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 THE ESSENTIALS 
 OF ADVERTISING
 
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 THE ESSENTIALS 
 
 OF 
 
 ADVEKTISING 
 
 BY 
 FRANK LEROY BLANCHARD 
 
 DIRECTOR, COURSE IN ADVERTISING, 23RD 8T. Y.M.C.A., NEW YORK, 
 FORMERLY MANAGINQ EDITOR OF PRINTERS' INK AND 
 
 EDITOR OF THE EDITOR AND PUBLISHER 
 
 FIRST EDITION 
 THIRD IMPRESSION 
 
 McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY, INC. 
 
 NEW YORK: 370 SEVENTH AVENUE 
 
 LONDON: 6 & 8 BOUVERIE ST., E. C. 4 
 
 1921
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY THE 
 McGKAW-HiLL BOOK COMPANY, INC. 
 
 THK MAPI.K FRKSS T O R K PA
 
 PREFACE 
 
 Advertising is such a big subject and the amount of material 
 concerning it is so abundant that it is impossible within the limits 
 of a single volume to present more than a small part of what 
 might be written about it. In the preparation of a text-book all 
 the author can do is to confine his attention to a few of its many 
 phases with the hope that the student, after he has mastered 
 the principles set forth, will desire to continue his search for 
 advertising knowledge elsewhere. 
 
 In the present book it has been the purpose of the writer to 
 outline and discuss, as briefly and as clearly as possible, the funda- 
 mental principles upon which modern advertising practice is 
 based, the preparation of copy, the special advantages of the 
 several mediums employed, the duties of the more important 
 positions, and such other information as will give the student a 
 comprehensive view of the subject. 
 
 In taking up the study of advertising it is important that the 
 beginner should get started right and the aim of this volume is 
 to help him get such a start. When he has assimilated its con- 
 tents he can then proceed through actual experience in the field 
 and further study to build upon the foundation he has thus laid 
 until he becomes a skilled practitioner of the art of advertising. 
 
 A discussion of the more advanced problems of advertising is 
 purposely omitted as such problems have no place in a work of 
 this kind. Some of the important topics taken up are only 
 briefly touched upon for lack of space. Students who desire 
 further information can find it in the books listed in the last 
 chapter. 
 
 The author has been guided in the selection of material by his 
 experience as an instructor in advertising and has endeavored to 
 arrange the topics in such a manner that the reader is led from 
 one subject to another in logical order, so that when he has com- 
 pleted the course he will have acquired a definite amount of 
 correlated information that will be of great service to him in his 
 future work. 
 
 2223857
 
 vi PREFACE 
 
 Teachers of advertising will find the list of questions at the 
 end of each chapter helpful in testing the student's knowledge of 
 --the subjects discussed. It is a good plan to encourage the study 
 of current advertisements appearing in the magazines and local 
 newspapers and show how they illustrate the principles set forth 
 in these pages. After the fourth lesson the students should take 
 up the writing of advertisements, beginning with a help wanted 
 ad, one being assigned each week as part of the home work, the 
 instructor at first furnishing the material upon which they are to 
 be based. 
 
 The author desires to express his indebtedness for valuable 
 assistance rendered him by Frank Presbrey, of the Frank Pres- 
 brey Company, Inc.; O. H. Blackman, president of the Blackman 
 Company; Lewellyn Pratt, former vice president of the Associated 
 Advertising Clubs of the World; Harold J. Mahin, of the O. J. 
 Gude Co.; Louis Wiley, business manager of the New York 
 Times; Roy W. Johnson, of Collin Armstrong, Inc.; Joseph H. 
 Appel, advertising manager of John Wanamaker; George H. 
 Larke, advertising manager of the New York World; A. W. Erick- 
 son, president of the Erickson Company; Harry Levey, of the 
 Harry Levey Service Corporation; C. H. Plummer, of the New 
 York City Car Advertising Co.; W. Livingston Larned, vice- 
 president of the Ethridge Association of Artists; W. B. Ruthrauff, 
 of Ruthrauff & Ryan; Jesse H. Neal, executive secretary of 
 Associated Business Papers, Inc. ; Ralph Starr Butler, advertising 
 manager of the United States Rubber Company; Benjamin 
 Sherbow, George P. Metzger, of Hanff & Metzger; H. J. Kenner, 
 executive secretary of the National Vigilance Committee of the 
 A. A. C. W.; Robert E. Ramsay, advertising manager of the 
 American Writing Paper Company, E. H. Schulze, of the Making it 
 Pay Corporation and Harry Varley of the George Batten Company. 
 
 Credit is also due to Printers' Ink for helpful material. 
 
 F. L. B.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PREFACE v 
 
 CHAPTER PAQH 
 
 I. ADVERTISING WHAT IT Is AND WHAT IT DOES 1 
 
 II. WHAT You OUGHT TO KNOW BEFORE You WRITE AN ADVER- 
 TISEMENT 8 
 
 III. How TO LAY Our AN ADVERTISEMENT 13 
 
 IV. ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 22 
 
 V. ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 36 
 
 VI. PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 55 
 
 VII. ADVANTAGES OF COLOR IN ADVERTISING 77 
 
 VIII. PLANNING A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 90 
 
 IX. PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 100 
 
 X. RETAIL ADVERTISING 116 
 
 XI. WHY ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPERS 132 
 
 XII. MAGAZINES AS ADVERTISING MEDIUMS 144 
 
 XIII. THE ADVERTISING VALUE OF TRADE AND CLASS PAPERS . . 156 
 
 XIV. ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING 165 
 
 XV. THE APPEAL OF STREET CAR ADVERTISING 178 
 
 XVI. DIRECT AND MAIL ORDER ADVERTISING 187 
 
 XVII. BUSINESS-GETTING LETTERS 195 
 
 XVIII. SUGGESTIONS ON CATALOGUE MAKING 208 
 
 XIX. THE MISSION OF THE BOOKLET 218 
 
 XX. USEFULNESS OF HOUSE ORGANS 225 
 
 XXI. ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES 233 
 
 XXII. MOTION PICTURE ADVERTISING 241 
 
 XXIII. DUTIES OF THE ADVERTISING MANAGER 249 
 
 XXIV. WHAT THE ADVERTISING AGENT DOES FOR THE NATIONAL 
 
 ADVERTISER 259 
 
 XXV. THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 272 
 
 XXVI. How TRADE-MARKS HELP THE ADVERTISER 286 
 
 XXVII. THE ECONOMICS OF ADVERTISING 298 
 
 XXVIII. ON CORRECTING PROOFS 305 
 
 XXIX. BOOKS ON ADVERTISING AND SALESMANSHIP 313 
 
 INDEX. . 317 
 
 Vll
 
 THE 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 ADVERTISING WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES 
 
 Anything employed to influence people favorably is advertising. 
 It may be the spoken word, as, for instance, the argument a clerk 
 uses in selling a customer a pair of shoes; or the campaign speech 
 delivered by a politician in behalf of a candidate for office. 
 
 It may be something done, as, for example, the driving of an 
 automobile at record-breaking speed across the continent to 
 demonstrate its dependability and gasoline efficiency; or the 
 making of cigarettes or cigars in a show window to attract 
 attention to the methods of manufacture or the quality of the 
 tobacco employed. 
 
 It may be the written or printed word, as a sales letter, a catalog, 
 or the newspaper display announcement of a merchant who 
 seeks to draw customers to his store. 
 
 This definition is a broad one and may include things that are 
 not always purposely used for advertising ends, but it is only a 
 broad definition that will cover all the mediums through which 
 advertising finds expression. 
 
 Advertising as a means for marketing merchandise is not a 
 modern art as it has been used for that purpose since the early 
 days of civilization. In the British Museum may be seen a 
 sheet of papyrus found in the ruins of Ancient Thebes, in Egypt, 
 upon which appears the oldest advertisement yet discovered, 
 offering a reward for a runaway slave. It was written 3,000 years 
 before the Christian Era began. In the time of the Caesars 
 the merchants of Rome, then mistress of the world, called 
 
 1
 
 2 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 attention to their wares through inscriptions upon the walls of 
 buildings, or by means of placards written by slaves and displayed 
 upon bulletin boards erected for the purpose throughout the city. 
 The gladiatorial contests, chariot races and sports of the arena 
 were advertised in this way. How suggestive of a modern poster 
 is the statement made in a gladiatorial announcement which says : 
 
 "The gladiatorial troup of A. Suetius Certus, the Aedile, will fight at 
 Pompeii, on May 31. There will be a hunt and awnings." 
 
 Wild beast hunts were frequently given as an additional attrac- 
 tion to the regular games, while the awnings which covered the 
 amphitheatre, usually open to the sun, were in great favor with 
 the public. For rent signs were in common use. Here is one: 
 
 "For rent from July 1st, next, in the Arrio-Pollian block, belonging 
 to Cn. Alleius Nigidus Maius, shops with rooms above, second story 
 apartments fit for a king, and a house. Apply to Primus, slave of 
 Maius." 
 
 It was not, however, until the printing press and movable type 
 were invented in the Fifteenth Century that advertising, as we 
 know it to-day, became possible. The earliest type-printed 
 medium employed for advertising purposes was the newspaper. 
 Just when the first one made its appearance has not been def- 
 initely determined, but for a long time the Frankfurter Journal 
 which Serlin launched in 1615, was supposed to be the earliest. 
 
 But in 1876, Dr. Julius Otto Opel found in the library of 
 Heidelberg University, Germany, copies of a newspaper edited 
 by Johann Carolus and published in Strasburg in 1609. The first 
 newspaper printed in English was the Weekly Newes, established 
 in London in 1622 by Nathaniel Butter. During the same year 
 the first newspaper advertisement, which, by the way, exploited 
 a new book, made its appearance in its columns. 
 
 The first newspaper advertisement in the United States 
 appeared in the initial number of the Boston News Letter, which 
 was launched April 26, 1704, and was the earliest newspaper to 
 be regularly issued in the Colonies. It was written by John 
 Campbell, the editor, who was then postmaster of Boston, and 
 called attention of the public to the News Letter as an advertising 
 medium.
 
 ADVERTISING WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES 3 
 
 For many years the newspapers printed few advertisements, 
 their publishers depending entirely upon subscriptions for their 
 income. To-day's newspapers are crowded with them, forty-five 
 dailies printing over 1,000,000 lines of advertising annually. 
 
 The literary magazines, like Harper's, did not admit advertise- 
 ments to their pages until after the close of the Civil War. The 
 publishers considered it beneath their dignity, and it was only 
 when the cost of getting out these periodicals was forced, through 
 competition, to such a high figure that little profit could be 
 realized from subscriptions, that they finally yielded to the pres- 
 sure brought to bear upon them by advertisers. To-day the 
 magazines derive their principal revenues from advertising. 
 
 Other mediums of national circulation include trade, technical, 
 class and professional periodicals and house organs. In direct 
 or mail order advertising the mediums employed are letters, 
 booklets, catalogs, circulars, calendars, folders and display cards. 
 Indoor advertising makes use of moving pictures, car cards, 
 theatrical programs, window and counter displays, hangers, 
 strips, cutouts, mechanical devices and demonstrations. Out- 
 door advertising finds expression in electric displays, posters, 
 painted bulletins and metal signs. 
 
 Another class of mediums that is regarded with favor by 
 manufacturers having a national distribution, and by many retail 
 merchants, is advertising specialties or novelties. Some of the 
 more popular articles listed under this head are watch fobs, 
 pocket knives, letter openers, desk rulers, paper weights, ink 
 stands, diaries, thermometers, cigar lighters, pocket match 
 boxes, pencils, pocket memorandum pads, pocket books, watch 
 charms and paper cutters. 
 
 While the above lists do not include all of the media employed 
 by advertisers they embrace a majority of those that have been 
 found most serviceable in selling merchandise. 
 
 Although advertising has now become a powerful merchandise 
 distributing force, its value was not fully appreciated until within 
 a comparatively recent period. Even to-day merchants may be 
 found who are blind to the service it can render them in market- 
 ing their goods. For generations advertising was like a sleeping 
 giant whose strength was not known or appreciated until the
 
 4 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 click of type and the roar of the printing press aroused it to action. 
 At first its development was slow. Merchants were afraid to 
 break away from the ancient method of barter and sale. 
 
 Moreover, advertising was regarded as an experiment. Its 
 worth had not been definitely established, although there were 
 some business men who had faith in it and who would spend 
 their money on it. But in spite of prejudice, indifference and 
 opposition, advertising increased in popularity and effectiveness 
 until it is now regarded as an indispensable force in the creation 
 and development of business. 
 
 What has advertising done? It has made the world a better 
 place to live in by constantly suggesting public improvements 
 and urging the adoption of hygienic methods in the homes 
 of the people. It has created great industries, constructed 
 railroads, built towns and cities and opened up to settlement vast 
 areas of agricultural land. It has lightened the burdens of man- 
 kind by introducing labor-saving devices; it has reduced the 
 dangers of traveling by rail by bringing into use signal systems 
 that prevent collisions between trains and permit their operation 
 at high speed. It has taught people how to be healthy through 
 the consumption of pure foods and the wearing of the proper 
 kind of clothing. It has brought riches to the poor, given 
 budding genius a hearing, and shown the public how to enjoy 
 itself. 
 
 It has marketed billions of dollars' worth of government bonds 
 to finance great wars, and has called to the colors millions of 
 America's sons to fight for home and country. It has warned the 
 nation of threatening dangers and aroused its citizens to action. 
 It has stabilized business, found markets for home-made products 
 in foreign lands and stimulated domestic trade. It has opened 
 up a whole world of opportunity to ambitious young men in 
 search of name and fortune. 
 
 These are only a few of the ways in which advertising has 
 aided mankind, but they are sufficient to indicate the wide 
 variety and the great importance of the services it renders. 
 
 Let us now be more specific and from the records of actual 
 achievements cite instances that show what may be accomplished 
 by advertising. When the Oneida Community, manufacturers
 
 ADVERTISING WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES 5 
 
 of silverware, began to advertise in a modest way in 1904, its 
 annual sales were $500,000. Twelve years later the annual sales 
 amounted to $4,000,000, a result brought about through 
 advertising. 
 
 The Postal Life Insurance Company, organized under the laws 
 of the State of New York, has depended upon advertising for 
 its business from the day it was started. In 1905 the Company 
 issued 205 policies, aggregating $347,000 of insurance, and spent 
 $862.58 for advertising. Three years later 1,126 policies were 
 issued, which was an increase of almost 500 per cent, and repre- 
 sented $1,976,522 of insurance, at an advertising cost of $5,900. 
 In 1914 insurance to the amount of $2,577,720 was written on 
 1,560 policies, the advertising investment being $39,616.13. 
 The number of policy holders in 1918 was 25,000 and the 
 appropriation for advertising about $40,000, or $1.60 for each 
 policy-holder. 
 
 As the company is limited by the laws of the State of New York 
 in its advertising expenditures, as a part of the operating costs, 
 to a certain percentage of the total annual premiums received, it 
 follows that even though a far greater amount of business might 
 be developed through a larger advertising investment, it is pro- 
 hibited from pursuing such a course. Between twelve and fifteen 
 per cent, of those who answer Postal Life ads become policy- 
 holders a notable record. A single advertisement in Leslie's 
 Weekly, costing $210.60 gross, brought 185 replies and $33,000 
 worth of business. 
 
 At an annual meeting of the stockholders of the English cor- 
 poration of A. F. Pears, manufacturer of Pears' Soap, it was 
 announced that since the Company was founded it had invested 
 $15,000,000 in advertising. According to the chairman this 
 expenditure has made the name of Pears a household word in all 
 the world. The business was started on a capital of $35,000. 
 
 The Ford Motor Company, of Detroit, Michigan, on one 
 occasion sold 338,771 automobiles through the use of 360 lines 
 of advertising in 142 newspapers, published in 51 large cities, at 
 a cost of less than $6,000. 
 
 The American Druggists' Syndicate, which has 12,000 mem- 
 bers, by spending $500,000 in advertising its preparations in
 
 6 
 
 the cities in which its members are located, did a business of 
 $3,000,000, at a net profit of $192,000. 
 
 The best-known phonograph in the United States and the 
 one having the largest sale is the Victor Talking Machine. Since 
 its incorporation in 1901 it has been a constant and liberal 
 advertiser. During the five years ending in 1918 its annual 
 publicity investment did not fall below $1,500,000. One year 
 it exceeded $3,000,000. 
 
 These are only a few of the many instances that might be cited 
 to show what has been accomplished through advertising. For 
 every concern that has developed sales of a million or more dollars 
 a year there are thousands that do a business of from one hundred 
 thousand to five hundred thousand dollars. The stories that 
 might be told concerning the career of; some of these firms would 
 read more like pages from a romance than from matter-of-fact 
 business records. 
 
 To business men who are familiar with modern selling methods 
 the refusal of Congress during the great war to appropriate 
 money to advertise the billions of dollars worth of Liberty Bonds 
 it had to sell was, and still is, inexplicable. While it was willing 
 to give manufacturers almost any price they might ask for muni- 
 tions and other war supplies, it would not pay a cent to newspaper 
 and magazine publishers for advertising. If the business men of 
 the country had not voluntarily and patriotically come to the 
 government's aid by planning, and paying for out of their own 
 pockets the greatest advertising campaigns ever known to popul- 
 arize the loans, it is doubtful whether any one of the bond issues 
 would have been a success. No better illustration of the tre- 
 mendous influence of advertising upon the masses can be found 
 in the annals of business. In a little over a year, $20,000,000,000 
 worth of these bonds were sold. 
 
 What is the secret of the marvelous influence of advertising? 
 Is it something that only the elect can understand? As a matter 
 of fact there is nothing mysterious about it. The principles 
 governing it are simple and easily comprehended by anyone who 
 has had a common school education. Advertising is the medium 
 through which one mind seeks to influence another. It is an 
 intensive form of salesmanship. It seeks by the use of display
 
 ADVERTISING WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT DOES 7 
 
 type and pictures to impress upon people's minds a message 
 usually concerning merchandise that may be of benefit to 
 those to whom it is addressed. 
 
 Sometimes the advertisement contains no sales argument, its 
 purpose being wholly educational. Perhaps it tells of the char- 
 acter and standing of the firm or company manufacturing a prod- 
 uct, or presents interesting data concerning the plant, the sources 
 of the raw material it employs, or enumerates the special advan- 
 tages of its location and transportation facilities. Or it may 
 be devoted to the maintenance of good will during periods of 
 business depression, or when, through extraordinary circum- 
 stances, deliveries of products cannot be made to regular 
 customers. 
 
 The mission of advertising is to persuade men and women to 
 act in a way that will be of advantage to the advertiser. The 
 more convincingly the message is set forth, whatever medium is 
 employed, the greater will be its effect upon those who read it. 
 To be successful in advertising a person must understand the 
 human mind how it responds to the different kinds of appeal. 
 As all people do not think or act alike, some reacting to one kind 
 of stimuli and others to those of an entirely different character, 
 the advertiser must have at his command a varied assortment 
 of appeals which he can adapt to the particular audience he 
 wishes to address. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. Define advertising. 
 
 2. What are its three forms of expression? 
 
 3. What was the first advertisement of which we have knowledge and 
 when did it appear ? 
 
 4. Give the name and date of the first newspaper printed in English. 
 6. What are the principal mediums employed in modern advertising? 
 
 6. Enumerate some of the services advertising has rendered mankind. 
 
 7. Give an example of the successful use of advertising in building up 
 business. 
 
 8. How did the merchants advertise in the days of the Caesars? 
 
 9. When was the first newspaper advertisement in America printed? 
 10. What is the mission of advertising?
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" is 
 an old proverb that applies with special force to the preparation 
 of advertising matter. You cannot write intelligently and with 
 an authority that will carry conviction to the reader until you 
 know, in an intimate manner, the article you are to describe. 
 The mere f acility of grouping words together in such a way that 
 they read well and sound pleasing will prove of little value in 
 selling goods through the printed word. If to the facility of ex- 
 pression, however, there is added the ability to study and analyze 
 manufactured products, the advertisement writer is in a position 
 to do effective work. 
 
 To write an advertisement that will influence people to buy 
 what you have to sell is not as easy as it looks to those who have 
 had no experience in the preparation of copy. Arthur Brisbane, 
 of the Hearst newspapers, the highest paid editorial writer in the 
 world, once said that advertisement writing was the hardest 
 work he had ever attempted. Several years ago, Thomas A. 
 Edison agreed to pay him $1,000 apiece for five single page ads. 
 The great editor was willing to do the work and actually began 
 to write one of the advertisements but after making several vain 
 attempts to turn out something satisfactory he quit the job with- 
 out having completed a single advertisement. He afterward 
 said that whenever he thought of again undertaking the task the 
 cold shivers chased up and down his back. Perhaps the real 
 reason why he failed was because he did not take the time to 
 acquire the information he should have had before he began to 
 write. 
 
 All advertising may be broadly classified under two heads 
 general and local. General advertising is the term applied to 
 
 8
 
 WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW 9 
 
 printed matter employed to create a demand for a product that is 
 nationally distributed. Local advertising, as the term implies, is 
 the advertising used by the merchants of a city or town to bring 
 people to their stores to buy the goods they have to sell. 
 
 Before attempting to write an advertisement the object of 
 which is to sell an article nationally you should have at your 
 command a store of information not only about the article you 
 are to exploit, but about the market and the methods employed 
 in securing its distribution. A physician cannot intelligently 
 prescribe for a patient until he has first made a thorough diagnosis 
 of his physical and mental condition, and has inquired about his 
 habits and his personal history. No lawyer of standing would 
 consent to represent a client in one of the higher courts before he 
 had acquainted himself with all the facts relating to the case and 
 had looked up the judicial rulings and decisions in similar causes 
 of action. 
 
 The advertisement writer likewise should not put pencil to 
 paper until he has collected and digested every scrap of informa- 
 tion concerning the article he is to write about that will be of 
 assistance to him in his work. Neglect to do this is almost 
 certain to result in the production of copy that is inefficient if 
 not valueless. Many a campaign has failed because the adver- 
 tising dealt with generalities rather than with facts. 
 
 The Product. What should you know about the product? 
 Having satisfied yourself that it is an article of merit and that a 
 profitable demand can be created for it through advertising, 
 information should be sought along the lines suggested by the 
 following questions: How does it compare with the products of 
 other manufacturers in quality, price, and appearance? If it 
 is not of equal or superior merit, if it is not as attractive in 
 looks, or if it cannot be sold at a lower price, it is usually con- 
 sidered a waste of money to advertise it nationally in competition 
 with goods that are already established in public favor through 
 this form of salesmanship. A large investment in advertising 
 may develop a temporary demand, but after it has been 
 tried out through use, and people have had a chance to compare 
 it with other brands that have given satisfaction they will stop 
 buying it, although it is sometimes sold at a lower price.
 
 10 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Is it an article of general consumption or does it appeal only 
 to a limited class? What are its special advantages or selling 
 points that will make people want to buy it? How is it manu- 
 factured and of what materials? Can it be produced in sufficient 
 quantities to fill orders that may result from the advertising? 
 If sold in containers is it attractively packed? 
 
 The Market. Having made a careful and thorough study of 
 the article itself the next thing to do is to critically analyze the 
 market in which it is to be sold. Preliminary to the preparation 
 of copy for advertising campaigns involving a heavy investment 
 it is customary for the advertising agency handling the accounts 
 to send out several skilled investigators to interview jobbers, 
 retailers and consumers as to their attitude toward the product, 
 if it is already on sale, and to get a line upon the extent of the 
 demand that may be developed through aggressive publicity. 
 
 If it is a new article the aim of the investigators is to ascertain 
 whether such a product is likely to appeal to the trade. If 
 it possesses real merit, and can be sold at a price that will yield a 
 fair profit to those who handle it, the chances are that when it is 
 actually placed on the market a satisfactory volume of sales 
 can be developed. These investigations are worth all they cost 
 because they furnish the manufacturer information that may 
 save him a large amount of money in planning his selling cam- 
 paigns. In the hands of the copy-writer the data is made the 
 basis of some of the strongest kind of advertising appeals. 
 Knowing the market hi this intimate way he can take advantage 
 of the suggestions that come to him fresh from the field and obtain 
 results that would otherwise be impossible. 
 
