Eloquent Milk Man

Rather than increase our present nine hour day schedules, we are starting building a night force, thereby giving employment to additional people.

A rare bright light in Depression's gloom was this announcement made last week by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. Proud of it were the folk of Winston-Salem, N. C., home of Reynolds Tobacco, second-largest-earning company in the industry. Proud of it were the company's officials. But especially proud of it was the Manhattan advertising agency (with offices also in many another city) of Erwin, Wasey & Co. Three months ago Erwin, Wasey received the Camel account. They immediately launched a $1,000,000 campaign running for eight days in 1,713 dailies, 2,139 weeklies, 426 college and financial papers, which promised prizes of $50,000 for the best 200-word letters on Camel's new cellophane wrapper. Last week's activity in Winston-Salem seemed proof of Erwin, Wasey's costly pudding.

On March 4 the Camel contest reached its "deadline." A deluge of 952,228 letters swamped the Winston-Salem postoffice, in which a special corner was roped off for Camel answers. About 20,000 answers arrived special delivery. The four special delivery messengers in Winston-Salem receive 9 cents for each special; the contest made them each almost $500 richer. In the Reynolds Building 122 employes on day and night shifts sorted and stapled the mail. Within a few days they stopped being surprised at such oddities as a letter in a crate so it would attract attention, letters in little known foreign languages, answers sent in on phonograph records, sometimes set to music, answers in fancy leather volumes, others engraved on metal, some cast in plaster, one wrapped around a baby's shoe. Many contestants sent in pictures of themselves, many appealed for aid. Not immune to the deluge was E. I. duPont deNemours & Co., maker of cellophane. So many people wrote for a description of cellophane that duPont had to print a special booklet on it.

Each answer was read two or three times by the judges' "staff," then the best ones (about 500) were bound, sent to Editor Ray Long (Cosmopolitan), Chain-Publisher Roy Wilson Howard and Artist Charles Dana Gibson (Life) for final judgment. Only last week were the winners decided.

To James Thomas Sharkey, 32, Irish-born, Boston milkman, went the first prize of $25,000. He used to get his cigarets wet while delivering milk.

Mrs. Walter Sweet, Radcliffe graduate, mother of three children, much-traveled wife of a captain in the Marines, won the second prize of $10,000.

Julius M Nolte, Duluth realtor and English instructor, Phi Beta Kappa, outdoor man, War flyer, father of four, won third prize of $5,000.

The other 35 winners included stenographers, doctors, spinsters, a Finnish lumberjack, a Swiss nurseryman, an aerial photographer, a chauffeur, a welder, two dentists, two locomotive firemen.

Texts of the winning letters were reserved for further Camel advertising.

Williams Up. Credited with playing a large part in the contest was Samuel Clay Williams, 46, Reynolds vice president. Last week massively large Mr. Williams had another reason to make him proud. He was promoted to the company's presidency, succeeding bespectacled Bowman Gray who became chairman. William N. Reynolds, brother of the late Founder Richard Joshua Reynolds, resigned from the chairmanship, became chairman of the executive committee. Mr. Williams is quietly jovial, speaks with a slow drawl. If he hears any error, however small, about Camels or their advertising, he immediately challenges, corrects it in a slow, logical, legal manner. He is a booster for North Carolina, has for hobby a 1,500-acre sheep ranch 15 miles from Winston-Salem.

Contest Crescendo. Advertising through contests, long popular, seemed to gain favor immediately after the Came! competition, which advertising men call the first great one since Liberty sought its name in 1924 and offered $25,000 in prizes. Awards to $10,000 were offered by Studebaker for the best slogan describing freewheeling. Eastman Kodak Co. then announced a $100,000 international contest for amateur photographers. Other current contests include the following:

$10,000 for slogans for La Palina cigars (Congress Cigar Co.).

$1,500 for new uses for crepe paper (Dennison Mfg. Co.).

$500 for a name for a new motor oil (MacMillan Petroleum Corp.).

$1,200 for new uses for Mongol pencils (Eberhard Faber Pencil Co.).

$1,525 for an answer to "Why I'd buy Pabco Shingles." (Paraffine Cos. Inc.).

$500 and 50 packages of cigarets for answers to "Why I changed to Marlboros" (Philip Morris & Co.).

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