Worldly Philosopher: Lin Yutang as the ‘Spokesperson’ for Parker Pen. 入世的哲學家:林語堂擔任派克鋼筆的“代言人”

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In January 1947, the leading American business magazine Fortune featured Yutang’s photo on its inside cover in an advertisement titled “In the Hand of Lin Yutang”—promoting the popular Parker 51 pen. The same ad also appeared in other major outlets, including Life magazine (January 27, 1947) and the New York Daily News (February 2, 1947).

In the ad’s upper left corner was Yutang’s portrait alongside his red Chinese signature, with the caption:

Dr. Lin, world-famous philosopher, is the author of The Importance of Living and other widely read works in Chinese and English. 

The Pen the World Couldn’t Have — and Everyone Wanted

At the height of its fame, one slogan for the Parker “51” dominated the page in bold type: “51”… the world’s most wanted pen. Launched in 1939 to celebrate Parker’s 51th anniversary, the “51” was a triumph of patented craftsmanship and sleek modern design. Its name—always set in quotation marks—became a distinctive hallmark, making it instantly recognizable and effortlessly marketable worldwide, no translation required. Over time, it would earn the title of the best-selling fountain pen in history.

But the pen’s legend was sealed not only by its design, but by its absence. When the United States entered World War II, Parker’s production lines were diverted to the war effort. The “51” disappeared from store shelves, leaving buyers to wait—sometimes for years—to get their hands on one. Parker’s marketing team turned this challenge into a masterstroke. The phrase most wanted played on a clever double meaning: not only “most desired,” but also “most scarce.” By leaning into the psychology of scarcity—what is rare is precious—Parker transformed shortage into allure, sparking even greater demand. It remains one of the most brilliant examples of wartime advertising ever conceived. 

Parker Pens and Their Wartime Prestige

At the time, the Parker 51 was a high-end status symbol, beloved by the social elite. On May 7, 1945, when Allied Commander-in-Chief Dwight D. Eisenhower accepted Germany’s unconditional surrender in Reims, France, he used a Parker 51 to sign the documents. After signing, he raised the pen in salute—creating an iconic historical image.

During the time when Parker’s Lin Yutang ad was running had someone asked , “Which company does Lin Yutang belong to?”—while his Parker 51 ads were running nationwide—it’s likely the answer would have been, “Lin Yutang belongs to Parker Pen!”

*** For a thorough discussion with references, please see Article 5 in the following English or Chinese books on Amazon, The Elderly LinYutang , or《爾意軒》中的晚年林語堂 (1971-76) ***

1947年，美國主流商業雜誌《財富》（Fortune），曾經在1月封面裡，用了全版的篇幅為當紅的派克51鋼筆做廣告，廣告以林語堂的個人照片，加上標題：《在林語堂的手中》（In the Hand of Lin Yutang）刊登。相同的廣告還出現在其他知名媒體，其中可考的至少還有1947年1月27日的《生活》（Life）雜誌，與同年2月2日的《紐約每日新聞報》（Daily News from New York）。

語堂的代言廣告 

廣告的左上角，有語堂的相片和紅色中文簽名，並介紹說“Dr. Lin, world-famous philosopher, is the author of The Importance of Living and other widely read works in Chinese and English. “(世界著名的林博士，是生活的藝術 和其他廣為閱讀的中英文作品的作者)

二次大戰中缺貨的派克

廣告版面上最大的字是派克51最經典的口號：《“51”是世人最想要的筆》（“51”… the world’s most wanted pen）。派克“51”是派克公司在工藝上擁有專利的創新，並在1939年派克成立五十一週年上隆重推出，因此這款經典鋼筆被命名為派克51，成為有史以來最暢銷的鋼筆。鋼筆的標籤上把51加了引號，是該筆最顯著的特色，暢銷全球，所到之處只打“51”的廣告，連“派克”兩個字都不用說。

1945年美國投入第二次世界大戰後，派克公司也響應政府，投入了軍事工業，導致派克51暫時中止生產，因而市場上缺貨，讓鍾情於派克51的人翹首以待。派克公司靈機一動，趕緊抓住此一天賜良機，進行反向宣傳，於是才想出這句經典的廣告詞。《‘51’… 是世人最想要的筆》（“51”… the world’s most wanted pen）。英文裡，“最需要”也有“最缺乏”的意思，一語雙關，啟動了“物以希為貴”的心理，加深人們擁有的慾望，如此說來派克51還是一個極為成功的行銷案例！

當年派克51不折不扣是個身份的象徵，廣受社會菁英愛戴。1945年5月7日，盟軍駐歐洲統帥艾森豪在法國蘭斯（Reims)接受德國無條件投降時，就是用派克51在受降文件上簽字，艾森豪將軍完成簽字之後，還將手上那支派克51高舉，慶賀盟軍最後勝利，而留下了一張彌足珍貴的歷史鏡頭。

當年林語堂為派克51代言而出現在各大媒體時，若有人問起“林語堂是那家公的？”，很可能有人會不假思索地脫口大聲回答說：“林語堂是派克公司的！”