PART B - The 1956 Full-Page Advertisement

This Part explores a particular full-page advertisement from 28 November, 1956, from the
Dimarco's local newspaper, the Biz. It advertises the Model 2 Rotomo. The article is extra
ordinary in that it combines the early selling practices of some Authorised Victa Dealers and,
most of all, includes what appears to be a featurette article, either written for this ad, or
taken from another publication of the day. It would be nice to know ...

Here is the advertisement layout. I would like to discuss the idea of the public
demonstration in this, Part B. The feature article that runs down the R.H. side, titled
"He Mowed His Road To Clover" will be discussed in Part C.

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SELLING ROTARY LAWNMOWERS in the 1950s

It's hard to imagine it now, but selling residential rotary lawnmowers in the mid-1950s
was quite different back then. Following Mervyn Richardson's business model, the
demonstration was the key to success.

By the late 1950s it was common practice for stores to offer home demonstrations. But before
that, some dealers were offering public demonstrations - when the rotary concept was still quite new.

In this particular ad, the Dimarcos advertise a public demonstration on vacant, overgrown
land at Terminus Street, just a short walk from their first store at Scott Street, Liverpool.
The demonstrations ran from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, December 1, 1956.

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TO BE CONTINUED ...