1941

The following is an article which appearedin the July Printers' Ink, and since it's aboutBruce Friedlich and Dan Provost we feel it'sworth quoting.

TWO ADMEN AND THEIR WIVES SPARK THE VERONA SHOPPER

"LEARNING MERCHANDISING at the grass-roots level; writing copy that clicks with an average upper-middle-class audience; getting a feel for what moves goods from shelf to customer—that s the leisure-time stint of two man-and-wife teams: Bruce Friedlich, Fortune space salesman, and wife Kathy; and Dan Provost, Newell-Emmett's public relations department, and wife Bailey.

"Their pride and joy, aside from their small sons (the Friedlichs have one, the Provosts have two), is the Verona Shopper, a give-away circulating in Verona, Cedar Grove, Essex Fells and Pleasantdale, New Jersey.

"Bruce dreamed up the idea while acting as merchandising consultant in his home town, whitecollar Verona, for merchants who wanted a local medium to promote their sales. Offset reproduction, he knew, would enable them to give advertisers originally illustrated ads at low cost. Kathy figured the publication should have a service pitch and that attractive ads were more likely to be effective. Dan's writing-selling talents and Bailey's agency art experience rounded out the service.

"The quartet started with four drawing boards, four T-squares, a few hundred Addressograph plates and some First issue, Feb. 26, 1948, had enough advertising to break even; ever since the venture has been in the black. Starting circulation was 3,500; now it's over 4,000—and growing.

"Getting local merchants who never had advertised regularly to do a consistent merchandising and advertising job hasn't been easy. It has meant hard selling and holding advertisers and doing the triple-harness job of advertising manager, agency and publisher. 'We've helped local merchants capture the patronage of folks who never dreamed of trading with them,' reports Dan. 'The stores were well stocked with national name brands, but the townspeople didn't know it, and so they shopped elsewhere. We show them how national advertising builds acceptance for products locally, but that they must tell folks where the product is for sale.' .

"Because they see a growing trend toward private brands, and because retailers who know customers well can often switch them to brands they suggest, the quartet concentrates on persuading merchants to stock and advertise national brands 'as the best way to build stature of the small community as against the big community.' "

Harry Douty was through Chicago on a recent buying trip, and it afforded me a good chance to offer the lad a quiet evening in Northbrook in exchange for some first hand dope on some of our classmates in the New York area. He mentioned having seen "Red"Power and his recent bride not long ago. Harry manages to have lunch from time to time with "Stu" May, George Sexton and others in the 34th street area.

Larry Thompson was also in town a while ago and I missed having an opportunity of seeing him, but as he was working on a pretty tight schedule, the best we could manage was a telephone conversation. Larry is at Harvard doing graduate work and research in economics. And speaking of Harvard, I want to mention that Dick McCornack was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy degree from that institution in June.

An item we missed hearing about until recently was the announcement of the engagement of Nancy Jane Hughes to John Bowers in April. They planned a fall wedding, but I was unable to get the date. Sorry to be so tardy, John, but perhaps now you will supply us the details.

Gerrit S. Collier is special agent for eastern New York for the American Insurance Group. Another insurance man recently honored is "Bud" Rothermel, designated in September a C.L.U. by the American Life Underwriters.

Bill Hammond is district sales manager for American Brass in Detroit, having recently transferred from Chicago. Bill David is now living in Denver. My, how that Denver group is growing. Bob Hatch is teaching now at Exeter. Larry Kryle is a practicing physician in Roslyn Heights, Long Island. FrankBoutin is living in El Paso, Texas now, and teaching in one of the schools there. JimVaughan is with the Minnesota Ontario Paper Co. and living in St. Paul.

Bud Rothermel mentioned that on a recent eastern trip he spent a very enjoyable evening with Ed Lamer and his attractive wife in Lexington, Mass.

Karl Blume is studying to be a dentist at the University o£ Pennsylvania. Bob Thome is now an assistant professor of Botany at the University of lowa. Norm Brandt is a sales representative for Part American in Miami. Jim Kilgour is living in Lancaster, Pa. and at the present time is manager of the glass and closure dept. in the export division of Armstrong Cork. Kent Donaldson is living in Fort Thomas, Ky., and is a metal decorator in nearby Covington.

That winds it up for this month. A Merry Christmas to you all—and I'll see you in 1950.

Secretary, 1532 Sycamore Lane, Northbrodk, Ill.

Treasurer, Summit Drive, Bay Hills, Huntington, L. 1., N. Y.