 But whether or not the copy- writer has the aid of field investi- 
 gators he should know these things about the market: Can a 
 permanent demand be created for the article or is it a novelty that 
 will last for a few months only? Does it have a general or a 
 sectional appeal? What classes of people will buy it, and how, in 
 view of their character, education and habits, can they best be 
 approached? What kind of copy should be employed? Should 
 its immediate object be educational, to establish good will, or 
 to sell merchandise? What mediums are best adapted to the 
 purposes of the campaign?
 
 WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW 11 
 
 Distribution. The advertisement writer should have a clear 
 conception of the methods of distribution used by the manu- 
 facturer whose product he is to exploit. This may be obtained 
 by making inquiries along the lines suggested by these questions : 
 How is the article sold through jobbers and retailers, or direct 
 to the consumers? Is the distribution nation-wide or is it 
 confined to certain well-defined sections of the country? What 
 kinds of stores handle the article? Have demonstrators been 
 employed in department or other retail establishments, and if 
 so, with what success? Are samples distributed by sample crews, 
 are they given out by merchants, or are they sent from head- 
 quarters upon requests received in response to advertising? 
 Does the firm have the cooperation of the trade? What assist- 
 ance does the manufacturer give the retailer in the local field in 
 moving the product from his shelves? Are window trims, cut- 
 outs, hangers, newspaper advertisements or cuts supplied? 
 
 While the copy-writer when he starts in to prepare an adver- 
 tisement does not always have in his possession all the informa- 
 tion indicated by the preceding questions, the more facts he has 
 at hand the better able he will be to construct advertisements 
 that will bring big results. 
 
 In preparing retail advertising copy, less preliminary investiga- 
 tion is required than for national copy. The merchant, or his 
 advertising manager who does the work, must know the im- 
 portant facts about the different lines of goods carried in stock 
 and must understand the public from which his patronage is 
 drawn. Many retailers fail to score the success they might 
 because they do not study sufficiently the people with whom they 
 seek to do business. If they knew them as well as they should 
 they would make fewer mistakes in buying goods and would 
 know better how to influence them through their advertising. 
 
 The following questions suggest the kind of information that 
 will be helpful in the preparation of advertising copy for the 
 local field : What are the attractive features of the store and the 
 advantages of its location? What class of goods is carried cheap, 
 medium priced or the highest grade? The answer to this ques- 
 tion is highly important as upon it depends in a large measure 
 the character of the advertising copy. Are the sales mostly
 
 12 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 for cash or do charge accounts predominate? What is the 
 character of the store service? Have the clerks a reputation for 
 courtesy and attentiveness to customers? Does the store have a 
 satisfactory delivery system? Is the "return goods" privilege 
 granted to customers? Does it handle nationally advertised 
 goods and to what extent? Does it hold special sales? Does it 
 make a bid for suburban or rural trade? What is the reputation 
 of the store or its owner for fair dealing, for enterprise and for 
 public spirit? What has been the nature and extent of the 
 advertising that has been done in the past? What has been the 
 amount of the advertising expenditure for the last two years? 
 Has the firm a fixed advertising policy? 
 
 You will no doubt conclude after reading the foregoing ques- 
 tions that advertisement writing is not quite as easy and simple 
 a task as you had supposed. A lazy man will never be a pro- 
 ducer of successful copy. The man who will make his mark in 
 this field is he who is never satisfied with a superficial knowledge 
 of the subject he is to write about, and who can put into simple 
 but forceful language arguments or statements that will interest 
 the public and produce a renumerative volume of sales. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What are the three things that are of special value to a copy-writer? 
 
 2. Under what two heads may all advertising be classified? Define each. 
 
 3. What should the copy-writer know about the product before he 
 begins to write an advertisement? 
 
 4. About the market? 
 
 5. About distribution? 
 
 6. Enumerate the kinds of information that will help in the preparation 
 of retail advertising.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 HOW TO LAY OUT AN ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 Just as an architect draws the plan of a building before the 
 actual work of construction is begun, so the writer should make 
 a diagram, or, as it is technically called, a layout, of the advertise- 
 ment he is to prepare. The direct purposes of the layout are, 
 first, to visualize the writer's ideas, that is, to show roughly how 
 the advertisement will look when put into type; and, second, 
 to give the printer the necessary instructions for its typographical 
 reproduction. From an economical standpoint the layout saves 
 both time and money. If the O.K. of the advertiser must be 
 obtained before the copy is sent to the publishers the writer can, 
 by submitting a layout upon which the illustration is roughly 
 sketched, and the general appearance of the advertisement is 
 indicated, give him a clear idea as to how it is going to look. If 
 the client turns it down, then only the brief time spent in sketch- 
 ing the layout is lost, because no work has been done on it by the 
 printer, or the engraver. 
 
 In the layout is presented a diagram indicating the exact 
 size of the ad, the headline and other important display lines; 
 the position and size of the illustrations; the location of the text 
 matter and, usually, the name of the advertiser; the size and 
 kind of type in which the advertisement is to be set, the character 
 of the border with which it is to be enclosed, and the arrangement 
 of the white space. 
 
 The text matter is not written on the layout but on a separate 
 sheet of paper known as the "copy" sheet. Where the several 
 paragraphs are to be placed in the advertisement is indicated by 
 letters or figures which correspond to similar letters or figures 
 marked on the layout. 
 
 The Size. In preparing the layout the first thing to do is to 
 decide upon the size of the advertisement. This depends upon 
 
 13
 
 14 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 a number of things the nature of the article or business to be 
 exploited, the territory to be covered, the mediums to be em- 
 ployed, the class of people to be influenced, the character of the 
 appeal and the amount of money available for the campaign. 
 
 It is quite evident that more space is needed to adequately 
 advertise an automobile, a house or a dry-goods store than would 
 be required to advertise a lead pencil, a can opener, or men's 
 collars. Some things from their very nature call for the use of 
 full pages in the magazines or quarter pages in the newspapers. 
 There is, however, no hard and fast rule to follow. For instance, 
 Wrigley's Chewing Gum, which sells for one cent a stick, has been 
 advertised in full pages in expensive magazines and newspapers. 
 It seems like throwing money away to pay $6,000 for a page ad 
 in a single medium to exploit an article that retails for such a 
 small amount as a penny. And yet figures published by the 
 Wrigley Company show that such advertising has been a profit- 
 able investment. Although the profit made on a single stick 
 of gum is small, when hundreds of millions of pieces are marketed 
 it mounts rapidly to high figures. It is a singular thing that in 
 advertising diamonds, the most popular and one of the costliest 
 of the precious stones, small space is usually employed. 
 
 Retail stores are accustomed to make yearly contracts with 
 newspapers for a definite amount of space. Sometimes the 
 advertiser agrees to use a certain number of lines every day or 
 week, while in other cases he is allowed to vary the size of the 
 advertisement according to the season or the needs of his business. 
 The general advertiser knows the exact dimensions of every 
 advertisement he is going to use in a large number of mediums 
 in a campaign covering, perhaps, an entire year, and how much 
 it is going to cost. There is no guess work about it for he has 
 been furnished the exact figures by his agent. A small manu- 
 facturer with limited capital should not indulge, except on rare 
 occasions, in big advertisements. An eighth or quarter page 
 in a standard size magazine, or a four or five inch single column 
 ad in a daily newspaper is about all he can afford at the start. 
 
 The more intellectual the community he seeks to influence, the 
 less the need of elaborate descriptions of articles offered for sale. 
 Busy people, those who have only a limited amount of time to
 
 HOW TO LAY OUT AN ADVERTISEMENT 15 
 
 devote to newspapers and periodicals, are more apt to read an 
 advertisement in which the facts are briefly stated than one that 
 is loaded down with long sentences and minute details. On the 
 other hand, farmers and others who, during some seasons of the 
 year have an abundance of leisure, will carefully peruse all the 
 fine type that can be crowded into a given space. The character 
 of the audience to be addressed, therefore, is an important factor 
 in determining the dimensions of the advertisement. 
 
 When you have finally settled upon the size and have assembled 
 all the facts you need in the construction of the ad, you are ready 
 to make the layout. In preparing small advertisements the 
 commercial letter size of paper will be found most convenient. 
 The grade used is a matter of individual taste although most 
 writers prefer paper of fair quality so that in case ink is employed 
 it will not run and spoil the appearance of the layout. Place 
 your name or the name of the firm in the upper left hand corner. 
 This is for the purpose of aiding the printer in identifying the 
 advertisement. In a printing office where many pieces of copy are 
 being set every day some such method must be used to prevent 
 the making of mistakes by the compositors when the sheets are 
 mislaid or separated. 
 
 The space with which the advertisement writer has to deal is 
 usually rectangular in shape because it lends itself more readily 
 to the purposes of display. The favorite form is the oblong 
 known as the "golden proportion," 3 to 5. 
 
 It is the advertising man's job to arrange the type, the illus- 
 trations and the white space in such a manner that the several 
 parts of the advertisement shall be well balanced and har- 
 monize with each other. There are three principal factors in 
 balance measure, tone and color. In a layout there can be no 
 consideration of measure balance without also a consideration 
 of tone balance, because type from its very nature renders pure 
 blacks and whites impossible, the space between the letters and 
 lines inevitably introducing the element of gray. You should 
 so employ your mass colors that they will give the advertise- 
 ment a harmonious appearance. Every line of type, every cut, 
 every ornament should be scrutinized carefully, with regard to 
 the part it plays in the design.
 
 16 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 The fundamental principles of the layout are the principles of 
 contrast, but contrast in more than one direction. There is, 
 for instance, the contrast of the several parts of an advertisement 
 with each other, and the contrast of the whole with other advertise- 
 ments on the same page or the opposite page. When the parts 
 of an advertisement harmonize with each other, when black ink 
 is used, you need not worry much about how it is going to contrast 
 with the surrounding advertisements in representative mediums. 
 It is only when color is introduced that you need to be specially 
 concerned. 
 
 Let us now proceed to lay out a single 4-in. column, shoe 
 advertisement. Take a sheet of paper and with a pencil or 
 pen, and a ruler, draw a diagram the exact size of the advertise- 
 ment. A newspaper column is 2^ in. wide; therefore, the 
 ad we are to write will be 2^ in. wide, and 4 in. deep. The 
 four lines you have drawn represent the border. As an illustra- 
 tion showing the size and appearance of the shoe will greatly 
 strengthen the pulling power of the advertisement you must 
 indicate its position and size on the layout. 
 
 If you have a proof of the cut you can paste it in where it 
 belongs. If not, draw a diagram of the block upon which it is 
 mounted and write the word " cut " in the enclosed space. Write 
 in the headline and other principal display lines in approximately 
 the same size letters that you want the printer to use in setting 
 them up in type. After locating the headline and other display 
 lines, and the name plate, there is left a certain amount of space 
 for the text matter which appears on the copy sheet. 
 
 The marking of the size and style of type is done outside the 
 layout diagram. Before you have become familiar with the 
 different kinds of type and borders you can cut specimen letters, 
 or sections of border of the style you desire to have used by the 
 printer, from advertisements found in the newspapers and maga- 
 zines, and paste them opposite the several lines you have written 
 on the layout. If he does not have the particular type you 
 want, the printer will use the one in stock that most closely 
 resembles it. Of course this is only a temporary expedient. 
 
 The number of styles of type used in setting up display adver- 
 tisements is relatively small and it does not take long to learn
 
 HOW TO LAY OUT AN ADVERTISEMENT 17 
 
 their names and distinguishing characteristics. You can secure 
 catalogues from type-founders or you can purchase at the book 
 stores pamphlets or handbooks giving the different type faces. 
 After a little study you will be able to indicate on the layout the 
 exact style and size of the type in which your advertisement is to 
 appear. A special chapter on the use of type will be found 
 elsewhere in this volume. 
 
 The completed layout of the advertisement we have been 
 writing is presented on p. 18. 
 
 On a separate sheet of paper, known as the "copy" sheet, is 
 written the text matter just as it is to appear in the advertisement. 
 It is not necessary to repeat the several display lines indicated 
 on the layout although you may do so for your own satisfaction. 
 The position of the several paragraphs on the layout is indicated 
 by letters marked opposite them on the copy sheet. 
 
 When the layout and copy, prepared as described above, are 
 sent to the printer to be set in type, the latter knows exactly how 
 you want it to look when the job is completed. If it is a rush job 
 two compositors can be employed upon it at the same time one 
 working from the layout and the other from the copy sheet. 
 When, in the case of the shoe ad we have just been writing, the 
 matter has all been set, a proof has been duly struck off, and the 
 typographical errors have been corrected, the advertisement will 
 appear as shown on p. 19. 
 
 Much depends upon the arrangement of the matter in the 
 layout. The position of the illustration or the headlines may 
 determine the effectiveness of the advertisement. Sometimes the 
 judicious use of white space will serve to give it a prominence 
 that it would not otherwise have, and greatly increase its pro- 
 ductiveness. A national mail order house which was running 
 an advertisement in a large list of mediums discovered that the 
 inquiries it received were costing $3 each. As one in every three 
 inquiries resulted in a sale, and the article was sold for $10, every 
 sale represented an advertising cost of $9. Adding to this the 
 cost of manufacture $2.50 every sale represented an expense 
 to the house of $11.50 or a loss of $1.50. It was quite clear to 
 the manufacturer that unless the advertisement could be made 
 to greatly increase the number of inquiries and thus materially
 
 18 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 S-C. 
 
 < y/**^ 
 
 DEALER'S 
 NAME. 
 
 Layout for shoe ad. 
 
 ( Teyi -for the. afore at/ } 
 
 Any young girl would be attracted 
 by the sleek beauty of these 
 Dawn pumps. 
 
 There are beautiful in line and 
 style but above all they are com- 
 fortable and they stay on. The 
 price, for so ouch shoe beaut y / is 
 moderate.
 
 HOW TO LAY OUT AN ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 19 
 
 "DAWN" 
 
 A NY young girl would be 
 ** attracted by the sleek 
 beauty of these Dawn pumps. 
 
 They are beautiful in line and 
 style, but above all they are 
 comfortable and they stay on. 
 
 The price, for so much shoe 
 beauty is moderate. 
 
 (DEALER'S 
 
 NAME) 
 
 Completed shoe ad from layout and text shown on p. 18.
 
 20 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 reduce the selling cost he would soon become a bankrupt. Evi- 
 dently something was wrong with the ad, but what was it? 
 
 An expert whose advice was sought declared that the copy 
 was all right but that its attention-getting power could be im- 
 measurably increased by a better layout a layout that was 
 capable of pulling the reader's eye into the text. He rearranged 
 the matter and had it reset. When a proof of the ad was pasted 
 over the old one in a mail order publication it dominated the 
 page. The redressed advertisement when used in two mediums 
 the following month produced replies at a cost of 45 cents each! 
 
 We have gone into the subject of preparing the layout at some 
 length because of the need of a clear understanding by the student 
 of the successive steps that are taken. If the instructions given 
 are carefully followed you will have few disputes with printers 
 over the set-up of your advertisements, you will protect yourselves 
 from imposition, and save money that you might otherwise have 
 to pay for work that would have to be done over again. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What is a layout and what two services does it render? 
 
 2. In preparing a layout what is the first thing to be done? 
 
 3. What considerations enter into the determining of the sizes of ad- 
 vertisements? 
 
 4. Of the two articles, cuff-protectors and bread, which would require 
 the larger space? 
 
 5. In what way does the intelligence of a community influence the char- 
 acter of the advertising to be used? 
 
 6. How do you indicate on the layout the size and kind of type in which 
 the advertisement is to be set, if you are unfamiliar with the names of the 
 different families of type? 
 
 7. Why is a judicious arrangement of text, illustration and white space 
 important? Give an example. 
 
 8. Prepare a 3-in. single-column layout for an advertisement of a popular- 
 priced restaurant one with which you are acquainted.
 
 HOW TO LAY OUT AN ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 21 
 
 The Regaf 
 
 in Fine Russia Co// 
 $9,50 
 
 The Newest Sport Oxford 
 
 R evidence that even in this season of many frivolous 
 JP fancies the need of a smart, practical sport shoe is 
 not forgotten, you need look jao further than these new 
 Regal Oxfords. 
 
 Of ^soft, Russia Calfskin, so practical for out-o'-door 
 sports, with rubber soles and heels, the "Yasser" expresses 
 style in every line, 
 
 <Th& REGAL SHOE STORES 
 
 REGAL SHOES Exclusively 
 
 for MEN, WOMEN and CHILDREN 
 
 NBW YORK 
 
 r. Cortltndt) <!NuSt. - 
 
 vifc Brodw.yt7tliSt. . ix ve. 
 
 t.iroai Af.tJ!tSt. " .t 60th St. 6th Av. * SUt SU 
 
 2929 Third Ave.(Nr. 1 62nd St.) 891 So. - 
 Broadviy m 
 
 ' Broadway t 27th'st. Men> Sltou Only 
 40 Wot 34th St. Wovun't Shotl Onlll 
 
 BROOKLYN 
 4 Fltbuh Av. 1049 Broadway 
 
 (or. Fulton St.) IS'6 " 
 SOI Broadiviy 46 Fifth ATC. 
 
 367 Ffclton St. litn't .<:o< O( 
 NEWARK. N.J. JERSEYCITY 
 
 835 Broad St. 108 Newark AT*. 
 
 Regal Shoe advertising has always been distinctive. The space used is never 
 overcrowded and the layout is always well balanced and in good taste.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 
 
 In writing an advertisement it is well to keep constantly in mind 
 the four things it is expected to do, namely, to attract attention, to 
 arouse interest, to create desire and to effect a sale. It is quite 
 evident that unless it catches and holds the eye of the reader 
 it cannot deliver its message. It takes the eye only a few 
 seconds to travel across the several columns of a newspaper, but 
 in that brief time lies the only chance the advertisement will 
 have of making a customer out of the reader. What we must do, 
 therefore, is to so arrange its physical appearance or dress that he 
 cannot fail to see it as he hastily glances over the page. 
 
 Hence, to attract attention we make use of display type that is, 
 type that is larger in size and bolder in outline than that in which 
 the body matter of the publication is set. We employ headlines 
 which serve as sign posts for arresting attention; borders, which 
 furnish an appropriate frame for the advertisement and separate 
 it from other announcements on the same page; illustrations, 
 which add to its attractiveness and increase its selling power; 
 and, finally, white space, which, if judiciously distributed, causes 
 the text to stand out on the page and, at the same time, makes it 
 easier to read. 
 
 To arouse interest we appeal to the senses sight, hearing, taste, 
 touch and smell and sometimes by working upon the reader's 
 ambition, pride, vanity, love of home and kindred, his social 
 and religious instincts, his thrift. 
 
 To create desire we appeal to his reason by presenting arguments 
 showing how the possession of the article will contribute to his 
 personal comfort or that of his family, or increase his efficiency 
 or that of his employees. We must not only demonstrate to him 
 its advantages but we must convince him of his own need of it. 
 
 To effect a sale we state prices and, when necessary, how payment 
 
 22
 
 ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 
 
 23 
 
 may be made; we tell where the article may 
 be obtained; if by mail, we lighten his labor 
 in sending for it by attaching a coupon 
 which, when his name and address are filled 
 in, constitutes a formal order. 
 
 A well-constructed advertisement, designed 
 for newspaper or magazine use, consists of 
 first, a headline; second, the introduction; 
 third, argument or statement of facts, and 
 fourth, the name-plate. Of course there are 
 many variations of this arrangement. For 
 instance, the advertisements of a certain 
 Philadelphia cigar manufacturer carry no 
 headlines. Those of a popular men's 
 clothing house in New York substitute for 
 headlines illustrations, often of a whimsical 
 or humorous character, but never correct 
 representations of any of the goods it offers 
 for sale. 
 
 Many advertising men claim that an 
 advertisement without a headline does not 
 have the same chance of being read as the 
 one with a headline. People object to 
 being compelled to read half way through 
 an announcement before they can tell what 
 it is about. Therefore, when they rim 
 across one of these headless ads the 
 chances are that they will skip it. 
 Another disadvantage it has is that if it 
 appears at the top of a column the reader 
 cannot tell at first glance whether or not 
 it is a continuation of an article or an 
 advertisement from the bottom of the 
 preceding column. If he has sufficient 
 curiosity to study into the matter he will 
 in time, of course, discover the truth. 
 But why put this extra burden upon the 
 reader? It should be the writer's con- 
 
 SPENCER1AN 
 
 PERSONAL 
 
 Steel Pens 
 
 Fiiw Medium. 
 
 Stub and 
 Ball pointed 
 
 The Standard for over 
 lialf a century 
 
 It's the special Spencerian 
 steel and the finely worked,, 
 uniform points that make 
 Spencerian Pens last so long 
 and write so smoothly. Send 
 lOc for jo samples, different 
 pailems. -Then pick a style 
 that fits your hand. Use that 
 style always. We will also 
 include that fascinating book, 
 "What Your Handwriting 
 Keveals," free. 
 
 SPENCERIAN PEN" CO. 
 349 Broadway .New York Citr 
 
 The falling stream of 
 pens directs the eye to 
 the text at the bottom 
 a clever device that can 
 be employed to advan- 
 tage in newspaper or 
 magazine ads.
 
 24 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Valspar Makes Another Record! 
 It withstands 36 hours of live steam 
 
 HUMAN ingenuity never devised a more One startlne fait soon became evident 
 severe and conclusive varnish lest, but namely, that the furniture teas absolutely 
 it all happened accidentally in the unharmed. 
 
 orporatio 
 
 i New York Cit; 
 
 one Saturday. At no 
 
 A cold mi 
 
 orders we 
 
 heat. This was complied with, but one 
 
 little detail was overlooked to close on open 
 
 E>n umK 
 
 .SPAR 
 
 An investigation developed that the reason 
 "i'' 11 '" 5 ' had\"l beTnv^nUhed whh*V,J.p" 
 
 had ".welled ^ucluhat only tilh dlffic'dt'y 
 wa an entrance forced. 
 
 which , 
 
 The Inspector's Letter 
 
 re quote. 
 
 l,.,.l bten forced '. 
 
 iih V.l.p.,. 
 
 A Scene of Wreckage 
 
 When the steam was finally turned off and 
 
 dworl . ""ur,"" 8 ! 'bid tc'. "l^'hed wTil ""' 
 
 is absolutely waterproof. It won't turn 
 while in water, and it is adapted for every 
 
 dustrial buildings of all kinds. 
 
 For your front door or piazza rain and 
 
 For your front hall wet feet and dn'p- 
 
 For your kitchen and pantry so you 
 can wash it freely and sterilize the place, 
 where your food is prepared. 
 For all your furniture-because Valspar 
 
 hoVdishes a'nd"Ipi*ied"liqu'ids o"all kinds' 
 For your bathroom making a finish as 
 waterproof as tile and far less costly. 
 For all your floors because you can 
 freely wash them and you'll never need to 
 wax or polish them. 
 
 was* iTe'raHy boilecf away" The wall-pa| 
 was hanging off in sheets. In fi 
 thing at first sight seemed utterly 
 
 that |K| 
 
 ibiolutely the bril var. 
 Mast paint dealers carry V ah far. If you cannot get it Mite direct la us. 
 
 VALENTINE & COMPANY 
 
 to ' 
 
 
 Special Offer 
 
 
 cvcied copd. 
 
 B . ,; j b - - 
 
 SSESllM? 
 
 H 
 
 VA.LENTINE 
 
 & COMPAMY. 4* Four* A^. N 
 
 Y 
 
 
 4^>ue un ol VJ,p. f ohid. I 
 
 0- 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The writer of this ad has taken advantage of a news event to direct attention 
 to a strong selling point of Valspar Varnish. The headline states a news fact 
 and the human interest picture backs it up. Advertisements of this kind are 
 certain to be read.
 
 ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 25 
 
 slant aim to make every advertisement easy to read and easy 
 to understand. 
 
 Another variation in the construction of an advertisement is the 
 omission of the introduction. Introductions are not always 
 necessary, especially in presenting an article which has long been 
 made familiar to the public through advertising. In such cases 
 the sales argument is brief, sometimes only a sentence or two 
 being used, but with the name of the article conspicuously 
 displayed. Royal Baking Powder, Postum, Cream of Wheat, 
 Babbitt's Soap, Mennen's Talcum Powder, are products often 
 advertised in this way. 
 
