line of Pianos.
the concern making that offer, which, of course,
was Wanamaker's. In a special interview with
(Special to The Review.)
J. B. Woodford, managing director of the Wana-
York, Neb., March 18, 1912.
maker piano interests, which include three piano
The
Gaskill
Music
Co., with headquarters in
factories and two piano warerooms of wide scope
Nebraska
City,
Neb.,
has
bought out the entire
and area, he was asked that interesting question.
stock
of
Pierce
&
Bell,
the
piano dealers of this
"Repossessions from that offer amounted to
nil," answered Mr. Woodford, leaning back in a city, and on April 1 will move it to new quar-
ters at 622 Lincoln avenue. The Gaskill Music
chair in his Philadelphia office before a desk big
Co. has the agency for the Chickering & Sons,
enough to be converted into a billiard table.
Vose
& Sons, Ivers & Pond-, Starr, Seybold, Rich
"Not an instrument! Wonderful merchandis-
mond and other makes of pianos and player-
ing," The Review representative commented, and
pianos, and will install a full line of those makes
then asked, "How was the achievement accom-
in its store in this city.
The Nebraska City
plished?"
store
of
the
company
will
be
continued.
Mr. Woodford smiled and replied: "When our
offer was published, naturally there was a tre-
mendous response. The name and address of
GERMANY OUR CHIEF RIVAL.
every purchaser were given to our inspecting de-
partment, which discovered exactly whether these Commerce Department Says American Fac-
tories' Output Is $20,000,000,000.
persons were deserving of this offer. Many were
eliminated, it goes without saying. The balance
(Special to The Review.)
were good risks. In extending credit to one who
Washington, D. C, March 18, 1912.
buys a piano on instalments we regard the indi-
Twenty billion dollars is the value of the pres-
vidual as concerns govern themselves in extending
ent annual output of American factories, the total
credit to merchants on larger transactions.
"Many people come to Wanamaker's for pianos having just doubled during the last ten years, ac-
on trial and many took advantage of the Decem- cording to a Commerce and Labor Department
ber offer who thought that they could secure a estimate.
Exports from the United States in 1911 amount-
piano amid the tremendous activity of the entire
store without anyone knowing it, so to speak, ed to over $2,013,500,000, of which $900,000,000
whereas they would not think of going to a was in manufactures. This, the department points
out, shows that the bulk of the export trade is
smaller piano store with its quiet atmosphere. The
acquired through no selling effort, but is due to
exact opposite is the fact, the evident hustling of
Wanamaker's being natural and the logical result the fact that foreign buyers come to America for
cotton, corn and wheat that they must have.
of a perfect working mechanism."
Germany is credited with being the greatest
In brief the foregoing answers the repossession
rival of the United States in commerce.
problem; it shows that an individual securing a
piano on time from Wanamaker's gets it because
he or she is a safe credit risk. Wanamaker's is
TO EXHIBIT AT INVENTIONS SHOW.
big enough and powerful, too, to see that it is
protected. The inspecting department comprises
The United States Government will send its
inspectors who are investigators of high order and
loan exhibit from the patent office to the inventions
competent on credit matters. To "get away with
show, which will be held in the new Grand Cen-
it" at Wanamaker's is next to impossible.
tral Palace April 13-20.
Wanamaker piano advertising, the electric cur-
This loan exhibit illustrates the inception, prog-
rent of the department, is character copy not only
ress and perfection of the greatest inventions by
in illustrations and offers but in text. It is digni- the actual models patented. The first sewing ma-
fied, forcible publicity; it constructs and upbuilds
chine, the first American automobile and the first
talking machines and electric lamps are among the
features.
THE REPOSSESSION PROBLEM.
GASKILL MUSIC CO.'S PURCHASE.
DECLARE QUARTERLY DIVIDEND.
MANUFACTURERS OF
PIANO, ACTION AND PLAYER
HARDWARE.
OAKVILLE COMPANY
WATERBURY, CONN.
The Aeolian, Weber Piano & Pianola Co. has
declared its regular quarterly dividend of 1%
per cent, upon the preferred stock of the com-
pany, payable on the 30th inst. to stockholders of
record on March 2°>.
Do you wish to make five dollars? Then send
your ideas upon leading trade topics, embodied in
two hundred and fifty words, to The Reviezv. You
will find full particulars elsewhere in this issue.
<[[ The offices
of this trade
newspaper in-
stitution are
now located at
373
FOURTH
AVENUE
Near Twenty-seventh Street
Telephones
5982-5983 Madison Square
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