The Rise And Decline Of The Ol^mpia Oyster 



effort, and told of the picture which we have hanging in 

 our kitchen as a family guide. It is of a bunch of bananas, 

 and reads "Remember the banana. Every time it leaves 

 the bunch it gets skinned." 



Mark Reed, of the Olympia Oyster Investment Co. 

 then, in a logical and well presented statement, recom- 

 mended that no cut in price be made, but that we should 

 create a demand and the demand would raise the price. 

 He recommended that as of January 1922 ten per cent of 

 the gross sales be set aside for that purpose. 



The Advertising Committee then presented J. Wil- 

 liam Sheets and Fitzherbert Leather, of the J. William 

 Sheets advertising firm of Seattle, who presented an 

 outline of the type and extent of advertising they pro- 

 posed. 



And so was born the advertising campaign which was 

 started on January 1, 1922. It was the beginning of one of 

 the most unique and effective campaigns of its day, cre- 

 ating comment far and wide. And it was effective. The 

 price of oysters was soon raised to meet the cost of ad- 

 vertising, which was one dollar per sack, and the price of 

 Olympia Oysters never went back to the previous level. 

 In fact, it drew the attention of the Eastern oyster grow- 

 ers. In 1924, the Oyster Growers Association of North 

 America were in about the same trouble we had been in. 

 Hiving been Chairman of the Olympia Oyster Advertis- 

 in Committee, and active in its camjaign, I received a let- 

 ter from Dr. Radcliffe, then an official in The Oysters 

 Growers Association of North America asking me, at 

 their expense, to come to New York and meet with their 

 Directors, and tell them of our abvertising experience. 



(57) 