 Let us now consider the construction of the several parts of an 
 advertisement as enumerated above. The headline, as we have 
 already seen, serves to arrest the eye of the reader as it moves 
 over the printed page, just as the word "Hello!" shouted by a 
 friend on the street causes you to look in his direction. If you 
 should go to a country fair and walk along the street upon which 
 the side shows are located the one that would receive your patron- 
 age would probably be the one displaying the most attractive 
 picture banners, or the one having the most persuasive "barker." 
 The headline serves as the "barker" for the advertisement. 
 Glance over the pages of your favorite daily newspaper and see 
 how quickly certain advertisements will make you stop and look 
 at them. While illustrations and the size of the copy are features 
 that appeal to your eye, in four cases out of five it will be found 
 that it is the headlines that cause you to read the text matter. 
 
 Much care should be given to the construction of the headline 
 because of its importance in securing and holding the attention of 
 the reader. There are several kinds of headlines and it is your 
 duty to select the one that is best adapted to the article you are 
 exploiting and the particular audience you wish to influence. 
 
 Headlines. Headlines may be divided into three classes as 
 follows: 
 
 1. Those that state a fact, as for example "Sterling Silverware is 
 a Solid Investment." (The Gorham Company.) 
 
 "There is No Magic in Any Dentifrice." (Dr. Lyons' Tooth Powder.) 
 "Why Some Beds are Better than Others." (Simmon's Beds.) 
 "Your Skin is What You Make It." (Woodbury's Facial Soap.)
 
 26 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 2. Those that express a command, as shown in the following 
 examples : 
 
 "Book Lovers, Lend Us Your Ears!" (S. D. Warren Company.) 
 "Lighten Household Work!" (Arco Wand Vacuum Cleaner.) 
 "Make Spare Time Pay!" (Curtis Publishing Company.) 
 "Don't Force Your Widow to Marry Again!" (Insurance Company.) 
 
 3. Those that ask a question, as in these headlines : 
 
 "Good Morning! Have You used Pear's Soap?" (Pears' Soap.) 
 "What's On To-night?" (Paramount and Artcraft Motion Pictures.) 
 "Are Your Radiators Fuel Savers or Wilful Wasters?" (Hoffman 
 Valves.) 
 " Have You Bidden in the Essex?" (Essex Motors.) 
 
 The desirability of giving a news interest to the headline when 
 possible should not be overlooked. Such a headline will get 
 attention when others do not. The public is accustomed to 
 look at newspaper headlines for an outline of the important news 
 of the day. The first thing a person does on picking up a morning 
 or evening edition is to glance it over to see what has happened. 
 Headline writing is one of the most important duties of the 
 editorial department and the editors who are particularly skilled 
 in this kind of work are well paid. Given two newspapers of 
 equal merit in news and editorial values the one having the best 
 headlines will have the largest circulation. 
 
 From these facts it is easy to understand why in advertisement 
 writing it is advisable to use news headlines whenever the subject 
 will lend itself to such treatment. Intelligent people are always 
 seeking information on all sorts of subjects. Hence if you can 
 present in news form some striking fact regarding your product, 
 or, through a well expressed question, can arouse curiosity that 
 will lead a person to read the advertisement through to the end, 
 you have attained one of the chief results aimed at in all advertise- 
 ment writing. Here are some good examples of news headlines 
 taken from national mediums : 
 
 "You'll Have to Dig Up Some New Alibi." (Multigraph.) 
 "Saving 5,000 Miles by 'Tuning Up' Wheels." (Goodyear.) 
 "Doing The Thing That Couldn't Be Done." (Graton & Knight 
 Belts.) 
 "40,000 Airplane Plugs a Day." (A. C. Spark Plugs.)
 
 ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 27 
 
 Text matter, or "copy" as it is technically called, in advertising 
 practice, may be classified under four heads selling, educational, 
 institutional and good-will. 
 
 If Napoleon. Could 
 Have Sent a Telegram 
 
 He might have recalled Grouchy from his fruitless 
 attacks on the Prussian rear guard and protected his own 
 right flank. But communication was slow and the 
 battle of Waterloo was lost 
 
 In times of war, as in times of peace, speed in com- 
 'taunication is an important factor often the deciding 
 factor. Whatever the need or special emergency, The 
 Western Union's fifty thousand employees and one 
 million, five hundred thousand miles of wire are at your 
 disposal at any hour of any day or night. 
 
 Telegrams 'Day Letters Night Letters 
 Cablegrams Money Transferred by Wire 
 
 THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH CO. 
 
 The headline and its supporting illustration quickly attract attention and 
 appeal to the imagination. Before a line of the text is read one begins to specu- 
 late upon what might have happened at Waterloo had Napoleon been able to 
 wire instructions to Grouchy. 
 
 Selling copy constitutes the bulk of all advertising matter, 
 and therefore is the most important and deserves the closest 
 study. As its object is to create sales directly or indirectly, it
 
 28 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 points out the advantages of the article that is being exploited 
 over others of the same kind or class, tells why the public 
 should purchase it, names the price at which it is sold and states 
 where it may be obtained. 
 
 Educational copy describes the article, enumerates its uses 
 and tells how it is manufactured. 
 
 Institutional copy aims to arouse interest in the company or 
 firm producing the article through descriptions of the organiza- 
 tion, the factory and its equipment, and the method of doing 
 business. 
 
 Good-will copy deals with the character of the concern its 
 commercial and financial standing, its policies and practices. 
 
 Earlier in this chapter we learned that the four objects of an 
 advertisement are to attract attention, arouse interest, create 
 desire and effect a sale. If you will keep them continuously in 
 mind while you are preparing an advertisement you will be 
 restrained from throwing away a lot of money and wasting much 
 valuable space upon copy that possesses none of these qualities. 
 In a previous chapter (Chapter II) we enumerated some of the 
 things that you should know about the product you are to exploit, 
 and its market, before putting pencil to paper. Assuming that 
 you have assembled the information therein indicated and that 
 you have prepared the layout, you are now in a position to proceed 
 with the construction of the advertisement. 
 
 While the writing of an advertisement seems an easy matter to 
 those who have had no experience in such work, nevertheless, as 
 a matter of fact, it calls for ability of a peculiar kind, and the 
 exercise of much patience and perseverance. Advertisements 
 are not usually dashed off at the high rate of speed maintained 
 by a reporter in turning out a news story. Much depends, of 
 course, upon the writer's quickness of mind in creating ideas and 
 in clothing them in attractive language. Some men have a 
 natural facility of expression that enables them to write rapidly 
 and convincingly upon subjects with which they are familiar; 
 while others are obliged to hammer out laboriously on the anvil 
 of thought every phrase they employ that differs from the ordinary 
 forms of expression. In advertising agencies handling many 
 accounts the copy-writers must be able to turn out good copy at a
 
 ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 
 
 29 
 
 "Good workmen know the ditft 
 
 What was wrong with Bus 
 
 on Saturday, J^ovember 8th? 
 
 s. ftV Ixiptrmuaoa me rtfrmt 
 
 machine has got to wort like the very dickens to keep up with 
 the tide. 
 
 "A delay of 15 minutes in the morning will grow to two or three 
 hour* before night. Thai is, if one nun jlows up for 10 or i> 
 minutes early in the day, work thai should come out at > (Kit after- 
 noon u not finished until neat 7 o. We can't nuke up the lost 
 time, the schedule for the day is broken, and it gets worse *nd worse. 
 
 "About 8 30 on Saturday morning (November 8, toio). Bus 
 Wdkes, *ho rum the shop sander, stops his machine and reaches 
 for a ptcce of Speed-grits i ' '< D Garnet Paper The bo< n empt) . 
 
 boy scurrying to the stockroom for a supply "9,'t ate out.' sj> s the 
 stock boy. I aimed to order it m yesterday but she slipped my mind.' 
 " 'Skip across the street to the hardware ore, quick,' says the 
 foreman to the Bruih^>oy. 'and get a couple dozen sheets of sand- 
 paper ' Back he comes and Bus Japs on a sheet, switches on the motor 
 and -iy goes the under. 
 
 1 "No* Bus Wilkcs is a 'bear' on hi* machine. He fought the 
 Boche all ov France for more than a year and he's in the habit of 
 treann' 'em rough When he turns loose on a pile of shoes he 
 mualty nukes the fur fly 
 
 "But rfus day there was something wrong with Bus- Work ptled 
 up all around him. He passed up his lunch hour and stuck to it, 
 but he just couldn't seem to keep up. The Brush-boys took it easy. 
 waiting for Bus to pass them the sanded job- The whole shop, 
 from the sander down to the boys that shine the shoes after they 
 are finished, was on a drag. 
 
 "We ended up the day three hours behind schedule. After it was 
 all over I called Bus over to me. 'VC'hat was the matter all day, 
 Bus 7 ' I sa*d. 'You slowed up something awful.' 
 
 * 'Mr. Skinner.' said Bus, 'it was that dog rotten sandpaper WJlif 
 got this morning I just couldn't get the work out of it Look at 
 Hits sheet, you don't call ttut Manning's Speed gnts, do you? 1 
 
 'I looked, and sure enough, it wasn't. 
 
 "This is a true story of how a litdc 'ornery' sandpaper lost my 
 shop three h.-urs and several dollars" 
 
 Abtne it it pichtrt, rjfai ofiet tint letter Jt Tsnttr*, Jve*[ Aw W&et 
 emkmhta*Jer. Nx*r ll* mle! Tfa>W mrMnri^M 
 SfffJgnti M uofkforhm j/f.T (Ar.. "GWo'W* l*c tt* ekgfmcr ' 
 mjde iff Mjtnmg Ab<j-ne Ca. /f, F*torf ami 
 . To), N. Y, Stla Ofen m V^ttat, CVjro, Caxmin. 
 H&clft*. S,. Lcmit. & FIKA **J take, UaJt-f n 
 Leak la, Hjt-tng Abtunt Co. a pr Hkfkm teak. 
 iW leeir, fa "Tlf -DifotKr "Seek"- fmV Utt . 
 
 Manning 
 
 The newspaper narrative style of presentation is always appealing when well 
 done. Here it is effectively used in advertising an abrasive. The copy occupied 
 a page in a weekly magazine.
 
 30 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 fresh 
 
 * 
 
 Walls 
 
 Floors 
 
 \Vbodwork 
 
 Makes 
 
 Housecleaninj 
 
 Easy 
 
 d Dutch 
 'eanser 
 
 The fact that the public has been told many, many times that Old Dutch 
 Cleanser "Chases Dirt" made it unnecessary for the designer of this advertise- 
 ment to use much descriptive matter. The spotless walls and woodwork and the 
 bright look of the linoleum on the floor tell, almost without words, what the 
 cleanser will do.
 
 ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 31 
 
 rapid rate. They are, therefore, picked men and command 
 salaries above the average. 
 
 There are certain well defined principles governing the pre- 
 paration of copy the observance of which will help the writer 
 to produce advertisements that will command attention and 
 promote sales. Some of the more important of these are the 
 following : 
 
 Use simple, everyday English such as persons having a com- 
 mon-school education can understand without referring to a 
 dictionary. Technical words, words taken from foreign lan- 
 guages, or words the meaning of which is only familiar to college 
 graduates, or highly trained scientific or professional men, should 
 be omitted from all advertisements addressed to the general 
 public. Let your sentences be brief and to the point. We 
 live in a busy age, and although more newspapers, periodicals 
 and books are published than ever before in the history of the 
 world, people have less tune to read them. Hence in our efforts 
 to interest the public in what we have to sell we must tell our 
 story graphically, in a few words, and in such an eye-appealing 
 way that it may be taken in at a glance. Long and involved 
 sentences are tiresome and unattractive to the person seeking 
 information about a commercial article. 
 
 It is your duty to make the reading of the advertisement as 
 easy as possible, but you are not doing this if you keep putting 
 up barriers in the form of unfamiliar words, involved sentences, 
 and wearying descriptions. The best model for simplicity of 
 style and directness of statement is the Bible. Study it every 
 day, not alone as a religious duty or privilege, but to familiarize 
 yourself with the best methods of expression employed by the 
 greatest writers of all time. In all literature you can find nothing 
 to compare with its poems, its narratives, and its statements of 
 fact. You are never in doubt as to what the writer means. The 
 sentences are short, the words of which they are composed are 
 simple and familiar, and the truths they convey burn themselves 
 into the mind of the reader. The entire story of the Creation 
 is told in less than a thousand words. 
 
 Give Important Facts about the Article That the Public Should 
 Know. This seems simple enough but an examination of current
 
 32 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 advertisements shows that quite a number are sadly lacking in 
 the kind of information that most people want to have in order 
 to decide whether the article would be a desirable purchase. 
 No doubt many of you have seen such advertisements. Recently 
 a New York department store in an attractive, well-displayed 
 announcement advertised a sale of oriental and domestic rugs. 
 Unfortunately neither the sizes nor the prices were given. Hence 
 many people who saw the advertisement and might have bought 
 one or more of them did not do so because these facts were 
 omitted. Had the advertisement been that of a mail order house 
 the omissions might not have been so serious, provided it con- 
 tained an offer to send, on request, a booklet giving the desired 
 information. Unless an advertisement contains selling points, 
 which is only another term for facts having a direct appeal, it 
 fails to perform the service for which it is intended. 
 
 Mention the Price. In nine times out of ten prices should be 
 quoted. In retail advertising they should rarely ever be omitted 
 unless they have become standardized through long practice in 
 the trade. In national advertising greater latitude is allowed. 
 As a rule people want to know the cost of the article they have 
 been reading about. There are several advantages to be derived 
 from quoting prices. If the price is high it will keep away curi- 
 osity gratifiers and people who couldn't buy because they 
 haven't the money. If the goods are being sold by mail it 
 saves much useless correspondence; if sold at retail it saves the 
 tune of the clerks. If the price is low it will be an inducement. 
 
 Most people have to watch their expenditures very carefully 
 and with them price is often the deciding factor. When the 
 price is not given the reader infers that it is higher than he can 
 afford to pay and loses all further interest in it. In this he 
 may be mistaken. The price may have been omitted because of 
 trade conditions or other business reasons, but in any event it 
 lessens the pulling power of the advertisement. The fact that 
 many persons will buy an article at any reasonable price that 
 might be charged for it does not diminish the desirability of 
 telling for what price it is sold. 
 
 Put Human Interest into What You Write. There is no more 
 powerful appeal in literature or in advertising than the heart
 
 ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 33 
 
 appeal. We are all sentimentalists although we do not always 
 admit it. We are moved to action more frequently by sentiment 
 than by argument. Some advertisements give you the impres- 
 sion that they were written in a refrigerator. They have no 
 warmth, no feeling behind them. They are mathematically 
 correct in form and in statement but they lack that breath of 
 life that gives vital force to the message they are intended to 
 deliver. You will not always be able to give to your copy the 
 human interest or heart appeal, because the subject may not lend 
 itself to it, but in a majority of instances it will be possible. It 
 will take some study and ingenuity to develop the material upon 
 which to base an advertisement of this kind but the results will 
 more than compensate you for the effort. Here is a good example 
 of human interest copy: 
 
 "On the job when you want to think hard and think straight 
 the old familiar feel of your favorite pipe and the haze of good tobacco 
 smoke seem to cut you off from the rest of the world and let your mind 
 work the way it should. 
 
 "This being the case, you'll be glad to know that the pipe that 
 never interrupts, nor takes your mind off your work, is the Wellington, 
 the Universal Pipe. As you smoke your Wellington there's never a 
 bubble nor a gurgle. The well attends to that by catching all moisture 
 and loose tobacco crumbs. The smoke comes, quiet and cool and 
 sweet as a night breeze, and it comes up away from your tongue, through 
 the top opening in the lid. 
 
 "You will like your Wellington from the very first. It is always 
 made of genuine French briar, seasoned by our own special process so 
 as to break in sweet and mellow. And it's a good old reliable friend 
 guaranteed against cracking or burning through. 
 
 "Get a Wellington Pipe. It will fit into your life in a mighty agree- 
 able way. It has fitted into more men's lives than any other pipe. 
 Good dealers have it in all sizes, shapes and grades from 75 cents up." 
 
 Tell the Truth. Avoid Misrepresentation. There was a time, 
 and not so long ago, either, when advertising license permitted 
 the broadest latitude of statement; when a merchant could 
 advertise men's shoddy suits as all wool, adulterated spices as 
 pure, and brass watches as 14-carat gold, and still retain his 
 church membership and his position as a respected business man.
 
 34 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 But that day has gone by. Thirty-six states have passed laws 
 making it a criminal offense to misrepresent goods or securities 
 in advertisements. 
 
 The quickest way to wreck a business is to lie about the goods 
 it has to sell in its advertising. A few years ago the owners of 
 a large department store in New York decided to retire from 
 business. They had been long established and had won the 
 confidence of the public through honest advertising and square 
 dealing. In order to make a greater profit the new owners, 
 who still retained the old firm name, gradually stocked the store 
 with a cheaper grade of goods than had formerly been carried, 
 but claimed in their advertising that they were of the best 
 quality. It did not take the public long to discover the decep- 
 tion. Old customers quit trading at the store and the number 
 of transient purchasers grew smaller and smaller. Sales fell off so 
 alarmingly that finally the owners, realizing that they had made 
 a serious mistake, changed their advertising policy, but it was 
 too late and the business went onto the rocks with a crash. 
 
 Misrepresentation in retail advertising is today more often the 
 result of carelessness or to a lack of definite information than to 
 deliberate intention. The copy is written under pressure, in a 
 hurried manner, from information that is incomplete or inac- 
 curate. One of the familiar examples of this kind of copy is 
 found in comparative prices. A woman's coat is advertised as 
 being "worth $30" but to be sold for $20, and a dozen other 
 garments are similarly described. If the coat was really "worth 
 $30" the merchant would not sell it at 33^<j per cent, discount. 
 If he had said that the garment was once worth $30 but because 
 it had gone out of style or was shop-worn it would be sold at 
 $20, he would have told the truth and would have deceived no 
 one. Comparative prices are not now used by the better class 
 of merchants. 
 
 When you describe an article tell the truth about it. If it is 
 not first-class, say so. If the goods ate priced below the usual 
 charge, tell why. You won't lose anything by it. People will 
 soon come to admire your frankness and honesty. They will 
 believe in you and in what you say. Public confidence is the 
 greatest asset of any business.
 
 ADVERTISEMENT CONSTRUCTION 35 
 
 The Associated Advertising Clubs of the World has done more 
 to clean up the advertising pages of the newspapers and magazines 
 than any other organization of business men. Only a few out of 
 the thousands of publications can now be found that will accept 
 the advertisements of "fake" oil, mining, automobile or other 
 fraudulent companies, or of patent medicines that are repre- 
 sented as cures for numerous diseases. Through its Vigilance 
 Committee the A. A. C. W. has brought to book many advertis- 
 ing crooks and by timely warning has kept a number of mer- 
 chants from committing business suicide. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What are the four objects of an advertisement and how is each one 
 accomplished? 
 
 2. Name the four parts of a newspaper or magazine advertisement. 
 
 3. Select from local newspapers examples of advertisements in which 
 there is no introduction. Also one without a headline. 
 
 4. What is the purpose of the headline? Give the three classes of head- 
 lines and examples of each. 
 
 6. What are the advantages of the news headline? 
 
 6. Name the four heads under which advertising copy may be classified. 
 
 7. Why should advertisements be written in simple every day English 
 rather than in academic language? 
 
 8. When should prices be quoted? 
 
 9. What do you mean by "human interest" copy? 
 
 10. Give an original example. 
 
 11. Why is telling the truth absolutely essential in the preparation of 
 advertising matter? 
 
 12. What is the attitude of reputable publications toward the advertise- 
 ments of fake oil and mining companies and get-rich-quick enterprises?
 
 CHAPTER V 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Before Cadmus invented the alphabet pictures were used to 
 record events upon wood, clay and stone. The oldest inscrip- 
 tions that have been discovered in the ruins and on the tombs of 
 ancient civilizations are in picture form. Therefore, in the em- 
 ployment of illustrations in modern advertising we are making 
 use of the oldest, the simplest and, at the same time, the most 
 direct method of communicating ideas in graphic form. Pictures 
 have aptly been called the universal language of the human race. 
 
 If you will look over the pages of the weekly and monthly 
 periodicals you will find that most of the advertisements are 
 illustrated. Out of 94 advertisements, many of them full pages, 
 and half a dozen of them double-page spreads, in an issue of the 
 Saturday Evening Post, 84 contained pictures. Of 275 display 
 advertisements in McClure's Magazine, 228 were illustrated. In 
 local newspaper advertisements the percentage is not so high. 
 
 Because of the general use of illustrations it is necessary for us 
 to know something about the principles governing their employ- 
 ment, how they are designed and how they may be reproduced to 
 the best advantage. 
 
 One of the first questions that suggests itself in taking up the 
 study of the subject is this: What purposes do pictures serve in 
 advertising? Some of them are : 
 
 1. To catch the eye of the reader and lead him to peruse the 
 accompanying message. 
 
 2. To familiarize people with the appearance of the article or 
 the package containing it so that they may identify it in the 
 stores and elsewhere. 
 
 3. To show the article in use. 
 
 4. To create atmosphere, that is, to indicate, pictorially, the 
 class of people to whom it appeals or scenes with which it is 
 associated. 
 
 36
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 37 
 
 An illustration serves the same purpose as a headline but has 
 this additional advantage it will, and often does, because of its 
 novelty, its artistic character or its strong appeal, attract greater 
 attention. Sometimes the crux of the message the advertiser 
 seeks to deliver lies wholly in the picture. A seaside home and 
 hospital for crippled children in need of funds to carry on its 
 work placed an advertisement in several magazines in which was 
 presented a picture of one of its boy patients, "Smiling Joe," 
 strapped to a board. The little fellow had a twisted and diseased 
 spine and in trying to cure his deformity and restore him to health 
 the physicians were obliged to bind his body to the board and 
 keep him in thart; position for many months. Although the 
 story of the boy's affliction and his wonderful patience and 
 cheerfulness und,er the trying ordeal were told in the accom- 
 panying text, it was the illustration showing "Smiling Joe" 
 with a happy smile on his face that touched the hearts and 
 opened the pocketbooks of hundreds of contributors to the 
 hospital fund. 
 
 In marketing food products sold in packages, or beverages, soap, 
 and many other products, pictures of the articles add tremendously 
 to the pulling power of the advertisements. People become f amiliar 
 with their appearance and can readily identify them. If a 
 hundred different brands of biscuits were displayed on the shelves 
 of a grocery store, nine out of ten housewives would have no 
 difficulty in pointing out the package containing Uneeda Bis- 
 cuit. The little girl who asked the clerk for a box of breakfast 
 oats "with the Quaker man on it" knew exactly what she 
 wanted and couldn't be fooled with a substitute. We may forget 
 the brand names of articles that have been advertised but if we 
 have seen pictures of the packages containing them a few times 
 we can pick them out of a dozen others. 
 
 If you can exhibit the article in use by means of an illustration 
 you are employing one of the strongest sales appeals available. 
 In marketing canned peaches, for instance, if you show a glass 
 dish filled with luscious, golden-hued fruit being served as a 
 dessert at a dinner party, it produces a far greater impression 
 upon the reader than any text matter could. It is one thing to 
 read a description of a thing and quite another to see it. The
 
 38 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Chinese have a proverb to the effect that once seeing a man is 
 worth a thousand times hearing about him. 
 
 Pictures are, of course, not as attractive as the articles they 
 represent, but they are a hundred per cent, better than any 
 description in words that can be given. Few automobile ad- 
 vertisements appear without an illustration of the machine that 
 is being exploited. While to the general public one automobile 
 looks about the same as another, each one posesses features by 
 which it can be identified several blocks away by an automobile 
 expert. No manufacturer wants to have his car mistaken for 
 that of a competitor. Therefore he shows a picture of his 
 machine in his advertisements so drawn that its distinctive 
 features are emphasized in a telling way. The text matter, of 
 course, describes it attractively and in detail, but after all it is 
 the illustration that will most impress the reader. Unless the 
 appearance of the car strikes him favorably he will not care 
 much about the details of its construction. Hence the impor- 
 tance of the picture. 
 
 There are other articles besides automobiles that are exploited 
 largely by means of illustrations. In selling high class suburban 
 homes pictures of the residences offered are indispensable. Few 
 people care to engage accommodations at summer hotels without 
 first knowing something about their appearance. When the 
 retail dry goods merchants introduce their spring or autumn 
 styles in women's hats, coats and suits, they rely upon illustra- 
 tions to bring women to the store. In appealing to the fair sex 
 advertisers have found the rotogravure sections of the Sunday 
 newspapers particularly effective because of the superior quality 
 of the paper used, thus making possible the employment of a 
 higher grade of illustrations. 
 
