I am a university student and my writing professor allows us to research a topic we are interested in for our research papers. My current topic is: Why were the ads and other promotions for the Parker Pen company effective and to what degree were they effictive in the years 1908 to 2008? I just became intrested in Parker and would like the oipinons of the other people on the Parker forum. Any help/comments would be welcome.

There was a discussion on the FPN recently about one of the Parker Ads. It showed a young college girl and two friends with the new pen her father had sent her.

A lot of Parker ads are for sale on eBay. If you have a look around, you can have a look at the ads.

For example



and

I think Parker ads were successful mostly because they presented the truth in a colourful and appealing way. The ads were boastful but also true. And that made the products creditable and desirable by the masses.

I'm in advertising, so I feel comfortable commenting on this topic...

I remember Parker ads very fondly from childhood, in the 1965-75 decade. Great headlines and copy, excellent product photography and/or illustrations. In Parker ads, pens were noble things, very human things - usually depicted with a hand cradling them in some way.

Recently, I bought a great Parker 51 ad from about 1943 ad to celebrate my several 2007 "daily user" 51 purchases. It reminded me of how good the copy always was in Parker ads. Very clever writing with a definite POV that Parker pens were special and better than others.

I think there was great art direction in general - great balance of visuals/headlines and copy. The ads had a quality to them that effectively conveyed the quality of the product.

An excellent question, Helene. I've got a few thoughts on this, but it's late and I need some sleep. I'm in marketing, and really enjoy advertising too; let me think about this for a bit and I'll put something up tomorrow morning (I think).

In the meantime, I'd send you to PenHero's Gallery and Rick Conner's Penspotting sites, as they've got a bit of commentary interspersed with some design features in their pen profiles. Best of all...neither one of 'em have any vintage pens to sell, so you won't get distracted and itchy to buy one!

Try looking in Parker 51 (by David and Mark Shepherd) and Parker Duofold (David Shepherd and Dan Zazove). In each book there is a chapter on marketing and advertising.

Todd

Try looking in Parker 51 (by David and Mark Shepherd) and Parker Duofold (David Shepherd and Dan Zazove). In each book there is a chapter on marketing and advertising.

Todd
[/quote]

Was going to say the same thing, but.....
Troll the Parker vendors via google and there are a few items available for downloading. Geo S Parker was a wizard at promoting his products and ideas and thre is a lot to learn from him.
EBay hasn't many ads for sale but one seller has a number of old brochures for sale - they seem to be copies otherwise I would have lifted the lot.
I have a collection of ads but don't know how to discuss these from this distance - Glen Bowen's books have lots of ads in them if you can find them.

Khm... Truth, like that the Vac was sacless?

I think it was rather that Parker was pretty innovative both in advertising and pen design.

Khm... Truth, like that the Vac was sacless?

I think it was rather that Parker was pretty innovative both in advertising and pen design.
[/quote]

Well, technically the ink isn't contained in a sac as such, just one of the boundaries oif the ink is sac-like so the ink is partly contained by a sac. So sacless it is?

I wrote some more about it after that thread too, if you're interested:
Rockwell Illustration for Parker 61 ad

Thank you for all your suggestions, I decided to focus the time period even more, 1948-2008. I have gotten some books from the library, done internet searches, and found ads in National Geographics from the 1970s and 1980s. Keep the comments coming.

I used to gaze at the ads in the National Geographic for the Sterling Parker 75s in the early 1960s. I was fascinated by the fact that you could 'dial your perfect angle' with the nib, and I was convinced that I could never afford such a beautiful pen.

In the late 70s the last remaining stock of these pens were being sold off for $40 in Port Moresby. It was my second Parker, and I still have it.

My first pen, a blue 45 that lasted me through University, left me many years ago to make an independent life for itself.