Advertising Contests, Incentives, and Premiums ephemera collection, 1880s-1950s
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Summary
- Creator:
- John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History
- Abstract:
- Advertising contests, premiums, and incentives are ways for companies to engage with new and current customers while also promoting their brands and products. This ephemera collection includes instructions, examples, and entry blanks from advertising contests, as well as catalogs, albums, and promotional literature for different premiums and incentives offered by various companies. Acquired as part of the John W. Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History.
- Extent:
- 0.25 Linear Feet
- Language:
- Materials in English.
- Collection ID:
- RL.12084
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Collection includes assorted ephemeral examples of instructions, entry examples, and entry blanks from advertising contests, along with catalogs and albums from various company premiums and incentive programs. Products and brands vary; examples include are National Oats, Quaker Oats (the Mother's Coupon Department), Sperry and Hutchinson green stamp catalogs, Globe Soap Company, Potax, and Dutch Pride Cigars.
- Biographical / historical:
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Advertising contests are a way for companies to engage with new and current customers while also promoting their products. Contests can be passive (e.g., enter to win) or participatory, soliciting slogans, jingles, testimonials, or other relevant submissions from customers. Companies in the United States have used prize contests as an advertising strategy since at least the 1900s.
Advertising incentives and premiums are offered by some companies to encourage and reward returning or repeat customers. Typically there are vouchers or coupons included in the packaging or product, which the customer collects to redeem for a prize or other incentive. Companies often give bigger prizes for more coupons, or for a complete set of tickets or vouchers. Examples of an advertising incentive or premium might include trading cards, Sperry and Hutchinson green stamps, or other collectible tokens that could be returned to the company. Many prizes were intended for women or children.
- Acquisition information:
- The Advertising Contests, Incentives, and Premiums ephemera collection was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as purchases through Ebay.com and AbeBooks in 2022, and from various sources as purchases in 2023. Some materials were transferred to this collection from the Advertising Collection.
- Processing information:
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Processed by Leah Tams, April 2023; updated by Meghan Lyon, January 2025
Accessions described in this collection guide: 2022-0071, 2023-0121, 2024-0134, 2024-0042
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
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Contents
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- Restrictions:
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Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
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The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.
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- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Advertising Contests, Incentives, and Premiums ephemera collection, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
- Permalink:
- https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m15x6d