 Illustrations are used to create atmosphere in exploiting articles 
 that have a high-class vogue. One of the leading manufacturers of 
 first quality furniture employs pictures of beautiful interiors to 
 display and give class to his creations. There is a richness and 
 refinement about the settings that make one feel that anything 
 from this shop gives a certain distinction to the purchaser. Cigar- 
 ette advertisers employ illustrations of oriental scenes, of cele- 
 brated banquets, and of racing, yachting and other sporting
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 39 
 
 3Scts. a. Bottle 
 
 HAVE soft, fluffy, glossy, beautiful hair you know how 
 it adds charm tu even the most beautiful face; and, 
 undoubtedly, you have seen some of your friends changed from 
 plain, uninteresting women into creatures of real beauty all 
 by the skilful handling of their hair. 
 
 Perhaps you have wondered how such a change could be 
 made perhaps it seemed almost miraculous to you. Wait a 
 moment let us whisper in your car it probably was simply ii 
 liberal use of Danderine- plus a new way of dressing the hair. 
 
 Why Not Have Lots of Soft, Fluffy 
 Lustrous Hair Yourself? 
 
 Danderine removes the dandrnlT leaves |he scalp clean, 
 cool and refreshed brings back the natural gloss and luster to 
 the hair makes it just as beautiful as nature intended it to be. 
 
 Just Once, Try Danderine! 
 
 See how much bottled hair beauty, abundance 
 and gloss there is in a single 35-ccnt bottle. 
 
 At all dru >store>s 
 toilet 
 
 An artistic and effective combination of illustration and typographical 
 arrangement.
 
 40 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 There has been but one supreme piano in the history of music. In 
 
 the days of Liszt and Wagner, of Rubinstein and Berlioz, the pre- 
 
 eminence of the Steinway was as unquestioned as it is today. It 
 
 stood then, as it stands now, the chosen instrument of the masters 
 
 the inevitable preference wherever great music is 
 
 understood and esteemed. 
 
 STEINWAY 6 SONS, Steinway Hall, 107-109 E. 14th Street, New York 
 
 Subu'au Express Stations at llic Door 
 
 A fine example of the appeal to sentiment through an artistic illustration. In 
 every lover of good music it awakens tender memories.
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 41 
 
 OF PLATINUM 
 
 THE ROMANCE 
 
 Edison's phonograph was not 
 known in mythological times. 
 Platinum is imperishable. 
 Whitehouse Bros, of Cincinnati, 
 "The Jewelry City," have done 
 much to make it the matchless 
 medium for the jeweler's art. 
 Hard and permanent, brilliant 
 and untarnishable, more valu- 
 able than gold, it is the perfect 
 metal for jewels, impcrishably 
 perfect. 
 
 IF ONLY the masterpieces of 
 Turner had been painted in 
 permanent colors! If only the 
 Alexandrian library had consist- 
 ed of books written upon stone! 
 If only the music of Orpheus 
 could be heard today ! 
 But Turner's pictures were 
 painted with cheap colors, 
 Caesar burned the priceless 
 treasures of the ancients in the 
 Alexandrian library, and Mr 
 
 WHITEHOUSE BROTHERS 
 
 JYlakers of Patented < JtssemBfeJ Sofifaiivs and 
 Cincinnaii.Ohio Platinum ^Jewelry The Jewelry City 
 
 The art embellishment of Whitehouse Brothers jewelry advertisements is of 
 an exceptional character. The ornate border with its accompanying illustra- 
 tions forms an appropriate frame for the "The Romance of Platinum" told in 
 the text and adds greatly to its value.
 
 42 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Sensitive films, those walls of childish memory. The pictures they register 
 
 It will pay you to remember that, in the lighting of your children's rooms 
 Let sunshine flood them by day, and the light of Edison MAZDA lamps 
 by nrght For the light that shines in children's rooms is magic stuff the 
 
 , . r B*ai ReMirth Ltbora- 
 
 rams of the General Hem* Company. nd by tony yftn at contm- 
 uxu development. Biuoo MAZDA Ump represent tht UICM and 
 
 bc u. Lghimg. 
 
 EDISON MAZDA 
 
 EDISON LAMP WORKS OF GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY 
 
 Pictures of children when appropriately introduced in advertisements possess 
 a universal appeal. Every mother and father who looks at the above adver- 
 tisement will feel a tug at the heart strings. The evening lamp, the little ones 
 saying, "Now I lay me down to sleep" at their mother's knee and the shad- 
 owy background form a picture that will linger long in the memory.
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 43 
 
 events in which some of the prominent persons appearing in them 
 are represented as smoking the manufacturer's brand. The 
 young man who is a clerk, or who works in a machine shop, or 
 drives a truck, is much impressed by these pictures and concludes 
 that if the cigarettes are smoked by society leaders, actors, and 
 well known sportsmen they must be of high grade quality and 
 therefore worth buying. Even if they cost 50 cents a box he 
 feels that he is justified in the extra expense by the satisfaction 
 he gets in being identified, even remotely, with such notable 
 consumers of this particular brand. 
 
 We are so constituted that we often buy things because they are 
 purchased by prominent people, provided, of course, they are 
 within our means. Writers who understand this tendency take 
 advantage of it in preparing advertisements. For instance, if the 
 King of England, a hero of the great war, or a popular actress 
 uses a certain table water they play up the fact in text and picture 
 because of the influence it will have upon the public. 
 
 Never use a picture simply because it is pretty, odd, or striking. 
 Advertising space costs too much money sometimes $5 to $8 
 a line to be thrown away on illustrations that do not help to 
 put the message across. Pretty girl pictures have been found 
 effective as attention getters in advertising toilet articles, femin- 
 ine wearing apparel and other things, but in many cases they 
 are out of place or serve no real purpose. An advertisement of a 
 Western gas engine manufacturer which appeared in several 
 publications showed a very attractive looking young woman 
 standing by the side of the machine. Much to the surprise of 
 the advertiser he received twice as many inquiries concerning 
 the identity of the girl as he did about the gas engine. In using 
 the pictures of very pretty young women or unusual illustrations 
 of any kind there is always danger that the picture will receive 
 so much attention from the reader that he will neglect to look at 
 the accompanying text matter. 
 
 Many advertisements are spoiled by poor and meaningless illus- 
 trations. In these day's when there are so many high-class artists 
 devoting their attention to the preparation of commercial illus- 
 trations there is little excuse for the employment of stock cuts or 
 indifferent art work. Unless you want to get a reputation for
 
 44 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 cheapness avoid the use of poorly drawn pictures. Every city 
 of 50,000 inhabitants, or upwards, contains at least one photo- 
 engraving plant, the owner of which can recommend the names 
 of one or more commercial artists who will execute any orders 
 you may have to give. 
 
 Determine in your own mind what kind of a picture you want 
 and describe it to the artist. Often he will be able to improve 
 upon the design you suggest. That is a part of his business. If 
 you are a national advertiser and employ an agency to handle your 
 campaigns it will furnish the drawings as a part of its service. 
 
 As a general rule humorous illustrations should be avoided. In a 
 somewhat extended experience we can recall only a few instances 
 in which pictures of this kind have been appropriate or effective. 
 Unless precaution is taken in the selection of a subject a humor- 
 ous picture may do more harm than good. A local merchant in 
 an Eastern city once ran an illustration showing an old negro, 
 nearly bald, with his mouth wide open, crying out something at 
 the top of his voice. The headline was, " Much Cry and Little 
 Wool." It was designed to create a laugh and as an exposition 
 of that old saw it was a success, but it gave offense to a very 
 worthy body of colored people who were the merchant's custom- 
 ers. The retailer had used the picture thoughtlessly, not 
 dreaming for a moment that it would antagonize any of his trade. 
 It took him a long time to win back the patronage of those 
 whom the illustration had offended. 
 
 A number of years ago a humorous character called "Sunny 
 Jim" was introduced in the advertisements of a widely exploited 
 breakfast food. The artist showed "Sunny Jim" doing all sorts 
 of clever stunts, and thousands of people each day when they 
 picked up their favorite newspaper turned to the advertisements 
 to see what the funny man was doing. After the advertising had 
 been running for some time the manufacturer discovered that 
 the public was so much interested in the antics of "Sunny Jim" 
 that it paid little attention to the selling talk about the breakfast 
 food he was exploiting. From that time on "Sunny Jim" was 
 banished from his advertisements. 
 
 The power of pictures to influence voters in national elections 
 was first demonstrated in the second Cleveland campaign. The
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 45 
 
 Soap Jor your c Wmter Skin? 
 
 DO you know that a 
 glowing, smooth, active 
 "winter skin" for children 
 and grown-ups is largely de- 
 pendent upon an easy-rinsing 
 soap? 
 
 In winter, of course, the 
 pores of the skin are less 
 active than in summer. If a. 
 lurd-rinsing soap remains be- 
 hind in the pores, their ac- 
 tivity is further diminished, 
 and they cannot continue 
 their work of keeping the 
 skin soft and smooth. 
 
 Tests made with a number 
 
 of well-known toilet soaps 
 proved Fairy Soap to be the 
 aisiesl-rinsing soap. Fairy's 
 pure lather was found to 
 cream thoroughly in and out 
 of pores, without sacrificing 
 that important quality of 
 rinsing off cosily, rinsing off 
 completely. 
 
 We would like to have 
 you try this pure, easy-rinsing 
 Fairy quality for your "winter 
 skin." But be sure to make 
 the trial a thorough one 
 with both the complexion 
 and bath benefits in ivunJ. 
 
 -17OL' 
 
 JL in * 
 
 IMPORTANT FACTS 
 
 *'!r;jtfYliar "a nd am ears-i iasiitz J*A 
 k;r.wtruiia winter even i- th*n 
 
 the jJd -,rt winter ctiir 
 jnuc^ ci UK. fcn. nukii them lc*- 
 
 : of tK- sim Av- n.* 
 
 - 
 SivJ 
 
 ,j-*ftr>.>- .;.- '-fs r ' - 
 
 ti> 'wrinttT 
 " hr' ; - - -inl in the 
 
 Comes in bodi Toil^f ami /I.irl. 
 
 FAIRY SOAP 
 
 ^l^i-.^ j/.'M a little Fairii i/i.i/oi"- fo.' t 
 
 In this advertisement the illustration at the top, showing the winter sports of 
 children, supplies the atmosphere for the message of the text.
 
 46 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 new way to manicure 
 
 without cutting the cuticle 
 
 clea: 
 
 Ibe 
 
 aggcd edges and hangnail* vanish! 
 How to manicure llic new way 
 
 Send for the complete Manicure 
 Set offered below and have your first 
 Culex manicure. In the package you 
 will find orange stick and absorbent 
 
 otto 
 
 Wrap a little 
 
 the end of the stick and dip it into the 
 bottle. Then carefully work around 
 the base of the nail, gently pushing 
 back the cuticle. Almost at once you 
 
 After your first Cutex manicure, 
 examine your nails. When you see 
 how smooth the use of Cutex leaves 
 the skin around the base of the nails 
 how free it is from ragged edges 
 and rough places that make hangnails, 
 you will wonder how you ever got 
 along without it. Try it today See 
 for yourself! 
 
 in 30c. OOc. and $1 25 bottles.' Cutex 
 Nail White is 30c. Cutex Nail Polish 
 in cake, paste, powder, -liquid or stick 
 form is also 30c. Cutex Cuticle Com- 
 fort for sore or tender cuticle is 30c. 
 
 der direct from us. 
 
 Complete Manicure Set for 15c 
 
 IK with'lfr and wt will send you tins c 
 plcte Midget Manicure Set, which 
 
 today Address 
 
 NORTHAM WARREN 
 
 114 West Uih St 
 
 
 MAIL COUPON WITH 15 CENTS TODAY 
 : NORTHAM WARREN 
 
 If we can show by illustrations how to use the article we are exploiting we 
 enhance the readers' interest and make the advertisement more productive of 
 sales. The Cutex ad presented above is a fine example of this type of publicity.
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 47 
 
 cartoons, which were the work of the best artists, were printed 
 twice a week in 500 daily newspapers. They were also enlarged, 
 and, printed as posters, were put up on billboards and dead walls 
 in all parts of the country. Their effect upon the public was 
 immediate. Thousands of men who could not read caught the 
 point of these cartoons at a glance. Throughout the rural 
 districts the liveliest interest was shown in them, and after the 
 election had taken place the Democratic leaders admitted that 
 the cartoons had done more to elect Mr. Cleveland than the 
 stump speakers. 
 
 One of the insurance companies the Prudential Insurance 
 Company of Newark has made the Rock of Gibraltar famous 
 in the United States through the advertisements it has published 
 for many years showing a picture of the rock with the name of 
 the company printed in large letters upon it. As a result it is 
 almost impossible for the public to think of the Rock of Gibraltar 
 without associating with it the Prudential Insurance Company. 
 It is said that a traveler who took the Mediterranean trip, on his 
 return to the United States expressed great surprise at not seeing 
 the name of the company outlined in white letters across its 
 surface. 
 
 Advertisers are sometimes puzzled to know whether or not they 
 should use pictures of themselves in their advertising. They 
 have seen the features of W. L. Douglas in his shoe advertise- 
 ments for a quarter of a century. They recall the pictures of 
 Lydia E. Pinkham, Gerhard Mermen, Dr. Munyon, the Smith 
 Brothers, and other less celebrated vendors of manufactured 
 products who have achieved success through printers' ink, that 
 were used in the same way. As a rule it is considered inadvisable 
 to regularly employ the picture of the advertiser in his business 
 announcements. It weakens instead of strengthens the advertise- 
 ment because, if used continuously, it suggests egotism and a 
 waste of space. Moreover, the advertiser misses the mark at 
 which his advertising gun is aimed. He is not engaged in 
 selling himself but his product. Public attention is diverted from 
 the text to the picture, which adds little to the value of the appeal 
 and has no selling force. Therefore, why should he employ it 
 in his advertising?
 
 48 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Photography is now generally utilized in securing suitable 
 pictures for the illustration of advertisements. The ordinary 
 photographer, however, is not successful in this kind of work. 
 Those who specialize in commercial photography secure the best 
 results. They understand what is needed to make effective 
 copy. Some of the most productive illustrations in use are those 
 employed hi the street car advertising of Omega Oil. The 
 company dropped $400,000 before it discovered that it was using 
 the wrong kind of a picture that of a boy carrying a bag of corn 
 under his arm as he walked along the road, from which the 
 kernels were dropping upon the ground only to be gobbled up by 
 geese that were following him. The trouble with the picture 
 was that it was in no way related to Omega Oil. But when the 
 company introduced photographs of living models showing the 
 oil being used to alleviate pain, the volume of sales rapidly 
 increased. One of these shows a little girl whose sore throat 
 is being treated with an application of the oil. Another reveals 
 a man's back which is being rubbed with the oil for the relief of 
 rheumatism. 
 
 The Washburn-Crosby flour advertisement illustrations are 
 made from photographs of real people. So are those employed in 
 the Beechnut products and the Eastman Kodak announcements. 
 These are only a few of the many advertisers who have dis- 
 covered that the public is interested in pictures taken from life 
 or nature more than they are in make-believe representations. 
 The C. Kenyon Company, of Brooklyn, since it adopted the 
 use of living models in preparing illustrations for its magazine 
 and trade paper advertising, has increased its sale of women's 
 coats far beyond all previous records. 
 
 In order to secure satisfactory results in illustrations good 
 copy must be furnished to the photo-engraver. This means that 
 the pictures from which the cuts are to be made must be clear 
 and distinct. No engraver, no matter how skillfuj he may be, 
 can make a good plate from a poor photograph. Sometimes, 
 however, a photograph can be made effective through retouch- 
 ing by a capable artist who makes a specialty of that kind of 
 work. By retouching is meant the bringing into stronger relief 
 the principal and sometimes the subordinate features of the
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 49 
 
 MAZDA 
 
 ffot the name of a thing, but the mark of a service" 
 
 A MAZDA Lamp for every purpo 
 
 MAZDA is the trademark of a world- 
 wide service to certain lamp manu- 
 facturers. Its purpose is to collect 
 and select scientific and practical 
 
 information concerning progress and developments in the 
 art of incandescent lamp manufacturing and to distribute this 
 information to the companies entitled to receive this service. 
 MAZDA Service is centered in the Research Laboratories of 
 the General Electric Company at Schenectady, New York. 
 The mark MAZDA can appear only on lamps which meet the 
 standards of MAZDA service. It is thus an assurance of quality. 
 This trademark is the property of the General Electric Company. 
 
 RESEARCH LABORATORIES OF GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY 
 
 The strong feature of this ad is the skillful manner in which the reader's eye 
 is directed to " MAZDA" on the electric light bulb in the illustration. It is al- 
 most impossible to glance at the page without following the pointing finger to 
 the word. 
 
 4
 
 50 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 The strikingly original advertisement of one of the leading firms of optical 
 instrument manufacturers in the United States.
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 51 
 
 photograph. It is expensive but adds so much to the appearance 
 and drawing power of the illustrations that it is money well 
 invested. 
 
 The drawing or photograph should always be considerably 
 larger than the cut which is to be made from it. When this sug- 
 gestion is followed the picture printed from the cut will be sharper 
 and clearer in outline than the original. Frequently it is neces- 
 sary to rout out of the surface of the plate some of the background 
 or unessential details in order to bring out more strongly the 
 principal figures or features of the illustration. 
 
 Proofs furnished by the photo-engravers should be printed on 
 the same kind of paper that is to be used in the publication in which 
 the illustration is to appear, in order that you may determine just 
 how it is going to look. Usually the proofs are taken on high 
 grade plate paper which, although it gives the illustration its 
 full value, does not give a correct idea of its appearance when 
 printed on ordinary paper. Unless the plate is adapted to the 
 quality of paper that is finally to be employed it probably will 
 print poorly. Examine the plate with care and see if the en- 
 graver has given you what you want. Sometimes it is necessary 
 to have it etched deeper before it will print satisfactorily on the 
 press. 
 
 Plates for illustrations are mounted on metal or wood bases 
 preferably the former when they are to be stereotyped, because 
 wood shrinks and warps on the steam table, thus making the 
 base uneven. 
 
 Halftones are photographic reproductions, usually on copper, 
 but sometimes on zinc, of photographs, wash drawings, pen-and- 
 ink and other sketches, and even of paintings, etched by a 
 chemical process. A picture is taken from the photograph 
 through a fine screen which is only a glass plate with lines en- 
 graved upon it at right angles to each other. Upon the fineness 
 of the screen depends the quality of the printing plate. For 
 newspaper purposes the screen used is 68 that is, 68 lines to 
 an inch. For halftones that are to be employed on a high 
 grade of calendered paper a screen of 133 to 200 lines to the 
 inch is used. If you will examine a plate under a magnifying
 
 52 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 glass you will notice that there are a great many little dots which 
 vary in size according to the fineness of the screen. Instead of 
 solid blacks and whites the engraver is able to reproduce the vary- 
 ing shades or tones of a picture hence the name, "halftones." 
 
 Line engravings are made from drawings, sketches, etc., by a 
 process of chemical etching, usually on zinc but sometimes on 
 copper. In the chalk plate process a highly polished steel 
 plate which is 34e in. thick is covered with a coat of soft white 
 composition which gradually hardens. By means of steel tools 
 a drawing is made by cutting through the soft composition to 
 the surface of the steel plate. When the drawing is completed 
 it is placed in a stereotyping box and a cast is made from it, 
 the chalk plate serving as a matrix or mould. Molten stereo- 
 type metal is poured in and the result is a plate reproducing the 
 picture, which, after being cleaned and touched up, is ready 
 for printing. Line cuts are used in newspaper and other work 
 where it is essential to have plates that will make good impres- 
 sions on coarse paper with rapid printing. 
 
 Wash drawings are made with water colors or India ink spread 
 lightly and evenly on drawing paper. 
 
 Electrotypes are copper-faced duplicates of type matter or 
 cuts. They are far less expensive than the original halftones or 
 line cuts from which they are taken. They are copies of originals 
 and therefore are not as sharp in detail. 
 
 A vignette is a halftone illustration in which the background 
 shades off gradually into pure white. 
 
 In ordering a cut made from a picture you need indicate only 
 one dimension, for if it is properly made the other dimension will 
 reduce in proportion. You can determine the other dimension 
 exactly by using the following diagram: 
 
 Take a sheet of paper exactly the size of the photograph and 
 draw the diagonal line A-B from the upper right-hand corner to 
 the lower left-hand corner. Beginning at the left, measure off 
 B-C to the right on the bottom line of the diagram exactly 
 the length of the cut you want made. Draw from this point a 
 perpendicular line, C-D, until it touches the diagonal. Then 
 complete the rectangle by drawing the line E-D parallel to the
 
 ON THE USE OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 53 
 
 base line until it strikes the perpendicular line at the left. You 
 now have a diagram of exactly the size of the cut the engraver 
 
 E 
 
 B 
 
 will furnish you. The length of the perpendicular line C-D 
 connecting the base with the diagonal is the second dimension of 
 the cut. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. To what extent are advertisements illustrated? 
 
 2. For what four purposes are pictures used in advertising? 
 
 3. Select from a newspaper or magazine advertisements that illustrate 
 these purposes. 
 
 4. Name half a dozen articles that have been successfully advertised by 
 means of pictures. 
 
 5. What is meant by "creating atmosphere" by the use of illustrations? 
 
 6. Give several suggestions on their employment. 
 
 7. Why should humorous pictures, as a rule, be avoided?
 
 54 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 8. Give an example of the improper use of an illustration. 
 
 9. Should advertisers use pictures of themselves in their announcements? 
 
 10. Name several national advertisers who use their own photographs. 
 
 11. What is a halftone? A line cut? An electrotype? A vignette? 
 
 12. In ordering a cut made from a picture, when one dimension is known, 
 how can you determine what the second dimension will be? 
 
 13. Under what circumstances is a "pretty girl" picture appropriate in 
 an advertisement?
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 
 
 After you have hammered the copy for your advertisement into 
 such shape that it expresses in exact form just what you want to 
 say, the next step is to put it into an appropriate dress of type. 
 If you are able to command the services of a high class printer 
 who has made a study of advertising typography, and therefore 
 knows how to adapt type to copy to the best advantage, you 
 can safely entrust to him the typing of any advertisement you 
 may wish to have set up. 
 
 But as such printers are few, even in metropolitan cities, and 
 are rarely found in the smaller towns, it is necessary for you to 
 have a sufficient knowledge of the principles governing typo- 
 graphical arrangement to enable you to tell any printer you may 
 employ what kind of type to use and how to display the copy to 
 secure balance, harmony, stability, and produce action. 
 
 Let us start our discussion of the subject with the well estab- 
 lished principle that the effectiveness of an advertisement depends 
 largely upon the type in which the message is clothed, and upon such 
 an arrangement of its several parts that the eye can rapidly take 
 in the important facts presented and determine their relative value. 
 
