"Sure, I've made 41,000,000 telephones

. . . but what else do I make?"
Following World War II, many American advertisers focused on building consumer confidence in their products, both to keep loyal buyers and to attract new ones who might be tempted by the flood of imports from Japan and Europe.

Telephone users didn't have much choice -- Ma Bell was the only game in town -- but both Bell Telephone and its sidekick Western Electric continued to court the average customer with entertaining print ads in major magazines. This ad from the spring of 1946 is an excellent example:

"I do make good telephones and I'm proud of every one of them.

"But your Bell Telephone would be completely silent without the other things I produce to go with it.

"Wire for instance . . . miles and miles and miles of it. Acres of reels of cable . . . thousands of intricate switchboards . . . deleicate electronic apparatus to improve your long distance calls. And that's only the beginning . . .

"That's just my manufacturing function for the Bell System. (I've been at it since 1882.) I'm purchaser for the Bell Telephone companies, too. I distribute equipment and supplies to them throughout the nation. I even install central office equipment.

"I've helped to make our nation's telephone service the best in the world and the most economical.

"My name? Remember it . . .

"It's Western Electric!"

This full-page 1946 magazine ad is mostly black-and-white, enhanced by subtle colors and a vivid red Western Electric banner. Like the Bell Telephone ads of the war years, this ad features a humanized figure whose smiling face beams from a grey cable reel. His neck is a basic black Bell desk phone with rotary dial; his torso is a central switchboard in rich mahogany tones. Arms and legs are grey sheathed cable; one outstretched hand formed by five cable ends cradles another black telephone.


The ad measures about 10-1/4" x 14", including generous margins and is too large to be scanned as a single unit. The right edge is rough where it was removed from the magazine, and the paper has browned slightly with age. Left and right margins are about 1/2 inch and top and bottom margins are about 1 inch.

The ad will be mailed flat, protected by a poly sleeve and backing board. The source and publication date will be provided to the winning bidder.

Domestic orders: $2.00 First Class Mail; $5.50 Priority Mail to a U.S. address.

International orders: To Canada, $3.00 First Class Mail International; UK, Japan, Australia and most other destinations $6.50.

Mailing weight: 6 oz.

Happy to combine orders to save postage. Thanks for your bid!

"MOOK"