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Originally it was planned to test the Duofold campaign for three months in Chicago, and if successful, to modify it where necessary and repeat the success in other cities. However, by the time the fifth advertisement had appeared, or in the third week of the campaign, Chicago was talking and buying Duofold pens to such an extent that it was decided to lose no time in covering other large cities in practically the same way.
Eastern salesmen were called into New York City and hastily organized and coached. The Chicago plan was followed here and in about fourteen other major cities. Thus the manufacturer, instead of waiting until fall, gained a whole season by marketing the Duofold in the spring. Each month, excepting July, showed extremely large gains in sales over the corresponding month of the year previous.
It is important to note that in planning and executing this work the advertiser, through his agent, obtained the cooperation of the newspapers in which his advertising was placed. Newspapers supplied lists of dealers in their respective cities, routings for salesmen, and in some cases actually delivered window displays to dealers who stocked the pen. In other instances it was necessary to have a follow-up salesman deliver the window displays in an automobile. All this display material was based on the phraseology and illustrations in the advertising, for the purpose of greater cohesion and correlation of effort and idea. This is what they term in advertising vernacular as 'tying up' the display and the advertising.
In addition to the personal sales effort and newspaper cooperation, Tho Parker Pen Company, through its Advertising Department, not only supplied the trade with display material, but extensively circulated the Parker dealers and the non-Parker Dealers with Duofold literature and 'news'' of the Duofold campaign. Thus many orders came from the trade directly by mail.
By summer the manufacturer was ready to campaign the large cities west of the Rockies on the Pai'itic Coast, and in the South and Southwest. Everywhere the sales crews had worked, the majority of the pen outlets-the department, stationery, drug and jewelry stores- had stocked the pen and were enjoying a good business.