 There are many kinds of type, so many, in truth, that the 
 beginner is bewildered by their number and variety, and con- 
 cludes that he will never be able to identify or use many of them. 
 And he is right, for the reason that the kinds or families of type 
 that are especially adapted to advertising display do not, according 
 to some of the best authorities, exceed a dozen. Benjamin 
 Sherbow says that he has used hardly more than six in all his 
 work. Those that have found special favor are: 
 
 Caslon Old Style, Scotch Roman, Bookman or Antique, Chel- 
 tenham Bold and the Bodoni family. To these may be added 
 a very few others Kennerley, Cloister, Goudy and Goudy Bold, 
 
 65
 
 56 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 30 Point Scotch Roman 
 
 ADVERTISING 
 
 Advertising Knowle 
 
 24 Point Scotch Roman 
 
 ADVERTISING KN 
 
 Advertising Knowledge 
 
 18 Point Scotch Roman 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLE 
 
 Advertising Knowlege is acqui 
 
 12 Point Scotch Roman 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDGE IS ACQUI 
 
 Advertising Knowledge is acquired with years o
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 57 
 
 30 Point Cheltenham Bold 
 
 ADVERTISING KN 
 Advertising Knowled 
 
 24 Point Cheltenham Bold 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOW 
 Advertising Knowledge 
 
 18 Point Cheltenham Bold 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDG 
 
 Advertising Knowledge is acqui 
 
 12 Point Cheltenham Bold 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDGE IS ACQUIRE 
 Advertising Knowledge is acquired with years
 
 58 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 30 Point Bookman 
 
 ADVERTISING 
 Advertising Know 
 
 24 Point Bookman 
 
 ADVERTISING K 
 
 Advertising Knowle 
 
 18 Point Bookman 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLED 
 Advertising Knowledge is acqu 
 
 12 Point Bookman 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDGE IS ACQU 
 Advertising Knowledge is acquired with years o
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 59 
 
 30 Point Bodoni Bold 
 
 ADVERTISING KN 
 Advertising Knowled 
 
 24 Point Bodoni Bold 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWL 
 Advertising Knowledge is 
 
 18 Point Bodoni Bold 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDGE I 
 Advertising Knowledge is acquir 
 
 12 Point Bodoni Bold 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDGE IS ACQUIRED 
 Advertising Knowledge is acquired with years
 
 60 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 30 Point Caslon Old Style 
 
 ADVERTISING 
 
 Advertising Know 
 
 24 Point Caslon Old Style 
 
 ADVERTISING KN 
 Advertising Knowledg 
 
 18 Point Caslon Old Style 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLE 
 
 Advertising Knowledge is acqui 
 
 12 Point Caslon Old Style 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDGE IS ACQU 
 
 Advertising Knowledge is acquired with years o
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 61 
 
 30 Point Bodoni 
 
 ADVERTISING KNO 
 Advertising Knowledg 
 
 24 Point Bodoni 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLD 
 Advertising Knowledge is a 
 
 18 Point Bodoni 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDGE IS 
 Advertising Knowledge is acquired 
 
 12 Point Bodoni 
 
 ADVERTISING KNOWLEDGE IS ACQUIRED 
 Advertising Knowledge is acquired with years of e
 
 62 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Century Expanded and Century Bold, which are considerably 
 employed by successful advertisers. 
 
 The faces of type just mentioned differ so materially in 
 design that it is possible for the ad writer to find among them 
 faces that are adapted to almost any advertisement he may wish 
 to construct. Type, besides conveying thought through words, 
 can, through its shape or design, express refinement, strength, beauty, 
 dignity, and even humor. Therefore, by the exercise of proper 
 care in the choice of type, which someone has called " uncrystal- 
 lized thought," you can create almost any kind of an impression 
 you may desire. 
 
 In this connection it is well to bear in mind that the type should, 
 if possible, suggest by its physical appearance the character of 
 the article you are to exploit. For instance, in picking out a 
 suitable type for a jewelry advertisement we should choose an 
 artistic and refined face like Caslon or Scotch Roman because they 
 are suggestive of the creations of the gold and silver workers for 
 which we seek purchasers. On the other hand, neither of them 
 would be at all appropriate for a machinery advertisement 
 which naturally calls for a more vigorous face like Bookman 
 or a type of similar strength. 
 
 Cheltenham, one of the popular type faces among advertisers, 
 was designed a few years ago by Ingalls Kimball, of New York. 
 Cheltenham Bold is adapted to nearly every kind of display. 
 Its legibility and its peculiar adaptability to display are charac- 
 teristics that highly recommend its use to advertisers. 
 
 Caslon, although first cut in London over a hundred years ago, 
 is a face that is much favored to-day by printers who like an Old 
 Style face which, though heavier than some of the old models, is 
 yet light enough in design to be suitable for booklets, circulars, 
 programs and advertisements. It is a type possessing attractive 
 features that give distinction to all classes of printed matter in 
 the production of which it is employed. 
 
 Scotch Roman, of later origin, is considered one of the most 
 legible, precise and pictorially beautiful of modern faces, as 
 distinguished from the Old Style, that we have. 
 
 Century Expanded Roman, much employed in setting up news-
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 63 
 
 paper advertisements, contains no hair lines, is clear in design 
 and wears well whether used in type form or in plates. 
 
 We cannot at this time describe other kinds of type in general 
 use because of a lack of space. Those students who are suffici- 
 ently interested to pursue the subject further will find in the 
 public libraries and elsewhere the catalogs of type founders and 
 books on typography that will furnish all the information that 
 they may desire. 
 
 The kind of type with which we are most familiar is body 
 type that in which text matter in books, newspapers and mag- 
 azines is set. It was modeled after the letters used by the ancient 
 Romans in written manuscripts and in mural inscriptions, and is 
 known in the printing world by that name. All the faces used 
 in text matter in books and periodicals are Roman and are 
 classified as Old Style Roman and Modern Roman. The Old 
 Style of today closely resembles the real Old Style of long ago, 
 while the Modern resembles the style of letter cutting employed 
 subsequent to the introduction of the original Old Style. The 
 apparent difference between the two is that in Old Style there 
 is less shading while in Modern Roman some of the lines are 
 darker and stronger. 
 
 Type is sometimes classified as light face, like Caslon or Scotch; 
 monotone, like Bookman or Antique; and bold, like Cheltenham. 
 
 How Type Sizes Are Indicated. Formerly the sizes of type 
 were indicated by names. The smallest was known as brilliant 
 and the next as diamond. Then came pearl, agate, nonpareil, 
 minion, brevier, bourgeois, long primer, small pica, pica, etc. 
 As there was no fixed standard of sizes the type cast by the several 
 foundries did not agree in dimensions. Therefore it was almost 
 impossible to lock up together in a form brevier, or any other 
 size of type made by two or more type founders, because of this 
 variation, without spending much tune in "blacksmithing" 
 that is, in using bits of metal or pasteboard to fill up the spaces 
 between the type. 
 
 When, through the rapid increase in the use of printed matter 
 that followed the close of the Civil War, it became evident that 
 no one type-maker or group of type-makers could hope to 
 monopolize the business, the type-founders of the United States
 
 64 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 got together and adopted the Point System, which insured 
 absolute uniformity in casting the different sizes. Under this 
 system the measurements are based upon the seventy-two parts, 
 or points, into which an inch is divided. For instance, the type 
 formerly known as nonpareil is now called "6-point" or six 
 seventy-seconds of an inch; brevier is " 8-point " or eight seventy- 
 seconds of an inch, and pica is "12-point" or twelve seventy- 
 seconds of an inch, etc. A printer can to-day buy type from 
 any source and be certain that the sizes will be absolutely 
 identical. 
 
 How Type Is Measured. The em, which is the square of the 
 body of any size of type, is the unit of measurement in computing 
 the cost of composition, the dimensions of pages, or for indicating 
 the size of dashes, quads, spaces, etc. The en, which is half 
 the size of the body of any size of type, is used to designate the 
 size of quads, leaders, etc., as an en-leader, an en-quad, etc. 
 In line measurement the em of pica, 12-point is used. There are 
 6 ems pica to the inch. Therefore, a newspaper column 2^ 
 in. wide contains 13 ems pica. 
 
 One of the fundamental principles to be observed in selecting 
 type for advertisements is that it should be easy to read. That 
 is why fancy faces, those in which there are many fine straight 
 or curved lines, or in which art work is introduced, should be 
 avoided. Plain, clear type can be read by anyone who knows 
 the alphabet. You don't have to study it, as you would a 
 puzzle, to identify the letters. 
 
 Another principle that should be kept in mind is that in an 
 ordinary-sized advertisement not more than two or three, preferably 
 two faces, should be employed and these should harmonize with each 
 other. Advertisements containing half a dozen faces produce 
 a crazy-quilt effect upon the mind. They look spotty and 
 inharmonious. 
 
 The best examples of advertisements found in the newspapers 
 and current magazines owe their attractiveness to the use of one 
 or two kinds of type. There are so many different sizes, in- 
 cluding italic, of the same families that the printer is able to 
 produce any typographical effect he may choose through their 
 selection and grouping.
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 65 
 
 The Spirit of New England 
 
 THE prosperity of present-day New original Plymouth settlers, who bought 
 England is due in no small mcas- up in seven years all the stciek in the 
 intinuanccof this old spirit London Company which financed the 
 
 of the bootmakers of Boston. The 
 policy of "good work and pride in it" 
 
 ilony. 
 
 New England's reputation for stabil- 
 ity and integrity has led many non- 
 
 with the Old Colony Trust Company, 
 a practice which has decided advantag 
 
 for Lynn, Brockton, Havcrhill, Boston, 
 Manchester, Auburn and Lcwiston. 
 So that today over half the nation is 
 shod by New England. 
 
 Not only in the shoe industry, but explained in our booklet, ** 
 in other lines, the outstanding feature '/>- </ ll'ilh", mailed on reque 
 is soundness, and investors the country Come to New England for the Tc 
 
 over are appreciative of this quality in centenary of the Pilgrims' Landing- 
 New England industries a heritage of and make this Company's office your 
 the old "paymem-m-fuH" spirit of the banking headquarters. 
 
 In typography, in the choice of illustration, in the character of the arrange- 
 ment and in general design this advertisement of the Old Colony Trust Company 
 satisfies the requirements for the highest type of advertising.
 
 66 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 z 
 
 n c 
 
 IN BRASS 
 
 A combination of zinc and copper gives mankind a wonderful metal 
 enduring, rust-resisting, decorative, workable adapted to a thousand 
 uses where no other metal would serve. This metal is brass. 
 
 The sign on your office entrance, the hardware on the doors, the 
 fittings in your car, the andirons in your home, the bronze statue on 
 your mantle, the bed you sleep in, indicate the variety of ways in which 
 it contributes to your many needs. 
 
 Zinc for brass has long been an important product of this Company. 
 The slab zinc from our Franklin ores, is the purest commercial metal 
 in the world, and insures the durability and working properties that 
 manufacturers of high-grade brass products demand. 
 
 We have been producing zinc for more than 70 years. Our sources 
 of supply, facilities and organization are such that we are able to supply 
 all industries with the kind and quality of zinc they require. 
 
 THE NEW JERSEY ZINC COMPANY, 160 fr**i Smtt, NW York 
 
 ESTABLISHED <! 
 
 CHICAGO Mintral Poini Zinc Company, Mil Minprttc Building 
 
 PITTSBURGH: Tht Nt Jcory Ziiw Co. (of Pi I, 14i9 Oli.tr Buildinj 
 
 Mam/Mlnnr, ./ Zi<- Or/*, .%/, (SpilHr), Sf,r e ,/mn, Lillafiru, Sulfliurit 
 
 Jliul. KillrJ 2ni Slripi tnd flam, Ziitr Dult. Hall Cair and Ziiri Ckltndl 
 
 The world's standard For Zinc productl 
 
 New Jersey' 
 
 zinc 
 
 In the New Jersey Zinc ad the text is the thing. The story it tells is interesting 
 and instructive. It is set in Caslon, with wide margins of white space, and looks 
 inviting to the reader.
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 67 
 
 Elements of Display. Type is only one of the elements em- 
 ployed in display, the purpose of which is to bring out the most 
 important facts of an advertisement and secure for each its full 
 attention value. The others are borders, illustrations, and gray 
 and white space. 
 
 HOW fortunate it is for us 
 that the men who founded 
 this business, set out with the 
 simple idea of trying to build the 
 best car of its class in the world. 
 
 That clear-cut determination 
 has led us to adopt policies 
 which are careful and consci- 
 entious, and manufacturing 
 principles which are sound and 
 substantial. 
 
 The net result has been a most 
 unusual and cordial relation 
 between ourselves and our public- 
 based on the confidence which 
 people have learned to place in the 
 Hupmobile and in the company 
 which builds it. 
 
 The ninety words in the above Hupmobile advertisement, set in Caslon Old 
 Style, occupied a full page in the Saturday Evening Post. Without display 
 type, an illustration or even a name plate, the good will message they carry im- 
 presses itself upon the mind of the reader. Each word of this ad represents an 
 investment of nearly $67.
 
 68 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Display has been defined as a logical arrangement of copy for 
 the purpose of making things plain, for attracting attention, for 
 emphasis and for interpretation. It depends for its success upon 
 contrast. Contrast is marked dissimilarity. In a group of 
 several articles the one which, because of its size, shape, color, or 
 character, differs most widely from the others, is most conspicu- 
 ous. In display we try to construct advertisements in such a 
 way that they will stand out conspicuously upon the page on 
 which they appear. The principal elements of contrast used in 
 display are black and white, big and little, 
 far and near, and different faces of type. 
 
 Value of White Space. It seems an ano- 
 maly but it is a fact that white space is often 
 more valuable than the other elements of 
 display in attracting attention. An ideal 
 display would be a single word in the center 
 of a blank newspaper or magazine page. 
 The white space by which it is surrounded 
 concentrates attention upon the word. The 
 eye finds no resting place until it sees it. 
 When you add another word the attention is 
 divided between the two. The more words 
 you place in the space the more minutely 
 divided becomes the attention value of each 
 individual word. 
 
 White space, judiciously apportioned, gives 
 to the display lines or the paragraphs of an 
 advertisement greater prominence. It fur- 
 nishes peaks upon which the eye can rest in 
 traversing the page and makes it easier for 
 the reader to absorb the message of the text. 
 You should never completely fill with type 
 the space devoted to the advertisement for it 
 needs breathing-space on all sides in order 
 that its full value may be brought out. You 
 have seen advertisements, no doubt, so 
 crowded with type that they looked uncom- 
 fortable. You did not stop to find out what 
 
 Go to your favorite shop today 
 and ask them to show you the 
 three taffeta frocks as designed 
 especially by Peggy Paige lor 
 Peggy Paige Oreaa Week. . 
 The charm of your youth and 
 beauty will be enhanced .in 
 
 If your favorite shop haa not 
 been fortunate enough to have 
 secured the exdulive tale of 
 dresses fashioned by Peggy 
 Paige, write ua for name of 
 local dealer and at the same 
 time we will send you our 
 illustrated Styta Book. A* 
 dress Dept B, 
 
 PEGGY PAIGE 
 
 Nor York C*j 
 
 Oddity of size and 
 shape and oddity of 
 display type in adver- 
 tisements have a cer- 
 tain desirable value 
 provided they are not 
 carried too far or ap- 
 pear too often.
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 69 
 
 they were about because they were uninviting in appearance. 
 All things considered the advertisement that is most certain 
 to put its message across is the one that is typographically easy 
 to read. 
 
 Type Colors. The advertisement writer must study the use 
 of black, white and gray in order to give the right typographical 
 tone to his work. Too much black type gives a somber, funereal 
 appearance to the advertisement. The use of too much very 
 light faced type makes it look characterless and insipid. Leaded 
 
 DRINK 
 
 AND 
 
 ENJOY 
 
 Maximum display in minimum space. 
 
 matter gives a gray effect to the page. In order to impart to the 
 advertisement the proper tone color we should, if possible, know 
 the tone color of the other advertisements that are to appear 
 on the same page with it. If they have a black effect then our 
 advertisement should be light in tone so that it will win attention 
 through contrast. A space filled with small type, producing a 
 gray tone is often effective if adjacent to advertisements set 
 in bold face type. 
 
 About Borders. A border is the frame of the advertisement. 
 It pulls its several parts together and gives it physical unity and 
 individuality. A border has also been compared to a fence that 
 keeps the neighbors from encroaching upon our property. A 
 border is not an absolute necessity, its employment depending 
 upon the character of the display. In fact, type well squared 
 has a border value of its own and often shows to greater advan-
 
 70 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 tage through contrast with surrounding advertisements in which 
 borders are used. Nine-tenths of all the national advertisers 
 favor borders for advertisements occupying less than a page, 
 but drop them in full pages. 
 
 SETH THOMAS 
 
 'E are careful that the 
 name SETH THOMAS 
 is placed only on clocks 
 possessing flawless median- 
 ism, accurate adjustment and 
 precision of balance. <"*s> 
 Clocks of less perfection '^D 
 would not be worthy of such 
 a time -honored name 
 
 An example of hand lettering that wins attention because of its legibility and 
 refinement. Although the advertisement contains only a few words of text the 
 reader gets from them a distinct idea of the reliability and high-class character 
 of clocks bearing itfl name of Seth Thomas. 
 
 Borders and rules are furnished by type-founders in endless 
 variety. They are made on the Point System, whether plain or 
 ornamental. Plain brass rule borders are to be had in various 
 sizes from 3^-point to 12-point and even greater thickness. Those 
 most frequently employed are^-point, 1-point, 1^-point, 2-point, 
 3-point, 4-point, 6-point, and 12-point, the faces being solid 
 black.
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 
 
 71 
 
 Some pleasing border effects are produced by placing a heavy 
 and a light rule together. Ornamental borders frequently add 
 greatly to the attractiveness of an advertisement, especially when 
 
 To 27 Men 
 
 MORE than 350.000 will read 
 this morning's Times. 
 
 We want to reach only twenty- 
 seven men. 
 
 These twenty -seven men are 
 vitally interested in buying sugar 
 mills and engines for cane-sugar 
 plants in Cuba. 
 
 We want them to find out why 
 they should buy Hamilton Sugar 
 Mills and Engines. 
 
 The men who design and build 
 Hamilton Sugar Mills and Engines 
 built Henry Ford's 60,000 h. p. 
 power plant in Detroit and he put 
 it in a glass case and set it on the 
 sidewalk for the whole world to 
 see that it was good. 
 
 They built marine engines for 
 the Emergency Fleet Corporation.- 
 and while others previously had 
 taken six weeks to cast and machine 
 one cylinder, these men built/bur 
 
 complete 2800 n. p. marine engine*, 
 a week and they, too, were good 
 
 They have built thousands of 
 power plants for many industries 
 throughout the United States 
 and engine Number One, built in 
 1882. is still in perfect running 
 order, though it Jras passed through 
 a fire and a flood. 
 
 Best ef all, they have built com- 
 plete sugar -mill equipment for 
 many Cuban "Centrals." They 
 have proved, by actual grinding 
 through big crop seasons, that 
 Hamilton Sugar Mills extract the 
 highest possible amount . of juice 
 from the greatest feed of cane at s 
 cost that is small consistent with 
 the sure, steady, continuous results 
 and economical efficiency of 
 operation. 
 
 Each of these twenty-seven men 
 can get fullconstructiondetailsfroro 
 our illustrated catalog. 
 
 THE HOOVEN, OWENS, RENTSCHLER CO 
 
 tSTAKJSHUM 
 
 Hamilton. Ohio. U. & A. New York Office: 39 Cortlandt Street 
 
 Cc in mo* large citiw Representative in Ojba. Martial Facio,Obr[>i 23. Hav 
 
 Set in Scotch Roman this advertisement shows what can be done with plain 
 type and white space in securing effective display. The arrangement of the 
 text in double column form, the use of short, leaded paragraphs and a direct 
 address headline, make a combination that is strongly attractive. 
 
 it occupies fairly large space. The best of those appearing in the 
 magazines and big city newspapers are hand-drawn by high 
 class commercial artists who specialize upon such work.
 
 72 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 In such cases the borders not only furnish an artistic frame 
 for the advertisements but serve to strengthen their appeal 
 through the clever introduction of figures, illustrations or sug- 
 gestions relating to the articles exploited. A Wrigley Chew- 
 
 OFF1CERS 
 
 GERHARD M. OAHL 
 
 Prnfljc* 
 
 LINDSAY RUSSELL 
 ChtrnUM. Board of Dirteforl 
 AUGUST LMONT Mai 
 
 eUGBNB C. WORDEN 
 
 SmctirT 
 DOUGLAS L. DUNBAR 
 
 AIM. 10 Prctldcnl 
 OSCAR E. RILBY H<>< 
 
 BANKERS TRUST CO. 
 
 H ami I to 
 
 Gerard Swopc 
 
 Jacob H. Schiff 1 
 Herbert S. Houi.o* 
 
 wfftffm 
 
 0*o J Baldwin 
 JttmMlLUorM 
 
 Wm'.'m North DoSM 
 
 R. Ichlnomiy* 
 
 Dr. Jokichi TakmniM 
 
 Hon. El'bert H P G*ry 
 
 " Called "The Gem 
 of the World" 
 
 NO traveler to Japan should miss a trip through 
 the Inland Sea. Rich as Japan a in scenic beauty, 
 the natural grandeur of this fairy waterway excels all 
 eke. 240 miles from East to West and from 3 to 30 
 miles from North to South its four channels com- 
 municate with the outer sea. 
 
 The. shores of granite rock are splashed with gaily 
 colored flowers. The islands which dot the basin 
 contain many beautiful parks, all the highest examples 
 of the Japanese landscape gardener's art. The 
 waters of the Inland Sea, usually smooth as a 
 mirror, contain more than one hundred varieties 
 of fish. 
 
 An ever-changing panorama of scenic beauty delights 
 'the traveler. The Sacred Island of Miyajima with its 
 great Torii Gate rising from the water to a height of 
 
 numerous side trips about the islands for those who 
 wish a more extended tour than that offered by the 
 main line steamships. Numerous ferries and launches 
 provide transportation and overnight accommodations 
 may be had in the native inns. 
 
 Japan through the Japan Society, an organization of 
 1400 Americans, which places at your disposal its 
 Trade, Travel, Service. News and Publication De- 
 partments and its Trade Bulletin, 
 
 How may we serve you ? 
 
 Japan Society 
 
 <OrMixcd 1907) 
 
 165 Broadway New York 
 
 Simplicity and quiet charm characterize this Japan Society advertisement. It 
 wins attention by its illustration and the reader's interest is aroused by well 
 written text. 
 
 ing Gum ad, occupying an entire page, had for its border small 
 pictures of packages of gum printed in colors. In a highly 
 artistic design one that challenges attention because of its 
 beauty or its ingenious character there is danger that it will 
 so dominate the advertisement itself that the reader will over-
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 
 
 73 
 
 look the text and entirely miss its message. The same thing 
 happens in the use of illustrations. If they are strikingly beauti- 
 
 '"Best in the Long Ttun 
 
 MANY motorists think 
 that the outer casing 
 holds the air. But it doesrit! 
 It holds the tube which holds 
 the air. And the quality of 
 the tube spells the value of 
 the tire in service. 
 
 The safest economy is to 
 equip with Goodrich Red 
 Inner Tubes in the first place. 
 
 INNER 
 TUBES 
 
 TV a F. GooJmh Xubter OM0M Mm** Ohi 
 Makers of Ike SIIVIATOWM Card Tin 
 
 Hand lettering is used to advantage in this Goodrich ad. The wide white 
 Bpace surrounding the reading matter throws the advertisement into promi- 
 nence and greatly enhances its attention value. 
 
 ful or unusual but do not directly relate to the article that is 
 being exploited, they absorb so much of the reader's attention 
 that little is left for the story in the text.
 
 74 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 PV6UU -JttXlKli-ra.UUJEU'BlA. TteSUAY I1UB51AU. AlAit'Blf 3. 
 
 5Sg. i r;r WANAMAKER-S -.< 
 
 WANAMAKER-S = 
 
 WANAMAKER'S 
 
 At Wanamaker's Where the Great Furniture Sale Is 
 
 Welcome to the Guests of the 
 Summer Resorts 
 
 100 Women's Summer Drexe* 
 
 .^^ 
 
 Speci*.IIyPriced Waists 
 
 Women's Fine Fashion Pumps 
 J^lsiUy Priced it $12 
 
 ^&^5sSJ5SiiBS^.Ti 
 
 Many Men Need 
 
 New Summer 
 
 Suits 
 
 Men's Panaro; 
 i - Hats at $5 
 
 Diamond Jewelry 
 
 Women's Terry 
 
 Bathrobes 
 
 Whh Good Soap 
 
 5 jr,irT.*! 
 
 An August Rug Sale in Which You Can 
 
 Get Genuinely Fine Rugs for 
 
 Low Prices 
 
 Orlett*! nun. sbuiotnl ooonetk ran. Snrjma ML 
 **eei n* rocs. >e*se. Kre no*, il an O4.U 
 
 BI.rt.-Gn...> Wntm 
 
 ufiM.i'.:u 
 
 "Only One Way to Realize What a 
 
 Marvelous Thing Is This August 
 
 Furniture Sale 
 
 Come In and See the Goods! 
 
 The best furniture sale from your point of view Is the 
 sale that has the furniture you want at the lowest price* that 
 ary one who values real quality and real economy is safe in 
 paying.. 
 
 This Is the Sale 
 
 This is the sale for people who want to feel certain about 
 the quality of the furniture they buy and who want to feel 
 equally certain about the genuineness of the economy they 
 effect in the buying of it- 
 
 . The Wanamaker Furniture Sale has always been essen- 
 tially and pre-eminently the sale of real quality and real 
 economy. 
 
