The Franklin Presented to Captain Charles Lingberg
The Franklin Automobile Company employed creative advertising over the years, including both print and promotional events. They were the first company to use newspaper advertising to develop sales for their automobiles. One such event was held on May 29, 1927, for the presentation of a Franklin motor car to Captain Charles Lindberg "in appreciation for your demonstration of an air-cooled engine in a non-stop transatlantic flight." A print campaign in 1932 featured Amelia Earhart, who was depicted in advertisements with her two favorite means of transportation. The first was an air-cooled airplane and the second a 12-cylinder air-cooled Franklin car.
Giles H. Stilwell, head of the Franklin Automobile legal department, was quoted in January 1904, at the annual banquet of the Automobile Club of Syracuse at the Yates Hotel as saying; "The lawyer looks at automobiles from the standpoint of how many suits he can get out of it. The sportsman asks how fast will it go? The manufacturer asks how much it will cost to make one and how many he can sell? The manufacturer has his troubles. The consumer complains and takes his troubles to the dealer, and the dealer shifts them back to the manufacturer. The manufacturer is all the time studying to improve the machine. It will not belong before the majority of the people who now use vehicles will own and operate automobiles, and good roads will follow and a recognition of the rights of automobilists." |
