Visking Corporotion Loys Out $2OO'OOO Contest To Promote the Locol Reroil Lumber Deoler

One of the greatest opportunities for lumber dealers is now in the offing through a cooperative program with the Visking Corporation in its yearly promotion. In the May 6 issue of Life magazine (out May 2) and the May 19 issue of Look magazine (out May 14), the Women's Congress House No. 2 that was built in the Lu-Re-Co system for the recent Exposition of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Assn. will be featured as the grand prize in a $20O,000 advertising promotion by the Visking Corporation.

It is estimated that 48,349,000 people will see the 2-page,Z-color spreads in these magazines directing the public to the retail lumber dealers' yards.

This nationlvide promotion of the retail lumber dealer is made possible this year through the cooperation of the retail lumber industry with the Visking Corporation, unit of the large Union Carbide and Carbon Corp., known to the building industry as producers of the Visqueen Moisture Barrier and manufacturer of casings for the meat industry. The promotion is made possible through the efforts of state and regional retail lumber associations, the NRLDA, the Lumber Dealers Research Council (Lu-ReCo), and National Plan Service, Inc.

The No. I prize in this $60,000 ,contest will be the Women's Congress home, to be built under Lu-Re-Co supervision on a lot, foundation and floor platform provided by the winner. The message that will be broadcast coast-tocoast during the May l-June 30 contest period will be:

"Before you build or remodel your home, see your local lumber dealer. Your local retail lumber dealer has complete information on this and other Women's Congress homes, built under the supervision of the Lumber Dealers Research Council."

Every advertising medium to be used in furthering this contest will promote the retail lumberyard, its services, and direct new prospects and customers to your yard.

Dealer Aids Listed

Local lumber dealers will receive the benefits of the national magazine advertising;a l-minute, color film short to be shown a full week in 846 drive-in and 4-wall first run theatres (7 million moviegoers); advertising in 25 million packages of meat with inserts featuring the contest (and referring to lumber dealers) ; poster displays at 100,000 meat counters; ads in six food-trade magazines with 211,000 circulation; Radio, TV, billboard and newspaper advertising by 700 meatpackers, and ad promotion by appliance manufacturers also giving prizes.

How Dealers Will Tie-in

With this valuable advertising directing traffic to the retail lumberyard's door, the dealer can be ready to cash in by:

Being fully informed on the contest; encouraging contractor customers to build one of the Women's Congress homes; by making his yard \ /CH headquarters through free newspaper ad mats showing the designs selected by women; by coordinating his local advertising with the contest period; with free publicity stories and ad mats for local papers; through free, 60-second radio spots; by {ree display reprints of the Life and Look ads; by tieing-in with the local butchers, appliance dealers, travel agencies and furniture stores who will also be promoting the contest, etc.

In addition to the grand prize ol the free home, other awards will be:

Znd prize-two bedroom, completely equipped Mobile Horne:. 3rd prize-Deluxe trip for two to England and return via BOAC ; 4th prize-Vacation for two in Mexico; next three prizes-all-electric modular kitchens; next four prizesHi-Fi sound system ; next 14 prizesrefrigerator-freezers, washers, dryers, fryers; next seven prizesCinecameras and projectors; next 10 prizesDinette sets ; next five prizes-Portable TV sets; next five prizes-electric appliances, and 250O special prizes for first to enter-Rig-A-Jig construction sets.

The Visking Corporation, it may be seen, is conducting a very aggressive campaign to benefit the retail lumberyard

Building R.eseqrch lnstitute to Meef

"Machine Application of Materials at the Site" is the featured subject for one of ten major technical sessions, panel discussions, and addresses to be presented at the sixth annual meeting of the Building Research Institute, to be held in the Drake hotel, Chicago, April 15 to 17. Leo Stone of Independent Nail & Packing Company will talk on "Machine Nailing of Flooring."