 Today, more than ever, it fives up to that description. 
 
 The finest furniture made in America and some, of the 
 finest pieces made in Europe are here in an assortment with- 
 out a rival either in America or Europe. 
 
 There is not a maker of nne furniture in the country who. 
 js not anxious to have his goods on these floors. 
 
 The stock* as you see them represent the pick and 
 choice of the oytput of the best shops in the land, and, no- 
 doubtedly. they look it 
 
 It is not only a pleasure to go through them, but some- 
 thing of an education also. 
 
 The beauty of them, tho fineness of the woodsmithing. 
 the charm of the desi#i$ and theclevemess and skillof inte- 
 rior and exterior cabinet craft are an impressive object les- 
 son on the marvelous development that has taken place in 
 the art of home furnishing in America within comparatively 
 recent years. 
 
 The one factor above all others responsible for this erer- 
 rising standard is the Wanamaker Furniture Sale, 
 
 It has spread the light regardingfurniture qualities, . ? :ir- 
 niture beauties and furniture values.. And it must meet the 
 Dew demand resulting from the newer knowledge of furni- 
 ture and the furnishing arts as no other sale can meet them, 
 because the people have made it the greatest sale of any kind 
 in the world, and they must have good reason for doing so. 
 The Three Chief Division* 
 
 The Fifth Floor with all Its lovely and luxurious p(cw for tMnf 
 
 The Sixth Floor contains a wonderful a<rraire of bedroom and 
 dining-room E uita ranging all th way from the good -looting and 
 : AfUm reproduction* 
 
 ta Urrt r. 
 
 ,ony of them charm. 
 
 The wicker furniture is shown In fine amplitude on the Svi 
 Floor. All our furniture It in the Hie, and price* Iv to 50 per c 
 leaathan regular. 
 
 . 
 
 n novel and exc! uti ve l*.y la, 
 
 The wicker furniture is ahown In fine a 
 
 A typical full-page Wanamaker ad set in Century Expanded Roman. Note 
 the attractive arrangement of the text matter and the free use of informative 
 headlines. Wanamaker's ads are always interesting because they are written 
 with that end in view.
 
 PUTTING THE ADVERTISEMENT INTO TYPE 75 
 
 Type is set solid or leaded. Leads are strips of metal varying 
 in thickness from 1-point to 6-point, which are inserted between 
 the lines of type, the amount of leading depending upon the 
 character of the advertisement. 
 
 Very small type, such as 5- and 6-point, should not be leaded 
 more than 1-point; 8-point type does not require more than 
 2-point leads. In using the larger faces heavier leads can be 
 employed. For instance, in 18-point type, 6-point slugs are 
 used if a very open appearance is desired. The advantages 
 derived from leading are that in separating the lines of type the 
 white space makes the type easier to read, and gives the text a 
 more inviting appearance. In farm papers and mail order 
 publications the text matter of the advertisement is often set 
 solid, the object being to crowd into the space as much informa- 
 tion about the product as possible. In other mediums leads are 
 generally employed. 
 
 Common sense is as much a necessity in achieving success in 
 advertising as in any other business. A knowledge of technique 
 is, of course, necessary, but unless it is employed with good 
 judgment and a fair understanding of what constitutes good 
 taste, any campaign, no matter how extensive it may be, may 
 fail to produce the results for which it was undertaken. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. Upon what does the effectiveness of an advertisement largely depend? 
 
 2. Name the families of type that are most popular with advertisers. 
 
 3. What can type express through its shape or design? 
 
 4. What type would you use in a jewelry advertisement? 
 6. What is meant by " bold face? " 
 
 6. How are the sizes of type indicated? 
 
 7. How is type composition measured? 
 
 8. What two principles should be kept in mind in selecting type for an 
 advertisement ? 
 
 9. What are the elements of display? 
 
 10. How does white space add to the strength of an advertisement? 
 
 11. What effect do leads have upon the color of a page? 
 
 12. For what purposes are borders employed?
 
 
 SIZES OF TYPE SOLID 
 
 INCHES 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 1 
 
 69 
 
 47 
 
 38 
 
 32 
 
 28 
 
 21 
 
 17 
 
 14 
 
 2 
 
 138 
 
 94 
 
 76 
 
 64 
 
 56 
 
 42 
 
 34 
 
 28 
 
 4 
 
 276 
 
 188 
 
 152 
 
 128 
 
 112 
 
 84 
 
 68 
 
 56 
 
 6 
 
 414 
 
 282 
 
 228 
 
 192 
 
 168 
 
 126 
 
 102 
 
 84 
 
 8 
 
 552 
 
 376 
 
 304 
 
 256 
 
 224 
 
 168 
 
 136 
 
 112 
 
 10 
 
 690 
 
 470 
 
 380 
 
 320 
 
 280 
 
 210 
 
 170 
 
 140 
 
 12 
 
 828 
 
 564 
 
 456 
 
 384 
 
 336 
 
 252 
 
 204 
 
 168 
 
 14 
 
 966 
 
 658 
 
 532 
 
 448 
 
 392 
 
 294 
 
 238 
 
 196 
 
 16 
 
 1104 
 
 752 
 
 608 
 
 512 
 
 448 
 
 336 
 
 272 
 
 224 
 
 18 
 
 1242 
 
 846 
 
 684 
 
 576 
 
 504 
 
 378 
 
 306 
 
 252 
 
 20 
 
 1380 
 
 940 
 
 760 
 
 640 
 
 560 
 
 420 
 
 340 
 
 280 
 
 22 
 
 1518 
 
 1034 
 
 836 
 
 704 
 
 616 
 
 462 
 
 374 
 
 308 
 
 24 
 
 1656 
 
 1128 
 
 912 
 
 768 
 
 672 
 
 504 
 
 408 
 
 336 
 
 26 
 
 1794 
 
 1222 
 
 988 
 
 832 
 
 728 
 
 546 
 
 442 
 
 364 
 
 28 
 
 1932 
 
 1346 
 
 1064 
 
 896 
 
 784 
 
 588 
 
 476 
 
 392 
 
 80 
 
 2070 
 
 1410 
 
 1140 
 
 960 
 
 840 
 
 630 
 
 510 
 
 420 
 
 32 
 
 2208 
 
 1504 
 
 1216 
 
 1024 
 
 896 
 
 672 
 
 544 
 
 448 
 
 84 
 
 2346 
 
 1598 
 
 1292 
 
 1088 
 
 952 
 
 714 
 
 578 
 
 476 
 
 86 
 
 2484 
 
 1692 
 
 1368 
 
 1152 
 
 1008 
 
 756 
 
 612 
 
 504 
 
 
 SQUARE 
 
 SIZES or TYPE LEADED with 2-point leads 
 
 INCHES 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 POINT 
 
 1 
 
 50 
 
 34 
 
 27 
 
 23 
 
 21 
 
 16 
 
 14 
 
 11 
 
 2 
 
 100 
 
 68 
 
 54 
 
 46 
 
 42 
 
 32 
 
 28 
 
 22 
 
 4 
 
 200 
 
 136 
 
 108 
 
 92 
 
 84 
 
 64 
 
 56 
 
 44 
 
 6 
 
 300 
 
 204 
 
 162 
 
 138 
 
 126 
 
 96 
 
 84 
 
 66 
 
 8 
 
 400 
 
 272 
 
 216 
 
 184 
 
 168 
 
 128 
 
 112 
 
 88 
 
 10 
 
 500 
 
 340 
 
 270 
 
 230 
 
 210 
 
 160 
 
 140 
 
 110 
 
 12 
 
 600 
 
 408 
 
 324 
 
 276 
 
 252 
 
 192 
 
 168 
 
 132 
 
 14 
 
 700 
 
 476 
 
 378 
 
 322 
 
 294 
 
 224 
 
 196 
 
 154 
 
 16 
 
 800 
 
 544 
 
 432 
 
 368 
 
 336 
 
 256 
 
 224 
 
 176 
 
 18 
 
 900 
 
 612 
 
 486 
 
 414 
 
 378 
 
 288 
 
 252 
 
 198 
 
 20 
 
 1000 
 
 680 
 
 540 
 
 460 
 
 420 
 
 320 
 
 280 
 
 220 
 
 22 
 
 1100 
 
 748 
 
 594 
 
 506 
 
 462 
 
 352 
 
 308 
 
 242 
 
 24 
 
 1200 
 
 816 
 
 648 
 
 552 
 
 504 
 
 384 
 
 336 
 
 264 
 
 26 
 
 1300 
 
 884 
 
 702 
 
 598 
 
 546 
 
 416 
 
 364 
 
 286 
 
 28 
 
 1400 
 
 952 
 
 756 
 
 644 
 
 588 
 
 448 
 
 392 
 
 308 
 
 30 
 
 1500 
 
 1020 
 
 810 
 
 690 
 
 630 
 
 480 
 
 420 
 
 330 
 
 32 
 
 1600 
 
 1088 
 
 864 
 
 736 
 
 672 
 
 512 
 
 448 
 
 352 
 
 34 
 
 1700 
 
 1156 
 
 918 
 
 782 
 
 714 
 
 544 
 
 476 
 
 374 
 
 36 
 
 1800 
 
 1224 
 
 972 
 
 828 
 
 756 
 
 576 
 
 504 
 
 396 
 
 Table for ascertaining the number of words to square inches. Use of this table in lay- 
 ing out booklets and catalogs will not only save time but will minimize the chance of a 
 miscalculation.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 ADVANTAGES OF COLOR IN ADVERTISING 
 
 The use of color in advertising has become so popular among 
 national distributors of merchandise and its value so generally 
 recognized that it is important that you should give the subject 
 careful consideration. It is a well-known fact that everybody, 
 from the baby in its mother's arms to the old man whose race is 
 nearly run, loves color. The primitive savage and the highest 
 type of civilized man are attracted by it. Through its prodigal 
 employment Nature has made the world a vista of enchanting 
 beauty. It is because of this universal appeal of color that 
 advertisers have found it a powerful means for influencing the 
 buying public. 
 
 Color Valuable in Three Ways. Color is valuable in advertis- 
 ing in three ways: First, for attracting attention; second, in 
 presenting the characteristic features of an article which will 
 impress and influence the buyer; and, third, in reproducing the 
 exact appearance of the containers in which the article is sold. 
 
 We have already seen how typographical display and illustra- 
 tions have increased the attention value of advertising matter by 
 introducing the element of contrast. By the addition of color 
 both of these factors have been raised to the highest degree of 
 effectiveness in their power of appeal. 
 
 The magazine publishers were among the first to discover the 
 pulling force of color when they began using it on their front 
 covers. The immediate result was the stimulation of news-stand 
 sales. Advertisers quickly saw the advantages to be gained by 
 the employment of color in their own announcements on the back 
 pages of these periodicals, and it was not long before they were 
 given the privilege of using it. Although a much higher rate 
 was charged in some cases double what they had paid before 
 they considered it a good investment on account of the unusual 
 
 77
 
 78 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 attention their advertisements received from the public and the 
 big increase in sales that followed their appearance. 
 
 Colored Inserts. The demand for back cover pages soon 
 became so great that it far exceeded the supply. Then the 
 publishers introduced the use of colored inserts, so-called because 
 they were printed or lithographed on coated paper by concerns 
 specializing in that kind of work, and tipped in the magazine 
 when it was being bound. During the last few years color 
 printing has been perfected to such a degree that the weekly 
 magazines now print advertisements in several colors on their 
 regular presses. The effects secured in this way on calendered 
 paper are almost as good as when they were struck off on coated 
 paper on slower presses. 
 
 High-grade Art Work Necessary. In preparing magazine 
 advertisements that are to be printed in colors too much stress 
 cannot be laid upon the importance of having the design and 
 illustrations prepared by high-class artists. The cost of color 
 printing and of space in the best periodicals is so great that it is a 
 waste of money to use second-class art work. Color will not make 
 a poorly drawn picture or cheap-looking typographical layout 
 effective, but it will enormously increase the attention value of 
 high-grade illustrations and artistically arranged type displays. 
 
 Effectiveness of Color Advertising. Before discussing the 
 technical principles involved in the employment of color let us 
 consider some of the practical advantages to be derived from its 
 use. One of the best examples of its superior sales compelling 
 force when applied to advertising is to be found in the experience 
 of a Chicago mail order house that brought out two catalogs which 
 were precisely alike except that one was printed in colors and 
 the other in black and white. When the results were checked 
 up a few months later it was discovered that the one printed in 
 colors had produced fifteen times as many sales as the one in 
 black and white. 
 
 The advertising manager of the largest manufacturer of 
 cameras and photographic materials in the United States has 
 stated that color, in conjunction with position, is worth all it 
 costs in popularizing photography. 
 
 The head of one of New York's most important advertising
 
 ADVANTAGES OF COLOR IN ADVERTISING 79 
 
 agencies has said that " colors are of tremendous value in ad- 
 vertising when applied in the right way. But their mission is 
 arbitrary. They appeal to the vision. Their greatest value 
 maybe their only value in commercial advertising is to visualize 
 attractively, or graphically, or both." 
 
 Earnest Elmo Calkins, the author of the " Business of Adver- 
 tising, " declares that "only a few kinds of advertising demand 
 color as such. It is the innate appeal of color itself rather than 
 its specific use that makes a selling appeal. Most color advertis- 
 ing is done largely to get a preferred position on the back of a 
 magazine, and then, having such a position, which has a certain 
 poster opportunity, to make an advertisement in color that will 
 have a long distance appeal." 
 
 The advertising manager of a prominent silverware manu- 
 facturing company asserts that he gets better results from the 
 use of black and white in advertising the company's products, 
 but admits he has found colors to be of great value in creating 
 the atmosphere of the Colonial period in which the silverware was 
 first produced. 
 
 What Color Does. Color gives more snap, more vitality and 
 more persuasion to the advertising appeal. It has the same effect 
 upon the eye as music has upon the ear. Harmony in color is 
 analogous to harmony in sound. Color enables the advertiser 
 to present the physical characteristics of his merchandise. It is 
 especially useful in advertising fruit, vegetables and other food 
 products. How much more attractive, for instance, is an illus- 
 tration showing a glass dish filled with ripe red strawberries or 
 luscious yellow peaches, when printed in the colors that Nature 
 gave them under sunny summer skies, than when printed in cold, 
 black and white. 
 
 Compare the photograph of a young woman with a portrait 
 painted in color and note the difference. The first is lifeless and 
 flat. There is nothing about it that stirs the emotions. The 
 second, on the other hand, presents in an impressive way the 
 physical charms of the original. You note the glow of youthful 
 color in her cheeks, the dark blue of her eyes, and the golden 
 sheen of her hair, and from them you obtain an accurate idea 
 of just how she looks in the flesh. If you were given the choice
 
 80 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 of ownership of one of the pictures you would unhesitatingly take 
 the painting. 
 
 The National Biscuit Company's early use of color in its 
 poster advertising, the purpose of which was to familiarize the 
 public with the Uneeda Biscuit package, was a strong factor in 
 creating sales for that product. The purple wrapper with its 
 white lettering and the Inner Seal trademark on the ends were 
 so faithfully reproduced on billboards all over the country that 
 persons who could not read had no difficulty in identifying the 
 package on the grocers' shelves. 
 
 By the use of color wall paper manufacturers are able to show 
 the possibilities of their goods for decorative purposes by means 
 of photographic reproductions of the walls of various rooms 
 that are covered with the different patterns of paper they 
 produce. 
 
 Weavers of carpets and rugs, and manufacturers of silk, cotton 
 and woolen fabrics can, through the employment of color, give 
 the trade a correct idea of their quality and appearance. Manu- 
 facturers of clothing for men and women have found it invaluable 
 in arousing and sustaining an interest in their goods. The rail- 
 roads have greatly increased their tourist travel by presenting in 
 natural colors the beautiful scenes of mountains and lakes 
 along their several routes. 
 
 How Colors Aid Salesmen. Traveling salesmen representing 
 some lines of business now carry photographs of the merchandise 
 they handle printed in color, thus saving heavy baggage and 
 express charges on sample trunks, and the rent of sample rooms 
 in hotels. These photographs reproduce the appearance of the 
 articles so accurately that in the case of textiles the merchant 
 can obtain from them a correct impression of all their character- 
 istics except those that are only revealed through the sense of 
 touch. 
 
 Colors are also employed to show the grain of the different 
 kinds of wood used in the manufacture of furniture. Manu- 
 facturers of cash registers, phonographs and pianos have found 
 that the application of colors to the illustrations in their catalogs 
 and booklets has helped sales, because from them the prospective 
 buyer can get as accurate an idea of how they look as he would if
 
 ADVANTAGES OF COLOR IN ADVERTISING 
 
 81 
 
 FAIRY SHIP borne upon -waves of 
 foam. ..The Fairy Queen commander... Upon 
 the prow her willing crew unfurls the brilliant 
 star-clad sail. . . Pearls in great ropes and 
 jewels priceless hang o'er the stde...and in the 
 hold a cargo fraught with charm. ..The winds, 
 
 hed with fragrance rare, cling to the Fairy 
 Ship. ..as if to test the beauty held within. 
 
 Thus we may well ascribe the charm of 
 c Djer-KiiS, brought to you from Ft 
 pcrfec honed* smartness. 
 
 The full beauty of this artistic creation can only be appreciated when seen in 
 the brilliant colors 1 of the original Djer-Kiss advertisement which appeared in 
 several high-class magazines and theater programs. 
 6
 
 82 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 In the rich colors of the original this advertisement was a work of art. While 
 admiring the beauty of the young woman and the lusciousness of the fruit you 
 are not allowed to forget that it is an advertisement of Adams' Gum.
 
 ADVANTAGES OF COLOR IN ADVERTISING 83 
 
 The Wesson Oil people found this advertisement, when printed in colors, one of 
 the most appealing and resultful they have yet published.
 
 84 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 WILSON 
 
 MAM 
 
 THIS picture is from 
 an actual photograph. 
 It shows the quality that is 
 "Certified" in these hams. 
 
 We can certiiij it be- 
 cause we -select the hams, 
 give them our slow, mild 
 cure and smoke them to 
 the last touch of perfec- 
 tion in flavor. 
 
 CERTIFIED" quality 
 \^r means hams that cook 
 better, slice in tender, 
 tempting style wafer- 
 thin or as thick as you 
 like and have a flavor 
 that is unapproachable. 
 
 We will be glad to send you free 
 a copy of "Wilson's Meat Cook- 
 ery" our book showing how to 
 buy and cook meats economically. 
 
 Address Wilson & Co., Deft. 1143, Chicago 
 
 C7 
 
 The artist's work on the picture of the ham in the original of this Wilson ad- 
 vertisement was so well done that when reproduced in natural colors the slices 
 looked like the real thing and made a strong appeal to the appetite.
 
 ADVANTAGES OF COLOR IN ADVERTISING 
 
 85 
 
 DEPENDABILITY 
 
 ATLAS-WHITE 
 for the finish coat of stucco can 
 be depended upon for the purest, 
 permanent white when used with 
 white sand alone: and for highest 
 accentuation of color tones when 
 used with color aggregates one 
 of the reasons why so many 
 eminent architects specify Atlas. 
 
 THE ATLAS PORTLAND CEMENT 
 COMPANY 
 
 The illustration in the original advertisement was printed in warm, contrasting 
 colors which threw into relief the white front wall of the quaint old house and 
 emphasized the value of Atlas White.
 
 86 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 How to keep Bread fresher 
 
 YOUR bread can't keep "fresh" even 
 for a day in a stale bread box. Mere 
 scalding with hot water is not 'enough. 
 
 A tablcspoonful of Gold Dust t 
 of hot water takes wonderful ear 
 Boxes because- Cold Dust e 
 every tiny particle of grease in 
 nits. And, very imferMtu, it 
 pletcly. Now staid with hot 
 sun, il possible. 
 
 With this simple Gold Dust treatment you 
 never need -worry about stale or "mouldy" 
 bread boxes. And your "staff of lite" needs 
 the best of care, doesn't it? 
 
 tn do your work 1 
 
 In this advertisement, occupying a full page in women's magazines and printed 
 in color, some of the many uses of Gold Dust are demonstrated in illustrations. 
 The package itself is prominently displayed. The text supplies additional in- 
 formation that stimulates interest in the product.
 
 ADVANTAGES OF COLOR IN ADVERTISING 87 
 
 he visited the factory or the agent's warerooms hundreds of 
 miles away. 
 
 The dry-goods dealer, the glove manufacturer, the corset 
 maker and the ribbon weaver can show his goods in all the hues 
 ,of the rainbow. In truth there seems to be no end of the articles 
 that can be exploited to advantage through the use of color. 
 
 As women are more susceptible to the refinements of color 
 than men they are more easily attracted and influenced by it. 
 This is why in the high-class women's publications color is so 
 generally employed in the advertisements of women's wearing 
 apparel, millinery and toilet accessories. Psychologists tell us 
 that color is emotional rather than intellectual in its appeal. 
 This perhaps accounts for its effect upon the fair sex. 
 
 Mere descriptions of colors do not mean the same thing to all 
 people. When you say a thing is red it means little to many 
 persons, for the reason that there are so many different tints of 
 red, the technical names of which they do not know, that they 
 cannot tell which one is designated. Written descriptions of 
 goods are all right as far as they go, but we do not all receive a 
 like impression from them. On the other hand, when you visual- 
 ize the goods in your advertising by means of an illustration 
 you increase the number of persons who can understand what 
 you are talking about. If you go a step farther and print the 
 pictures hi colors corresponding to those of the articles you are 
 exploiting, you eliminate all possibility of misconception on the 
 part of the reader. 
 
 Technical Details. There are a few technical details concern- 
 ing the application of color in advertising that are worth 
 remembering. A beam of white light falling upon a glass prism 
 in a dark room is dissolved into the seven colors of which it is 
 composed violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. 
 Sir David Brewster declares that the three fundamental colors 
 are red, yellow and blue. The combination of any two of these 
 results in the formation of a secondary color which contrasts with 
 the third color. Secondary colors should be used for backgrounds, 
 leaving the primary colors to bring out the strong points in the 
 advertisement. 
 
 To develop the true brilliancy of a color it must be supported
 
 88 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 by a contrast or a complementary color. For instance, the red 
 of the rose harmonizes with the green of the foliage. 
 
 The warm colors are red, yellow and' orange. The cold are 
 blue, violet and green. 
 
 In fixing upon a good color scheme for a design one that is 
 harmonious and strong it is usually wise to select complementary 
 colors and deepen or gray one of them. Here is a list of colors 
 and their complements: 
 
 Red Green 
 
 Red Orange Green Blue 
 
 Orange Blue 
 
 Orange Yellow Purple Blue 
 Yellow Purple 
 
 Yellow Green Purple Red 
 
 Green Red 
 
 Green Blue Red Orange 
 
 Blue Orange 
 
 Blue Purple Orange Yellow 
 
 Purple Yellow 
 
 Purple Red Yellow Green 
 
 Strong contrasts of color must be aimed at, for it is the strong 
 but pleasing contrasts that attract the eye and live in the mem- 
 ory. One must know how to produce harmony through the 
 proper selection of colors just as the musician must know how 
 to combine the notes in the scale to produce harmony of sound. 
 
 According to a series of tests made by psychologists men have 
 a preference for blue and women for red. Yellow is more 
 favored by young people than by old. With advancing age the 
 preferred color passes on down toward the violet end of the 
 spectrum. The younger the person the nearer the red end will 
 be found the color that pleases most. 
 
 In regard to the selection of stock for printing colored ad- 
 vertisements, it may be said that since warm colors are demanded 
 oftenest for the strong spots of the design, on account of their 
 more pleasing and interest-exciting qualities, the stock should 
 be a pale tone of the red-orange, orange and the orange-yellow, 
 or yellow colors. These are all cream or buff in tone. Very
 
 ADVANTAGES OF COLOR IN ADVERTISING 89 
 
 valuable colors for stock are pale yellow-green, green, green-blue 
 and blue-purple. 
 
 There are several color printing processes employed by printers. 
 The most popular are the three- and four-color processes. The 
 three-color process is based on the three fundamental colors 
 red, yellow and blue, which may be combined to produce any 
 shade or color desired, a different plate being used for each color. 
 Sometimes a fourth plate is used to print in the black or gray to 
 obtain neutral tones and blacks. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. In what three ways is color valuable in advertising? 
 
