ADVERTISING: How the Prince Edward Hotel was promoted

As the art of advertising evolved, so did the means with which the Prince Edward Hotel promoted itself. Here's a sampling of the ads that the hotel used to attract guests and clients throughout the years.

One of the first ads to appear in the Brandon Sun was for the hotel's barber shop, located in the basement. This ad ran on Jan. 19, 1913.

That barber shop also, for a time, ran a shoe shine parlor. This ad ran in the Brandon Sun on July 10, 1913.

Many of the early ads were informative and restrained. The hotel maintained a reserve, even in its publicity. This ad, advising a change of hours, ran on July 28, 1913.

According to the Bank of Canada's Inflation Calculator, this 50-cent meal was the equivalent of just over $10 today. Not bad for a lunch special intended for business men. This ad ran on Oct. 13, 1913.

Apparently, the first manager of the barber shop didn't last very long. New management took over, running this ad on Nov. 15, 1913.

Holiday dining at the Prince Edward Hotel was a tradition right from the start. This ad ran on Dec. 26, 1913.

Salesmen -- also called "drummers", perhaps because they drummed up business -- were one of the early mainstays of the Prince Edward Hotel. This ad ran on May 6, 1914.

The European Plan, in hotel lodging, refers to payment for the room only. The American Plan generally includes three meals per day, provided by the hotel's kitchen. This switch in practice by the Prince Edward Hotel was advertised on Oct. 1, 1914.

Clubs and service groups would often hold their meetings and luncheons at the Prince Edward Hotel. This ad ran on Feb. 23, 1915.

Dinner and a dance -- and finally a little graphic design in the advertising! This ad ran on July 3, 1916.

Sample rooms in the hotel were expressly designed for salesmen to display their wares. They would telegram orders to their warehouses, and arrange for delivery to customers in Brandon. This ad ran on July 20, 1916.

The check on some of the ads was a mark made on the newspaper file copy, to ensure that ads paid for had actually run -- and vice versa. This ad ran on March 21, 1917.

Fireproof was a big deal. It also appeared in articles about the then-new Brandon Asylum, now the North Hill Campus for Assiniboine Community College. The original asylum building burnt to the ground in 1910. This ad ran on Oct. 3, 1917.

Another holiday meal, this one advertised on Oct. 6, 1917. Note that prices for the Table d'Hote meal have doubled since 1913.

Was a dollar too much? How about 75 cents for breakfast? This ad ran Oct. 15, 1917.

The Prince Edward Hotel was latching on to a popular Ali Baba phenomenon with this ad, which ran Oct. 17, 1917. According to Google's Ngram views, use of the phrase "Open, sesame" peaked about this time.

Lunch for 75 cents, dinner for a dollar -- and it'll raise your spirits. At least, according to this ad, from Oct. 19, 1917.

Although this sequence of ads was similar, they swapped out the content with every iteration. This ad ran Oct. 25, 1917.

The Canadian Club would often advertise its speakers in the Brandon Sun. This ad ran Dec. 3, 1917.

Skipping forward a few decades, since the the 1920s-50s are difficult to search or to pull images off, here is an ad for the hotel's meal service from Oct. 3, 1959. Click here for a larger size.

Whether it's a family dinner or an adult party, the Prince Edward Hotel can accommodate you. This ad ran Feb. 6, 1960, and that woman's shoulders will probably be cold if that's what she's wearing in February. At least she's got gloves.

Not all of the hotel's advertising was heavy on the graphics or photography. This ad ran on Dec. 3, 1960.

Just $2 per couple for a dance at the house of hospitality. This ad ran Jan. 29, 1961.

Holiday dinners were always special at the Prince Edward Hotel -- but so were Sundays. This ad ran Nov. 10, 1962.

Nearly every activity during this Kinsmen and Kinettes convention weekend took place at the Prince Edward Hotel. This ad ran on May 16, 1963. Click here for a much larger version.

The Prince Edward switched, in its marketing, to referring to itself as a motel hotel, but it kept its focu on excellent food and service, as well as being "The Home Of All Service Clubs." This ad, which ran March 28, 1967, was dedicated to farmers.

Were you the "Smiler"? The Prince Edward (Motor) Hotel carried on their "Smile" brand for a few years, during and after this promotion. This ad ran on Feb. 16, 1968.

Along with tracking down the "Smiler", the Prince Edward experimented with other ad gimmicks -- including this unusual shape. This would have been ambitious in the pre-computer layout age. It ran on Dec. 17, 1969. Click here for a much larger version.

This ad, from the 1972 Henderson Directory, shows the continuation of the "Smile" brand. It's also interesting to note that the phone number has changed from "PA-0521" to "727-0521" over the past decade. In the early '20s, it was just four digits -- but a different four: 2301. It kept those four digits until at least the Henderson Directory in 1955.