GOOD TECHNICAL BULLETINS-THEIR COMPOSITION AND DISTRIBUTION LOIS R. BOWERS University of California, Berkeley, California
S o m e companies consistently release good pamphlets, but many others lose sales because they do not give the reader what he wants. Thus the data sheets and catalogues issued by chemical and equipment firms to advertise their products have lost their purpose. Technical bulletins are publications containing information of interest to persons with scientific training. They differ from other advertisements in that they are directed to the specialist and never to the general public. The pamphlet must inform rather than persuade. Obviously, but unfortunately not obviously enough, the technical bulletin must contain reliable information with specific details, and not appeals such as "Superior Chemicals formaldehyde is better," for example. Chemists and engineers are singularly lacking in emotion in choosing products. An exact analysis of the formaldehyde with the percentage of methanol and other impurities would give the chemist the information he wants. The purpose of the technical bulletin is to sell the product, directly or indirectly. Therefore, most of the space should he devoted to the uses of the product. In addition, most chemical bulletins should contain physical and chemical properties, reactions, specifications, and toxicity data. A brief history of the discovery and first uses of the product are usually of interest. A bibliography of literature references is desirable. Chemists want to know what persons and what companies have developed the chemical in the past. Patent references are of extreme interest and importance. Equipment bulletins usually should contain one or more photographs. The information must be given clearly and concisely. Tables, charts, and diagrams should be used wherever possible. These data should not be copied from a chemical handbook; all chemists already have handbooks. The chemical or trade name of the compound should he used without apology. A sulfate is a sulfate and not a compound called a sulfate. The two chief forms of technical bulletins are catalogues and data sheets. Most firms issue catalogues describing briefly all the products of a company. Large companies usually issue a catalogue for each division or department. Data sheets ordinarily are from one to three pages, sometimes more, describing a single product or series of products. They are often mimeographed. Dittoing should not be used, as the reproduction is frequently
difficult to read. Printing, on the other hand, is the most desirable form for a bulletin. Individual data sheets become cumbersome in great quantity. Some companies issue collections of data sheets from time to time, and others provide loose-leaf notebooks in which to file the data sheets as they appear. Compilations are better than loose-leaf notebooks because individual data sheets are usually brought to the attention of the person interested. A compilation serves as a handy reference book afterwards. Looseleaf sheets, on the other hand, are apt to he filed away by clerical personnel without anyone seeing them first. Also addition sheets are not always identified clearly enough for a nonchemist to know vhat to do with them. For size, 8 by 11 inches is to be preferred. A bulletin 5 by 8 inches is the next best. Xarrow bulletins sink down in a file and become lost. Covers of heavy paper make a booklet more attractive, thereby giving a favorable impression of the company. They also prevent the pamphlet from becoming torn. Most men like to put their names on their literature, and librarians put identifying marks on theirs. On a black or navy blue cover nothing n6ll show up except white ink, which is seldom found on a chemist's desk. Even morse is the glossy cover that will not hold any ink whatsoever. Admittedly, a resinous coating makes a very attractive-looking cover. A sample inside the bulletin, however, is more convenient. Some color on the bulletin is recommended to give neat appearance, hut humor and "cheesecake" are in poor taste. The product must he able to stand on its own merits. Circulation forms on the cover are unnecessary because each company has its own method of distribution. Every cover or first page should have the full name of the company and division, if any, a short title, and a bulletin number. One should not use "Superior presents a dramatic chemical for the future," which is meaningless on an index card and also makes a person feel foolish requesting a second copy. 1nst)eadsomething like this could be printed: "Superior Chemical Company. Plastics Division" and a title "Formaldehyde" as well as "Bulletin P-1050R." Some companies seem to he ashamed of themselves, for they put their company name on the last page or on the covering letter only. To search for a company name is most annoying to a busy reader. Somewhere in the bulletin, preferably on the last page, the date and the company address should be given.
565
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
566
Bulletins should be revised frequently. Catalogues usually appear annually, and data sheets should be revised every two to five years to show a company is on its toes about new developments. Companies which have not revised their catalogues since 1939 (and some major companies have not) lose sales because they are not alert to new uses for their products. If the company making the product does not believe in its possibilities, who will? Revised editions should be sent automatically to persons receiving the previous edition. Great variations are found in the covering letter. Some companies waste time and money sending out twoor threepage mimeographed epistles. Most form letters are destroyed upon receipt, usually without reading. Therefore, it is essential to put no technical information in the letter. Efficient companies attach a tab of colored paper printed with something like this: "This is the literature you requested recently. Samples are available on request on company letterhead. We shall be glad to consult mith you about your specific problem." The company name and address is printed a t tbe top or bottom of this tab. If the literature is sent unsolicited, it should have a tab saying, "Here is some literature in which you may be interested." Literature should always be sent to the attention of the person requesting it. Large firms do not have time to stalk down particular individuals. The correct number of copies should also be sent. Too few copies will bring another request causing additional expense in handling; excess copies usually are filed in the wastepaper basket. Above all, acknowledgment of receipt of the bulletin should not be expected nor demanded. Price lists may be stapled to an inside cover of a pamphlet. Prices usually change too frequently to make i t feasible to print the price in the bulletin itself.
Equipment companies, however, will probably find it worth while to list their prices. To whom should bulletins be sent? People who are not technically trained seldom hear or care about technical literature. Therefore i t is a good public relations policy to accommodate everyone who requests a service. For example, frequently the company library, which is staffed by professionally trained chemists, is a center for requesting and distributing material. A curt note to a librarian saying the literature is sent only to men who are actually interested is not only impolite but d s o the worst kind of salesmanship. Chemists and engineers learn about technical bulletins from journal advertisements. These advertisements should describe the literature that is going to be sent either by title or bulletin number, or even better, by picture. It is not good policy to advertise a specific product and send a general catalogue giving the same or less information than in the journal. For instance, Superior may advertise technical literature on formaldehyde. Imagine the reader's chagrin to receive his sixth copy of the Superior booklet on "Aldehydes" which he has requested in response t o advertisements on aldehydes in general, acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, and products of the Superior Chemical Company. In summary, a technical bulletin should contain detailed, concise information. It should be 8 by ll inches or 5 by 8 inches. The cover should be lighkolored, on rough paper, with space for writing identification. The front page or cover should designate the product and contain the company name and division and the bulletin number. The bulletin should also contain the date and company address. The pamphlets should be sent to the attention of the person requesting them. Bulletins should be revised frequently and automatically sent to the recipients of the old editions. Journal advertisements should describe specifically the literature that is available on request.
CORRECTION Dm. Jirgensons and Straumanis, whose "Kur~es Lehrbuch der Kolloidchemie" was reviewed in our Maroh issue, have written to point out some errors in the review. They wen incorrectly referred to as professors of chemistry at the universities of Manohester and Missouri, respectively; the reviewer obviously missed the reference to du Nouy and his tensiometer on pp. 4 0 4 1 ; they did not even attempt a theoretical explanation of thixotropy.