 2. What are colored inserts and in what class of mediums are they 
 employed? 
 
 3. Why is it uneconomical to use cheap art work? 
 
 4. Give two instances in which the introduction of color increased the 
 pulling power of advertisements. 
 
 5. What products can be advertised to special advantage by the use of 
 color? 
 
 6. In what way does the use of color aid salesmen in selling goods to 
 dealers? 
 
 7. To what part of our nature does color appeal? 
 
 8. How does color prevent misunderstanding? 
 
 9. Name the three fundamental colors. 
 
 10. What colors indicate warmth? What colors indicate cold? 
 
 11. What is the favorite color of men? Of women? 
 
 12. In advertising a refrigerator or an ice company what would be an 
 appropriate color to use? 
 
 13. How is brilliancy of color best brought out?
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 PLANNING A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 
 
 General advertising campaigns may broadly be divided into 
 three classes: 
 
 1. Extensive campaigns involving large sums of money, carried 
 on in behalf of articles which have a general or national consump- 
 tion and which have been advertised for years and are therefore 
 firmly established. 
 
 2. Campaigns to exploit articles similar to those comprised in 
 the first class but which have never been advertised before, the 
 amount spent depending upon the object to be accomplished. 
 
 3. Campaigns to introduce new products having little or no 
 distribution and requiring educational work to acquaint the 
 public with their uses and trade-marks. These may be at first 
 territorial in character, and, later, may take in the whole country. 
 
 It is obvious that each of these classes requires different 
 treatment. The plan and copy must be adapted to the purpose 
 of the campaign. It is quite evident that in exploiting an article 
 that has been on the market for years you would employ a 
 different kind of copy than for a brand-new article with which the 
 public is unacquainted. 
 
 The first thing to do in planning a national campaign is to 
 answer these questions: What do I want the advertising to 
 accomplish? Is it to introduce a new product and arouse interest 
 in it? Is it to build confidence and good" will through what is 
 known as institutional advertising, or is it to produce immediate 
 sales? 
 
 When you have reached a decision, the next step is to settle 
 upon the plan of campaign, which should be based upon informa- 
 tion contained in the answers to the following questions: To 
 what class of people does the article appeal? How large a 
 territory is to be covered by the campaign? Based upon popula- 
 
 90
 
 PLANNING A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 91 
 
 tion, what are the maximum sales possible in this territory? 
 What competition will have to be overcome? Are the goods 
 sold through jobbers or direct to retailers? Are they well 
 distributed? From the consumer's viewpoint, is the article a 
 necessity, a luxury or a public convenience? 
 
 Not until this information is assembled is it necessary to give 
 much attention to the advertising appropriation. Having 
 determined what results you want to secure, the territory to be 
 covered, and the best mediums for reaching the people who may 
 become interested hi your products, you can then figure out the 
 cost of the campaign. 
 
 But when the figures have been assembled it may be found that 
 the sum of money called for is more than the finances of the firm will 
 allow to be invested at the time. In which case it will be com- 
 paratively easy to cut down the number of mediums to be used 
 and the territory to be covered until the amount falls within 
 the ability of the firm to pay. 
 
 The trouble with many new advertisers is that they start in to 
 advertise at a pace they cannot maintain for any length of time. 
 They attempt to cover the whole country when they should con- 
 fine the campaign to a small section of it. They expect too 
 much from their advertising at the beginning. They fail to 
 appreciate the fact that it takes time to familiarize the public 
 with the advantages of a new article and create a determination 
 to possess it. Few persons rush out and buy it when the first 
 advertisement appears. A certain amount of mental inertia 
 must be overcome before they will react to the appeal and this 
 is accomplished through a repetition of the advertising impression. 
 Hence the necessity for continuous advertising. 
 
 In another chapter (Problems of the General Advertiser) 
 the advertising appropriation is discussed at some length and 
 therefore we need not dwell upon it further here, except to 
 emphasize the desirability of adopting a fixed sum and sticking 
 to it. If the amount is 2 per cent, of the gross sales of last year 
 let that figure stand no matter what pressure may be brought 
 upon you to change it. The advertising manager then knows 
 just where he stands. He has a definite sum to put into advertis- 
 ing for the next twelve months and can plan Jiis campaign accord-
 
 92 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 ingly. If he is wise he will so arrange his schedule that he will 
 always have a small amount of money on hand with which to 
 take advantage of any unusual advertising opportunity that may 
 arise. The fixed appropriation removes uncertainty and pro- 
 motes confidence in the selling organization. Not only can 
 better results be obtained but also at less expense. 
 
 On the Selection of Mediums. Having selected the territory 
 the advertising campaign is to cover, the next important step is 
 to choose the mediums that are to be used. The greater part of 
 the appropriation of most general advertisers, and especially of 
 those who are marketing an article having a wide appeal, is 
 invested in the newspapers, because they are universally read by 
 the masses who constitute the bulk of the buying public, and 
 exert a direct influence upon them. If the goods are on sale in 
 the stores the newspapers bring the buyer and seller together in a 
 natural way. The manufacturer describes his product as at- 
 tractively as possible and then tells where it can be found right 
 in the town in which the newspaper is printed. 
 
 Every live city of 5,000 inhabitants and upward has at least 
 one daily newspaper. Some have three or four, while New York, 
 America's greatest city, has 56, one-half being printed in foreign 
 languages. In each city containing two or more newspapers 
 there is usually one that dominates the field and is the best 
 medium in which to advertise. 
 
 In addition to knowing the best newspaper in each community 
 it is advisable to know the character and peculiarities of the 
 population. There are, for instance, cities of equal size, twenty- 
 five, fifty and one hundred miles apart, that differ amazingly in 
 many ways. Some run to clothes, some to amusements and 
 some to automobiles. Some towns buy half as much food as 
 other cities having the same population. You can tell very little 
 about the buying capacity of a town until you learn the nature 
 of the principal occupations of the inhabitants. 
 
 Next to the newspapers the magazines, monthly and weekly, 
 stand highest in favor among general advertisers. The quality 
 of their readers is above the average and their ability to buy is 
 larger. Because of the superior grade of paper upon which they 
 are printed, a higher class of illustrations can be used, and the
 
 PLANNING A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 93 
 
 advertisements show up better and are more attractive. Another 
 advantage is that magazines permit the employment of colors, 
 which greatly enhance their effectiveness. 
 
 Other popular mediums are booklets, folders, catalogs, posters 
 and painted bulletins, electric signs and street car cards. Each 
 one plays an important part in a general advertising campaign. 
 The fact that the most successful advertisers use these mediums 
 year after year is proof of their merit. Further on in this book 
 the several mediums are discussed at greater length. 
 
 How Lists of Newspapers and Other Publications Are Prepared. 
 Having determined upon the territory to be covered, whether 
 a district, section or the entire country, the advertising manager, 
 or, in case the account is handled by an advertising agency, the 
 space buyer, proceeds to make up the list of periodicals to be used. 
 The directory containing the largest and most reliable list of 
 publications is issued by N. W. Ayer & Son, of Philadelphia. It 
 gives the name, publisher or editor of 25,000 publications of 
 all kinds, together with the dates when established, their circu- 
 lation, frequency of issue, and the population of the town or 
 city in which they are printed. In addition, the advertising 
 agent has on file a vast amount of information relating to ad- 
 vertising rates, discounts, the size of pages, width of columns, 
 character of cuts that will be accepted, limitations as to the 
 character of copy carried, closing dates of magazines, politics of 
 daily papers, statistics regarding the industries, businesses, 
 schools and churches of the cities in which they are published. 
 While the advertising manager of concerns that have been 
 advertising for years may also have much of this information at 
 his command, the agent's data is usually more complete and 
 reliable. 
 
 Take the matter of rates as an illustration. All periodical or 
 newspaper publishers furnish their rates on application either hi 
 the form of a letter or a rate card. Buyers of advertising space 
 know from experience that rate cards do not always tell the 
 truth that lower rates than those given can often be obtained 
 through diplomatic offers of cash with order, by quoting lower 
 rates that have been accepted by other publishers, or by promises 
 of using larger copy later on.
 
 94 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 The agent, buying as he does for many clients, soon learns the 
 ins and outs of rate cards and can drive hard and fast bargains 
 with periodicals with which he has dealt before. He knows when 
 he is getting rock-bottom rates, and therefore can save consider- 
 able money for his clients. The advertising manager does not 
 usually have this intimate knowledge of rates because he only 
 buys space for the house with which he is connected. Occa- 
 sionally he may pick up a little valuable information on the sub- 
 ject by comparing notes with other advertising managers, but, as 
 a rule, such data is not peddled about. 
 
 In making up the list of publications the size of the appropria- 
 tion is an important factor. It may be large enough to warrant 
 the use of all of the daily newspapers of a city, or perhaps two 
 newspapers, a morning and an evening; or the limit may be one 
 newspaper, in which case the one having the largest circulation 
 would probably be selected. Negotiations are carried on by the 
 advertiser with each publication for the amount of space re- 
 quired and contracts covering the period of the campaign are 
 signed. Sometimes, in cases where a newspaper and an adver- 
 tiser have been doing business together for years, the formality 
 of drawing up and signing contracts is dispensed with, the usual 
 order for the space required being regarded as sufficiently binding. 
 
 Bills are rendered weekly or monthly according to agreement, 
 but the usual custom is to send them monthly except in the case 
 of a few weeklies of large circulation whose page rate is several 
 thousand dollars. A discount of 2 per cent, for cash in 10 days 
 is frequently allowed. The advertiser is supplied with copies of 
 the publication in which his advertisements appear as proof of 
 the fulfilment of the contract. 
 
 How Often Should Advertisements Be Run? Experienced 
 advertisers have found that in daily newspaper campaigns cover- 
 ing the greater part of the year it is not necessary to advertise 
 seven days in the week in order to obtain maximum results. 
 The schedule adopted by several manufacturers provides for an 
 advertisement every other day. When this plan is followed 
 the public gets the impression that it appears in every issue 
 of the paper. Some advertisers order insertions to be made 
 on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday in morning
 
 PLANNING A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 95 
 
 newspapers. Others prefer Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. 
 Outside of New York and a few cities where the large department 
 stores are closed either all day or half a day on Saturday during 
 July and August, more goods are sold on Saturday than on any 
 other day in the week. Thursday is the next largest sales day. 
 In New York Monday is also a big day for shoppers. 
 
 Large space used, on Wednesday or Friday, and Monday 
 two days a week will produce good results. Sunday editions 
 are not regarded with favor by most national advertisers because 
 of the large amount of local advertising which they carry that 
 day, and which absorbs the attention of the reader to an unusual 
 degree. Sunday is the one day in the week, they declare, when 
 nothing is lost by staying out of the paper. There are, however, 
 several classes of advertisers who have found the Sunday news- 
 papers the most profitable editions of the week, namely, book 
 publishers, the summer and winter resort hotels, and the steam- 
 ship and railroad companies that cater to tourists and vacationists. 
 
 Advertisements that appear only one day a week are hardly 
 worth while unless half pages or whole pages are used. Far 
 better results can be secured by dividing the space into three 
 parts, filling each with good stirring copy and running one of 
 these advertisements every other day for a week. A few ad- 
 vertisers have had success in using 1- and 2-in. advertisements 
 365 days in the year. In each case, however, the article adver- 
 tised was a specialty that was sold at a low price and for which 
 only a limited demand could possibly be created. As we have 
 already stated elsewhere, it is, as a rule, far better to use fairly 
 large space in a few good mediums than small space in many. 
 
 Now as to Copy. If the plan of campaign has been carefully 
 worked out beforehand, as it should be, the copy-writer is now 
 in a position to lay out to advantage a series of advertisements 
 for the campaign. Every campaign should have at least one 
 idea behind it one purpose in view. The degree of skill with 
 which the idea is developed and presented will measure the 
 success it will achieve. 
 
 Some articles are easily advertised because of the abundance of 
 material at the writer's command. Take silks as an illustration.
 
 96 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 So much can be said about the cultivation of the silkworm, of 
 the cocoon that it spins, of the winding of the gossamer threads, 
 of the spinning, weaving and dyeing of the silk fabric, of its 
 fashioning into exquisite garments for the adornment and com- 
 fort of women, that there is practically no end to the interesting 
 advertisements that can be prepared on the subject. 
 
 In contrast to silk take soap. There is very little in the way 
 of variety to be said about soap, especially about the kind made 
 for washing clothes and for cleaning purposes. You cannot put 
 much heart interest into advertisements about it. The sub- 
 ject does not appeal to the imagination. You cannot get very 
 enthusiastic over kitchen soap. And yet there are at least two 
 brands of household soap that have been advertised continuously 
 for 35 or 45 years. If you will look over the advertisements that 
 have been printed during this period you will find that there has 
 been a surprising variety of copy employed. The style has 
 changed with the times. The illustrations have been adapted to 
 the day, and the copy to the prevailing method of presentation. 
 
 All of which goes to show that the wide-awake advertisement 
 writer who studies his product continuously and who knows how 
 to take advantage of information picked up by salesmen, or from 
 correspondence flowing through the office, is never lacking in 
 good material out of which to construct advertisements that will 
 pay. 
 
 What Should Be Done to Help the Retailer? The general 
 advertiser who takes no further interest in his product after it has 
 been sold to the retail merchant is making a great mistake, for 
 unless the goods move off the dealers' shelves within a reasonable 
 length of time, the latter will buy no more of them. The ex- 
 pense incurred in selling the first bill of goods to a retailer is 
 seldom offset by the profit made on the transaction. Only those 
 accounts are worth while that represent repeat orders. It is 
 therefore to the manufacturer's interest to watch the retailer's 
 sales, and if he needs help to give it to him ungrudgingly. The 
 more progressive man does not need to be asked for -assistance 
 he volunteers it at the start. 
 
 While magazine advertising is introducing the product to the 
 general public and newspaper advertising is creating a local
 
 PLANNING A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 97 
 
 demand and telling where it can be purchased, it is often desirable 
 to cultivate the local field more intensively by the employment 
 of additional mediums and methods. Moreover, there are 
 some cities and towns in which the daily newspapers, for various 
 reasons, cannot be employed. Retailers in such places must use 
 other means for letting their customers know what they have to 
 offer. The general advertiser finds it advisable to furnish 
 these merchants artistic window and counter displays, hangers, 
 folders, booklets, "and advertising novelties. If provided with a 
 list of a retailer's customers he will gladly mail to them 
 letters bearing the merchant's signature and calling attention to 
 the article for which a market is sought. 
 
 In the large cities where the retailers have the benefit of local 
 newspaper advertising they are supplied with many of the dealer 
 helps just enumerated. In addition the manufacturer furnishes 
 cuts for the merchant's store advertising and puts on demonstra- 
 tions of his products in the stores for a few days. Foods, 
 relishes, new beverages, and cleaning preparations are advertised 
 profitably in this way. Another means of attracting buyers for 
 a product is through the distribution of samples by the advertiser's 
 own crews employed for the purpose. Unless the work is done 
 with great care and discretion this method is apt to prove ex- 
 pensive, especially when the unit cost runs above 10 cents. 
 
 It is not advisable to furnish advertising matter of any kind 
 to the retailer unless he has requested that it be sent, or has 
 agreed to properly distribute it. And even then the manufacturer 
 does not know whether the advertising matter is being used unless 
 he sends inspectors among the stores to find out. The owner 
 of a prosperous drug store in a large city near New York asserts 
 that thousands of dollars' worth of such material which he can- 
 not possibly use, is sent him unsolicited every year. The only 
 way he has of getting rid of it is to sell it as waste paper to a 
 junk dealer. When packages of booklets, circulars and folders 
 arrive at the average retailer's store they are either left unopened 
 in the store-room or are thrown under a counter where they are 
 soon covered with dust and become soiled and unpresentable 
 through the neglect of the clerks. 
 
 If a dealer appreciates the assistance that the right kind of 
 
 7
 
 98 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 printed matter can render, and will see that it is properly dis- 
 tributed, he will find that it will have a great influence in creating 
 sales. 
 
 Should Dealer Helps Be Furnished Free of Charge? It is 
 becoming more and more the custom to charge the dealer a 
 proportionate share of the advertising matter furnished him by 
 the general advertiser, more especially in the case of expensive 
 booklets and folders. One argument advanced in support of 
 this practice is that the retailer ought to bear a part of the burden 
 of advertising cost and not expect the producer to shoulder it all. 
 
 Another reason is that any retailer who wants printed matter 
 badly enough to pay for it will see that it is properly distributed. 
 We do not usually waste anything that costs us real money. 
 One of the interesting developments in furnishing advertising 
 helps to retailers is the marked improvement in the character 
 of the printed matter they distribute. The cheap stuff put out 
 fifteen years ago would not be accepted as a gift today by wide- 
 awake retailers. Our merchants know what good printing is, 
 and when they pay money for advertising matter of any kind 
 they insist that they get their money's worth. 
 
 Should Advertising Precede or Follow Distribution? The 
 public cannot buy your product unless it is in the hands of the 
 dealer when the advertising starts, and hence every person who 
 might be influenced to go to the stores and inquire for it, should 
 the advertising appear before distribution is effected, would be 
 disappointed when told that it was not in stock. Moreover, 
 he would feel that he had been deceived. Your advertisements 
 probably said or implied that the article was on sale at the grocer's, 
 the druggist's, or the dry-goods stores, when such was not the 
 case. You may think that these inquiries will force the retailers 
 to put it on sale and it may after months of advertising but 
 what of the sales that might have been made in the meantime 
 had the goods been in stock? 
 
 By far the most sensible plan of procedure is to secure distri- 
 bution first and thus get the full benefit of your advertising from 
 the start. This, we will admit, is not an easy task, but good 
 salesmanship, backed by convincing proof as to the character 
 and amount of the Advertising that is to be employed to exploit
 
 PLANNING A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN 99 
 
 the merchandise and help move it off the dealer's shelves, will 
 have its effect. If only one or two retailers in a town can be 
 persuaded to give trial orders at the start the others will, later 
 on when the advertising begins to pull, be glad to stock up. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. Name the three classes of general advertising campaigns. 
 
 2. What things are to be considered in laying out a campaign? 
 
 3. In introducing a new article why is it best to try it out in a limited 
 territory first before attempting to cover the country? 
 
 4. Why is the newspaper regarded as a desirable medium by national 
 advertisers? 
 
 6. How are lists of newspapers and magazines prepared? 
 
 6. How can the advertising agent help? 
 
 7. How often should the advertisements appear? 
 
 8. What days of the week are most favored by national distributors? 
 
 9. Where can the material for advertisements be found? 
 
 10. What should be done to help the retailer? 
 
 11. Should a charge be made for advertising material furnished? Give 
 the reasons. 
 
 12. Should advertising precede or follow distribution? 
 
 13. Select three newspapers in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago 
 that could be used to best advantage in creating a demand for a medium 
 priced shoe for men and women on sale at local stores. 
 
 14. Prepare a 5-in. D. C. advertisement for a new kind of wheat break- 
 fast food. Secure the material by calling upon the owner or manager of a 
 local grocery store. 
 
 15. If you were called upon to invest $100,000 in a national advertising 
 campaign for a line of men's and youth's clothes, what mediums would 
 you use and how would you apportion the money among them?
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 
 
 The commercial business of the world is carried on by three 
 groups of men manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers. Of 
 these the manufacturers and the wholesalers, or jobbers, as they 
 are often called, are national distributors, and the retailers, local 
 distributors of merchandise. As the former sell goods to mer- 
 chants in all parts of the country their advertising is called 
 general advertising because it is confined to no one city or dis- 
 trict. The largest national advertisers are the manufacturers 
 of food products, cigars and cigarettes, chewing gum, automobiles 
 and automobile accessories, shoes, men's clothing, soap, musical 
 instruments and toilet articles. One tobacco company is in- 
 vesting more than $3,000,000 a year in advertising. A talking 
 machine is being exploited to the extent of over $2,500,000 
 annually. A gum manufacturer is putting $1,750,000 into his 
 advertising every twelve months. There are at least twelve 
 national advertisers who belong to the million-a-year class. 
 
 In an earlier chapter we enumerated several things the general 
 advertiser should be certain of before starting an advertising 
 campaign, the most important being that his goods are right and 
 meet the needs of the consumer; that the price is reasonable; 
 that the capacity of the plant is sufficient to meet the demand 
 developed by the advertising or can be enlarged to take care of it, 
 and that the goods are properly marked so they can be 
 identified by the consumer. 
 
 Selecting the Advertising Agent. The importance of selecting 
 a competent advertising agency to handle the advertising cam- 
 paign cannot be too strongly emphasized. While the problem 
 is not as difficult of solution as it was a few years ago, before 
 the American Newspaper Publishers Association and the Peri- 
 odical Publishers Association established certain rules to which 
 
 100
 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 101 
 
 the agents must conform to secure recognition, care must still 
 be taken in making the choice. The agents themselves have 
 done much to strengthen their position with both publishers 
 and advertisers through the adoption of standards of practice. 
 
 They have organized the American Association of Advertising 
 Agencies, having a membership of 132, the object of which is to 
 put the business on a higher basis. There are now few cities in 
 which one or more thoroughly dependable agents cannot be found 
 who are competent to handle an advertising account. The largest 
 agencies those equipped to take full charge of appropriations 
 running into thousands of dollars and even millions of dollars 
 are located in the metropolitan cities. They command the 
 services of the best copy-writers, the highest grade of commercial 
 artists, and the keenest investigators in the field. 
 
 Lists of recognized and unrecognized agents are published from 
 time to time in Printers' Ink, the Editor and Publisher and the 
 Fourth Estate, all located in New York City. 
 
 While the former include a majority of the largest and best 
 known agencies it does not follow that the latter are unreliable or 
 incapable. In fact, there are among them many who render 
 advertisers excellent service. There is, however, a distinct 
 advantage in dealing with the recognized agents. You know 
 that they have been investigated by representative organizations 
 and have been admitted to their lists because they have been found 
 to measure up to certain standards which they have established. 
 
 What Mediums to Use. The selection of the right advertising 
 mediums is fully as important as the choosing of an advertising 
 agent. Just as an incompetent agent can make a fizzle of a 
 campaign through mismanagement so the selection of poor 
 mediums can waste the advertiser's money. If you pick out a 
 reliable agent, one acquainted with the best practices, he will 
 prepare a list of mediums which he considers best adapted to your 
 needs as an advertiser. That is a part of his job. His constant 
 study of newspapers and magazines gives him an accurate 
 knowledge of their character, their circulation and their influence. 
 He is familiar with their rates, the cities in which they are pub- 
 lished and the kind of people who read them. Such knowledge 
 cannot be picked up in a day, a month, or a year. Directories
 
 102 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 contain some of the information, but the most of it can only be ac- 
 quired by those who have had actual dealings with the publications 
 in placing advertising contracts, and through correspondence and 
 special investigations. If an advertising agent is not available 
 the publisher of the local daily newspaper can be of assistance 
 in selecting the proper mediums. 
 
 The mediums employed by the general advertiser include 
 newspapers, weekly and monthly magazines, trade publications, 
 circulars, mailing cards, booklets, broadsides, folders, catalogs, 
 letters, posters, street car cards, painted bulletins, motion 
 pictures, samples and novelties. Only those advertisers 
 whose appropriations are very large use all of them. The 
 bulk of their investment as a rule goes into newspaper and 
 magazine advertising. Several manufactured products have 
 achieved a remarkable success through the use of street 
 car cards alone, two of the best known being Omega Oil and 
 Campbell's Soups. 
 
 Just what kinds of mediums should be used depends upon the 
 class of people to whom the article is to be sold, where they live, 
 their ability to purchase, transportation facilities, etc. How to 
 secure maximum sales at a minimum expense should be the aim 
 of all advertisers. In marketing food products, wearing apparel 
 and household articles of various kinds, the newspapers have been 
 found economical principally because of their universal appeal. 
 Magazines, especially the popular weeklies, are extensively em- 
 ployed in creating interest in a product that already has general 
 distribution. 
 
