Music Trade Review

Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
The Passing of the Puzzle Contests
T
HE subjoined announcement, which was printed in The Music
Trade Review of last week, has been read far and wide
with exceeding interest, and perhaps at this time it might be fitting
to briefly review the history of the prize-puzzle-contest-coupon
schemes.
Story & Clark Piano Co.
Wish to Announce
that the use of puzzle and similar advertising, the issuance of
purchasing coupons or letters gii'ing credit on the purchase
price of the pianos has been abused by some houses by not
carrying out the promises made and it has been decided that
the Story & Clark Piano Co. put itself on record as discouraging
this form of advertising.
This company will not publish any puzzle or similar adver-
tisement or issue any coupons in any form or letters giving
credits.
This announcement -will appear simultaneously this morn-
ing and evening in the 23 cities where our stores arc located.
Story &? Clark Piano Co.
1106 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis,
Minn.
It was something over two years ago when this plan was an-
nounced as "the best ever" for the development of the piano busi-
ness.
We, however, alone of all the music trade papers, took a posi-
tive stand that it was "the worst ever" and that if this plan were
persisted in generally it would undermine the piano business
through completely destroying the confidence of the public in piano
values.
Plainly it was placing the piano business on the lowest kind of
a plane through the adoption of unmercantile, unbusinesslike and
unethical methods.
The stamp of deception and misrepresentation was too obvious
in all of the business announcements of these puzzle schemes to
capture the public. After careful consideration we concluded that
it was one of the most destructive of evils and should be attacked by
the trade press, for only by strong resistance could it be coun-
teracted.
At that time we carried advertisers who had fallen into the
coupon habit, who quite naturally would resent our activity along
anti-guessing contest lines, but that condition did not make the
slightest difference in the attitude of this paper.
We commenced a series of argumentative articles strictly im-
personal.
We did not abuse an individual or corporation—in fact, we
did not mention a single name in our onslaught upon the puzzle-
guessing scheme.
We attached it as a principle and fought it along those lines.
Some of the papers scoffed at us—ridiculed our position, and
the people whose interests were being hit by our arguments did not
hesitate to abuse us roundly by saying that it was an unwarrantable
interference on our part with their business plans. Some went even
further.
However, all of this criticism did not in the slightest degree
swerve us from what we believed to be our duty as a constructive
trade newspaper.
Our articles aroused the entire country, and it was a frequent
occurrence to receive from dealers a dozen advertisements repro-
ducing some part of our editorials from as many different sections
of the country weekly.
Thus a consistent campaign was launched and the battle for
trade honor was begun in dead earnest.
Every other trade paper sidestepped on this proposition.
We did not criticise the editors for their position.
If they were afraid to jeopardize their interests by taking a
position which they knew would create strong opposition—why, that
was their affair.
Still the puzzle campaign was continued and developed into a
perfect maelstrom of activity and misrepresentation. It seriously
reflected upon the entire piano business and had the tendency to
discredit it in the eyes of the public.
By and by the Dealers' Association came to the rescue, and
the men who had vast business interests in the retail field did not
hesitate to attack the schemes in the strongest possible manner in
the convention councils*
Thus, a strong rebuttal force was created which steadily grew,
and then the Government was finally drawn in, and with the united
efforts of the Dealers' Association, the United States Government
and one trade paper the whole scheme finally collapsed.
Before its collapse one of the chief beneficiaries under the
guessing contest system had planned a big campaign with a certain
dealer in a Western State. It was all arranged. Details had been
threshed out. Down he went to pull off a great guessing contest
scheme. When the dealer remarked to him: "I have been read-
ing the editorials in The Music Trade Review and I have concluded
that the puzzle guessing contest schemes are injurious to the trade
and I shall not enter into the plan as arranged with you," of course,
it could not be expected that this particular representative would
exhaust an extensive vocabulary in choice praise of The Music
Trade Review.
On the contrary, he said some things which were unprintable,
and from a good many sources these similar-criticisms regarding
this institution have reached us; but, after all, now the battle is
over and won, there is not one of these men who can point to a
personal attack which The Review has made upon them.
We have been urged hundreds of times to do this, but we
have adhered absolutely to our policy, and that was to treat our
puzzle contest campaign in a strictly impersonal manner attacking
it as a principle and leaving individuals out entirely.
We have believed that there were plenty of legitimate methods
which men could adopt to build up business in a satisfactory way
without resorting to the questionable schemes thoroughly inter-
woven with the puzzle contest plans.
It is, therefore, with a feeling akin to pride that we refer to
the course of The Review in this campaign, and no matter how
much the individuals whose work along these lines was curtailed
may blame us they cannot fail to admit that we were consistent
in our policy and that in the end right triumphed as it always
should!
And, incidentally, the strength of constructive trade journal-
ism is revealed in the demolition of the puzzle schemes, and down
in their hearts some men entertain a greater respect for journalism
than ever before, although they may not willingly admit it.
The Story & Clark Co. has been recognized as the leading
exponent of the guessing contest system. The strong financial
position of this house—its large manufacturing facilities and wide
distributing avenues through its own branches perhaps entitle it
to that position, and Mr. Edward H. Story, president of the Story
& Clark corporation, has been strongly criticized in association
councils and out and we have received many communications from
readers who have asked us to make a personal attack upon the
methods of this house.
This we have refused to do, not because we have had a long
and pleasant acquaintance with Mr. Story, but because a personal
attack is contrary to the fixed policy of this paper. We have disa-
greed with Mr. Story on. a principle, and what we have done has
been accomplished without resorting to personalities of any kind.
Edward H. Story is a strong, intelligent, resourceful business
man, and now that he has come out openly announcing the aban-
donment of this system which has brought down severe criticism
upon him from all parts of the country, there is no question in our
minds as to his ability to completely rehabilitate his business on any
lines that he lays down.
Mr. Story believes in doing business in bulk and he will do it.