During World War I, William L. Goodwin conceived of the California Electric Co-operation campaign to coordinate appliance sales between major segments of the electric industry.
The campaign spread across California, Australia and then to the rest of the U.S. via the industry's trade journals.
The model was first devised in Fresno California using Hoover vacuum cleaners but was used for other appliances as well.
 The plan started with local newspaper advertisements developed by the manufacturer for use by the electric company.
 The manufacturer would then also work with the local wholesaler of the product to make sure supplies were in place when the campaign began.
 Trained door to door salesmen driving company cars with logos of the product used the electric company 's database so the peddlers knew the names of the customers when they knocked on their door.
The last part of the deal was to sell the appliance on credit.
 Five dollars down and it's yours for monthly payments.
The strategy increased appliance sales five times higher than appliance stores and resulted in increased electric use for the utility company.
During World War I, William L. Goodwin conceived of the California Electric Co-operation campaign to coordinate appliance sales between major segments of the electric industry. The campaign spread across California, Australia and then to the rest of the U.S. via the industry's trade journals. The model was first devised in Fresno California using Hoover vacuum cleaners but was used for other appliances as well.  The plan started with local newspaper advertisements developed by the manufacturer for use by the electric company.  The manufacturer would then also work with the local wholesaler of the product to make sure supplies were in place when the campaign began.  Trained door to door salesmen driving company cars with logos of the product used the electric company 's database so the peddlers knew the names of the customers when they knocked on their door. The last part of the deal was to sell the appliance on credit.  Five dollars down and it's yours for monthly payments. The strategy increased appliance sales five times higher than appliance stores and resulted in increased electric use for the utility company.
National Electric Light Association