 Trade and class publications should be used when the article 
 to be sold strongly appeals to technical, professional, trade, 
 industrial, religious, social or other groups of people. For in- 
 stance, a new electric motor for power or electric lighting plants 
 should be advertised in such publications as the Electrical World 
 and the Electrical Review because they are read by electrical 
 engineers who buy machines of this kind. If you are marketing 
 an article that is used by breeders and drivers of horses you 
 would find such a magazine as the Rider and Driver a good 
 medium. If you want to reach the followers of Isaac Walton 
 you should not overlook Forest and Stream.
 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 103 
 
 Gonfessions of a jtfild "Havana 
 
 T^OR years now, men who 
 JT had a hankering for ripe 
 Havana leaf made palatably mild, 
 have found in Robt. Burns their 
 beau-ideal. 
 
 Robert Burns explains it thus: 
 "My full Havana filler rarely fails 
 to give my friends delight. The 
 fact is, special curing brings my 
 choice Havana to just the right 
 degree of mildness. My deli- 
 cately neutral Sumatra wrapper 
 leaf helps that mildness. Deft 
 fingers fashion my well-pro- 
 
 HAVE YOU TRIED 
 
 portioned,, easy-drawing form. 
 "But after all, the test lies 
 here Suppose you ask my friends 
 among the trade, what luck, they 
 have with substitutes." 
 
 A WORTHY TEST but here's a 
 better yet; suppose you inter- 
 view Robt. Burns himself. Keen 
 smokers, men who know, declare 
 he's an even better cigar than 
 ever which is saying much. 
 
 ONE LATELY? 
 
 U. S.1 E,. P.., J.. ]4. HZO 
 
 This is a refined, well-balanced advertisement. The composition is in good 
 taste. The illustration suggests the pleasure of an after dinner smoke and the 
 text recommends the Robt. Burns Cigar.
 
 104 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 A Sweetheart 
 in Every Port 
 
 Ship ahoy, Sailor boy 
 Sweetheart alongside 
 She'f to coy, he'i all joy 
 
 Cracker Jack's their pride! 
 
 CVERYONE likes Cracker Jack 
 ]_, It's a delicious confection and a 
 wholesome food. 
 
 Made of carefully-selected, crispy 
 popcorn and roasted peanuts, all gen- 
 erously coated with molasses candy. 
 
 Just try Cracker Jack for breakfast 
 with milk or cream no sugar. Or 
 as a satisfying dessert to crown a 
 well-arranged meal. 
 
 Cracker Jack is a wonderful treat 
 "The More You Eat. the More You 
 Want." Take home a few packages to 
 the folks. 
 
 ly supply you. send 45 cents for six package*, 
 l post, prepaid, anywhere in the United States. 
 
 RUECKHE1M BROS. & ECKSTEIN 
 
 o *nd Brooklyn, United St*l of Amcric* 
 
 America's Famous Food Confection 
 
 Cracker Jack ads have a way with them that wins the interest of grown-ups 
 as well as children. The illustrations, of which the above is a representative 
 example, are always in good humor.
 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 105 
 
 Analyzing Results. The national advertiser who invests his 
 money right along in advertising mediums has a right to expect 
 definite results. If they do not materialize there is something 
 seriously wrong either with the mediums or the copy. Manley 
 M. Gillam, who was John Wanamaker's advertising manager 
 for several years, and who during his long career spent $60,000,000 
 in advertising for his clients, once said : 
 
 " I do not believe in that advertising that compels you to wait a 
 year or two years for results. Advertising should achieve results 
 at once, and by that I mean within a reasonable length of time. 
 If it does not it shows that the advertising has not been properly 
 prepared." 
 
 To illustrate what advertising can do Mr. Gillam cited the case 
 of Vici Kid. When the manufacturers of this leather started 
 their first campaign, from $3,000,000 to $5,000,000 worth was 
 being sold annually. At the end of 11 months the sales had 
 mounted to $12,000,000, and at the end of the second year to 
 $18,000,000. For handling this campaign Mr. Gillam and his 
 partner were paid $40,000 a year for two years, and the third 
 year, $50,000. 
 
 An advertiser whose announcements appear in 2,000 cities has 
 found that when he uses 400 newspapers he secures the maximum 
 results. When he employs fewer papers his sales drop. 
 
 When you are planning an advertising campaign you should 
 clearly determine in your own mind what you want it to ac- 
 complish. Is it to interest jobbers or retailers in your product 
 so that when your salesmen call upon them they will know some- 
 thing about it? Is it to induce the consumer to visit the retail 
 stores and purchase the article, or to order it by mail from the 
 manufacturer? Is it to win the confidence and good will of the 
 public ? Or is it merely to keep your name and your trade-marked 
 goods constantly on view? The character of the copy you are 
 to use in the campaign is determined by the result you seek to 
 accomplish. 
 
 Four things are essential to good advertising accuracy, sincerity, 
 variety and persistency. Unless advertisements tell the truth in 
 season and out of season they will fail to create a permanent 
 demand. You may deceive the public for a while but in the end
 
 106 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 it will find out the truth. When once convinced that you have 
 deceived it you cannot regain its confidence, no matter how much 
 space you may use or how frequently your advertisements may 
 appear. Hence, if you expect to build up a patronage that will 
 stick by you and become more valuable as the years go by you 
 must be honest and sincere in your advertising. 
 
 Don't let your advertising become monotonous in construc- 
 tion or in appearance. People tire of the same arguments, the 
 same illustrations, and the same style of display. While the 
 facts about the product upon which your advertisements are to 
 be based may be few yet the ways in which these facts can be 
 presented and made attractive to readers by a clever writer are 
 innumerable. Excellent material can be picked up by salesmen 
 out on the road, or it may be found in the letters written to the 
 firm by dealers telling of their experience with the product. It 
 is a good plan now and then to change the type in which your 
 advertisements are being set. You may be able to choose a face 
 that is specially adapted to your purpose and that will increase 
 the pulling power of the advertisements, in which case it would be 
 unwise to adopt another. If you have been using pictures for 
 many months cut them out altogether for awhile. If you have 
 been running half pages in the magazines or quarter pages in the 
 newspapers try doubling the space for a few issues. Anything 
 that will make people read your ads is desirable provided, of 
 course, it is in good taste. "Shockers" should always be 
 avoided. 
 
 Be Persistent in Your Advertising. It is a sheer waste of 
 money to advertise a product for a few months and then quit. 
 Better invest the cash you would spend in an automobile or in a 
 trip to Europe. It takes some time to make an article known to 
 the public to win its confidence and approval. The manufac- 
 turer of a food product, at the end of his first advertising 
 campaign, was so disappointed with the immediate returns 
 that he vowed he would never spend another dollar in printed 
 salesmanship. His advertising agent, however, put up such a 
 good argument that, much against his will, he consented to 
 continue his advertising another year. Much to his surprise 
 business began to pick up right away and before the campaign
 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 
 
 107 
 
 ended he had to enlarge his factory to take care of the orders he 
 received. 
 
 When once a concern has established a demand for its product 
 it must keep the interest in it alive through advertising. People 
 
 Why have 
 Why have 
 
 your letters 
 your letters 
 
 written twice? 
 written twice? 
 
 dor 
 
 Every time you dictate a letter to 
 a stenographer she writes it in 
 shorthand. Then she writes it 
 on her typewriter. 
 
 Double work, double cost and it's 
 all so inefficient and extravagant. 
 
 Every time you dictate to The 
 Ediphone 
 
 Your stenographer writes your letters once 
 on her typewriter. Writes 50% more, 
 writes Better Letters, writes them for a 
 Va less cost writes them in comfort and 
 ease. 
 
 The easiest way to dictate a letter 
 
 A forceful presentation of a single idea. Every word counts. The cut at 
 the top visualizes the argument and takes the place of a formal headline. 
 
 forget easily. A thousand and one things claim their attention. 
 Impressions must be often repeated to induce action. The con- 
 tinued appearance of a firm's advertising is a constant reminder 
 that the firm is still doing business, and, incidentally, an assurance 
 that its merchandise is being kept up to the standard. On the
 
 108 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 other hand if the advertising, for any reason, is discontinued, 
 other products claim attention and the public soon gets the 
 impression that the manufacturer has gone out of business and 
 therefore ceases to call for his merchandise. 
 
 It is the continuous, and not the occasional or spasmodic 
 advertiser that establishes the best-paying volume of patronage, 
 just as it is the regular meals a man eats that build bodily strength 
 and health and not the big feasts of Thanksgiving Day, Christmas 
 or other anniversaries. 
 
 Some Copy Suggestions. As advertising in popular mediums 
 costs as much as $5 and $6 a line, every word that goes into the 
 copy should be carefully selected. Cut out the superfluous 
 all the "verys," the "bests" and the "greatests." Avoid long, 
 unusual words. Don't use words from foreign languages unless 
 their meaning is well known to the people who will read your 
 advertisements. There is no better vehicle for conveying ideas 
 than the simple words used by the average man or woman in 
 everyday life. 
 
 See that the article you wish to sell and the advertisements ex- 
 ploiting them are adapted to the sections of the country in which 
 your selling campaign is to be conducted. Don't advertise 
 fur coats in Southern California or ice-cutting machinery in 
 Florida. It is not advisable, in many cases, to use the same 
 copy in all parts of the United States and Canada. 
 
 A number of years ago Scott's Emulsion of Cod Liver Oil 
 was advertised in Canada in precisely the same form used to 
 advertise it in the Southern States. The result was that people 
 living in Louisiana were not much interested in the statement 
 that Scott's Emulsion fortifies the body to withstand the intense 
 cold of Canadian winters. Likewise the residents of Winnipeg 
 did not rush to the drug stores to get a bottle of the Emulsion 
 when they were told that it was very beneficial to those who had 
 been weakened by attacks of malaria and swamp fever. When 
 Thomas E. Dockrell became advertising manager of Scott & 
 Bowne, the manufacturers of the preparation, he soon discovered 
 this waste of advertising effort and made plans to stop it. 
 
 Instead of running the same advertisement in the newspapers 
 of all the states Mr. Dockrell prepared several, each adapted to
 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 109 
 
 the section in which it was to appear. The effect of this change 
 in copy was seen almost immediately in the sales which were 
 much larger than they had ever had before. In other words 
 the efficiency of the campaign had been greatly increased through 
 the simple expedient of adapting the copy to the special needs 
 of people in the different parts of the country. 
 
 It takes two or three times as much argument to induce a 
 customer to write and post a letter making an inquiry about the 
 goods as it does to get him to call at the store where they are on 
 sale and ask to see them. In order to make it as easy as possible 
 for the consumer to make an inquiry or send in an order many 
 general advertisers incorporate with the advertisement a coupon 
 which, when properly signed, can be cut off and mailed to the 
 dealer or manufacturer. It is usually placed at the lower left- 
 or right-hand corner next to the margin of the page. 
 
 General advertising copy in order to produce profitable business 
 must in many cases not only bring inquiries, but also be so well 
 written that the consumer will insist upon getting the advertised 
 article and will not accept a substitute. It should inspire con- 
 fidence right from the start. If the reader is made to feel that 
 the article will contribute to his comfort, or supply a need, he is 
 sold on the proposition and sooner or later will possess it. 
 
 On the Value of Inquiries. Only a small percentage of the 
 people who ask questions about merchandise through curiosity 
 become purchasers. On the other hand, a majority of those 
 who write for information because they have been convinced of 
 its merit, buy the article. You cannot expect to get full value 
 out of your advertising unless you take proper care of the in- 
 quiries it produces. 
 
 In a test made a short time ago an investigator answered 
 64 advertisements, each of the letters requiring a reply. Sixty- 
 two of the manufacturers responded, but only 33 afterward sent 
 a follow-up. Of these only 16 sent a second follow-up, four, a 
 third follow-up, and only one a fourth follow-up. Just think of 
 it! Twenty-nine national advertisers written to didn't consider 
 the inquiry of sufficient value to send even one follow-up letter. 
 
 The new advertising manager of a company that was seeking 
 to popularize an agricultural implement among farmers, in
 
 110 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 looking around the office one day discovered several boxes filled 
 with unopened letters. "What are all these letters?" he asked 
 one of his assistants. 
 
 "Oh, those are requests for booklets sent in by people who 
 have read our advertisements in the farm papers," was the reply. 
 
 "Well, why haven't they been sent?" inquired the advertising 
 manager. 
 
 " It's too much bother to mail them every day, so we wait until 
 we have received a big bunch of requests and then send them 
 all at once." 
 
 Many of the letters were six weeks old. The people who wrote 
 them had doubtless become tired of the long delay in receiving a 
 reply and had either lost all interest in the article advertised or 
 had purchased a similar article elsewhere. "Hereafter," said 
 the advertising manager, "all letters must be answered the day 
 they are received. No wonder the president has been kicking 
 because the results from the $50,000 advertising campaign that 
 has just closed have been so meager." 
 
 Be Prompt in Answering Inquiries. Promptness in answering 
 questions or in filling orders is essential in all kinds of business, 
 but it is especially important in the case of those that are pro- 
 duced by advertising. If money or a check is sent with the order 
 to a concern with which he has had no previous dealings and 
 there is much delay in receiving the goods, the customer be- 
 comes suspicious fears that he has been swindled. He resolves 
 that if the article at length arrives he will never buy another 
 dollar's worth of the manufacturer. Promptness in filling orders 
 breeds confidence and promotes further orders. 
 
 General advertising should be cumulative in effect; that is, 
 the several advertisements should present in regular order the 
 arguments or points in favor of the article to which attention 
 is directed and the sale of which it aims to promote, so that when 
 the end of the series is reached the public will have a clear idea 
 of its quality and desirability. This statement is made upon the 
 assumption that the advertising is not spasmodic, but con- 
 tinuous, and follows a well-thought-out plan. Hit-or-miss 
 advertising accomplishes but little. It is the organized and 
 persistent attack that wins the battle.
 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 
 
 111 
 
 Would You Give Up Your Telephone) 
 
 I_TO\V often you have said you couldn't keep house 
 *- without your telephone. You'll say the same about 
 P. ANDG. The White Naphtha Soap, after you once have 
 tried it. 
 
 P. ANDG. The White Naphtha Soap is a modern soap for 
 modern women. 
 
 It launders clothes, washes dishes, cleans and scrubs more 
 easily and more quickly than other soaps because it combines 
 the good qualities of high-grade white laundry soap and 
 quick-working naphtha soap. No hard rubbing. It loosens 
 dirt merely by contact. 
 
 You'll like this new-idea soap because it makes such good 
 suds even in hard water; because it has such a clean, sanitary 
 odor; and because it saves so much time and effort for you. 
 
 'Phone your grocer for a bar, and try it. 
 
 Not merely a white laundry soap; 
 
 Not merely a naphtha soap; 
 
 But the best features of both, combined. 
 
 WHITE NAPHTHA SOAP 
 
 In this P and G ad the illustration furnishes the text for the advertising sermon 
 that follows. The question asked by the headline catches the eye and curiosity 
 leads its reader to look at the message.
 
 112 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 for crystal-clear windows 
 
 THE panes are actually invisible after I have gone over 
 them with Bon Ami not a speck of dirt or a cloudy 
 streak remains. 
 
 It's so easy, too! Just a thin, watery lather of Bon Ann 
 spread over the glass and then wiped away when it s dry! 
 Tissue paper is good for wiping off the dry Bon Ami 
 saves soiling a cloth. 
 
 Made in kvth cafe and powder farm. 
 
 The look of satisfaction on the face of this housewife at the results of the use 
 of Bon Ami upon the window she has just cleaned, and her own testimony given 
 in the text, are strong arguments in its favor in the eyes of other housekeepers.
 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 113 
 
 How Much Money Should Be Spent in Advertising? This is a 
 question often asked by new and inexperienced advertisers. In 
 brief it may be said that it depends upon several things the 
 nature of the product, the size of the business, the amount of 
 capital at your disposal and the extent of the field in which you 
 propose to operate. Some articles can only be sold during a 
 certain season of the year; as for example, sleds, sleighs, skates, 
 can be profitably exploited from November to February, and 
 bathing and yachting suits, sport goods, etc., from March to 
 October. 
 
 Articles of general consumption, like flour, shoes, soap, break- 
 fast foods, and baking powder, must be extensively advertised 
 throughout the country the year round, if nation-wide distribu- 
 tion is to be effected. Articles in which the margin of profit is 
 large admit of more extensive advertising than those in which 
 the margin is small. Those for which, because of their limited 
 appeal, only a comparatively small sale can be expected, do not 
 call for a large advertising expenditure, but in order to secure 
 maximum results at a minimum cost the mediums employed 
 must be selected with special care. 
 
 As a general rule the advertising appropriation is based on the 
 gross sales of the previous fiscal year, the percentage varying 
 widely according to the nature of the business. 
 
 Public service corporations operating hi several cities, con- 
 tractors and concerns of like nature spend 1 per cent. A large 
 electrical goods manufacturing company that in 1911 had gross 
 earnings of $38,000,000 adopted 1 per cent, as its annual 
 advertising expenditure. A Pennsylvania bank did $1,000,000 
 worth of new business on an advertising investment of ^ per 
 cent. Automobile manufacturers are spending on an average 
 of 4 per cent. Some drop as low as 2 per cent, and others 
 go as high as 6 per cent. A Detroit motor-truck manu- 
 facturer one year put 33^<j per cent, of his net receipts into 
 advertising, his purpose being to set forth in detail the advantages 
 of his machine and the experiences of those who had used it. 
 
 A grain house which is an extensive advertiser considers an 
 8 per cent, appropriation reasonable. Advertisers of some toilet 
 articles spend from 25 to 50 per cent, of gross profits in advertis-
 
 114 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 ing their products. Patent medicine manufacturers are accus- 
 tomed to put about the same amount into publicity. Producers 
 of food stuffs usually limit their appropriations to from 1 to 
 2 per cent, of gross sales. One of them, however, is said to 
 invest 50 per cent, of his profits. 
 
 The relative value of large and small space has received consider- 
 able attention from advertising experts. Prof. Walter Dill Scott, 
 of the Northwestern University, who has thoroughly investigated 
 the subject, states as the result of his studies that a full- page 
 advertisement has 25 times the value of a half page, and a half 
 page is 15 times more valuable than a quarter page. The constant 
 use of large space gives prestige to the advertiser. The public 
 argues that no firm will continue to spend the big sum it repre- 
 sents unless the article exploited possesses substantial merit and 
 the advertiser is honest. While page advertisements are the rule 
 in national magazines they have not been employed in newspapers 
 by general advertisers very extensively until within the past 
 year or two, when it has not been unusual to see four- or five-page 
 ads in a single issue of the big city dailies. This change in 
 attitude no doubt is due in large part to the example set during 
 the great war by the Liberty Loan and Red Cross advertising. 
 
 While large space has many advantages there is a considerable 
 number of firms that have built up a wonderfully successful busi- 
 ness by the aid of small advertisements. It has often been said 
 that it requires greater skill to write a 3- or 4- in. single- column 
 ad, than one occupying half a page. Small advertisements 
 should contain only one or two well- constructed arguments briefly 
 expressed and the illustrations should be confined to a single figure. 
 The advertiser who uses advertising space regularly, no matter 
 how small it may be, gets the reputation of being a much larger 
 advertiser than he really is. 
 
 The Association of National Advertisers, which is composed 
 of 320 of the leading national advertisers, is of great service to 
 its members in supplying information of a vital character. It 
 employs an efficient staff of investigators and others for the 
 collection and analysis of data relating to advertising and to 
 marketing. Through its assistance millions of dollars have 
 been saved to its members.
 
 PROBLEMS OF THE NATIONAL ADVERTISER 115 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. Who are the largest national advertisers? 
 
 2. Give the names of six with whose products you are familiar. 
 
 3. How would you select an advertising agent? 
 
 4. What mediums are employed in national advertising? 
 
 6. Upon what does the selection of the right mediums for advertising a 
 product depend? 
 
 6. In what kinds of mediums would you advertise grape juice? Ma- 
 chinery used in the manufacture of textiles? Refrigerators for apartment 
 houses and hotels? A beauty toilet soap? 
 
 7. If, after running a well-planned advertising campaign for six months 
 your sales had not materially increased, what would you conclude was the 
 trouble? 
 
 8. How is the character of the copy to be determined? 
 
 9. What three things are essential to good advertising? 
 
 10. Why is variety in copy and style desirable? 
 
 11. When a manufacturer as the result of several years of advertising 
 has secured country-wide distribution for his product, why shouldn't he 
 stop advertising and save the cost? 
 
 12. In advertising a medical preparation would you use the same copy in 
 all parts of the country? Why not? 
 
 13. What are follow-up letters and when should they be used? 
 
 14. How much money should a manufacturer invest in advertising? 
 Give examples. 
 
 15. Discuss the relative value of large and small advertisements.
 
 CHAPTER X 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 
 
 By retail or local advertising we usually mean the kind of 
 advertising employed by merchants and others in selling goods 
 to individual consumers. But it also includes the advertising 
 used by professional men like dentists, lawyers, architects and 
 civil engineers to get clients; by churches to gain members or 
 fill empty pews: by theatres to draw audiences, and by municipal 
 candidates for office to win voters. All help and situations 
 wanted, for sale, to let, lost and found or other classified 
 advertisements come under this head. 
 
 Retail advertising differs from national advertising in two 
 general ways: first, in being confined to a town, city, or district; 
 and, second, in the character of the copy used. 
 
 While the ultimate object of most advertising is to market 
 merchandise, retail advertising must first induce the public to 
 visit the store where the goods are on sale, or the offices where 
 service is to be rendered. There is, of course, a limit to the 
 distance from which a merchant can hope to draw customers, 
 the limit varying in different sections of the country. In the 
 far West where the trade centers are widely scattered people 
 drive long distances to do their shopping. The sales of these 
 small town merchants are frequently as large as those of retail 
 stores in cities of 50,000 or more population. For instance, in 
 Devils Lake, North Dakota, a town of 5,500 inhabitants, there 
 is a merchant who is doing a business of $600,000 a year, the 
 result of enterprising sales methods and the right kind of adver- 
 tising. Customers are drawn to the store from points 40 miles 
 distant in one direction and 90 miles in another. 
 
 How to Get People to Visit the Store. Many things can be 
 done .to induce the public to come to the store. Some of them 
 are the following: 
 
 116
 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 117 
 
 Give the Price of the Different Kinds of Goods You Have to 
 Sell. People want to know how much articles cost before they go 
 shopping in order that they may determine beforehand whether 
 they can afford to buy them. Most women desire to keep the 
 household or their personal expenses within a certain limit which 
 is fixed by the family income. The quoting of prices helps 
 them in selecting what they can afford to buy. No woman 
 likes to go to a store with her mind made up to purchase an 
 article and be told a price that is so much more than she was 
 prepared to pay that she cannot buy it. 
 
 Create an Interest in the Store. This may be done by taking 
 advantage of news events, such as the season's anniversaries, 
 national holidays, and local celebrations in your advertising. 
 For instance, the Fourth of July marks the beginning of the 
 vacation season. This suggests the desirability of advertising 
 for two weeks before that event and two weeks or more afterwards 
 the things that people will need during their stay in the country 
 or at the seashore, such as outing suits, sport hats, trunks, suit- 
 cases, handbags, bathing suits, fishing tackle, camp outfits, tennis 
 rackets, golf sticks, croquet sets, tents and many other articles. 
 
 September marks the beginning of the school year when the 
 children are to be fitted out with suitable clothes for the fall 
 and winter months; when books, lunch boxes, pencils, paper, 
 rulers and other articles for use in the schoolroom are to be 
 purchased. It is also the time when people buy furniture and 
 other household effects; when new suits and hats are needed. 
 Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's and Easter are occasions 
 for special sales of seasonable articles. January is the month of 
 white sales, August of furniture sales, and so on. 
 
 Play up the New and Novel Things in Your Advertising and 
 Thus Arouse Curiosity. People like novelty. Anything that 
 is radically different from the general run of merchandise appeals 
 to them. They want to see such articles even though they may 
 not want to buy them. They like to keep posted on store news 
 just as they do on local or national happenings. Call attention 
 to special displays of goods, to demonstrations that are being 
 given in the store, and to important "openings" in the millinery 
 and dress departments.
 
 118 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Make the Store Itself Attractive. Have it well lighted. Don't 
 skimp on your electric illumination during the dark hours of the 
 day. People like brightness in the shops where they trade. 
 Have the walls and ceilings painted in cheerful colors. Provide 
 rest rooms, and chairs or stools throughout the store for tired 
 women. Don't allow your clerks to over-urge people to buy 
 goods. The better class of trade will keep away from stores 
 where it is done. A cheerful store, intelligent clerks, good service 
 and reliable merchandise is a winning combination. 
 
 The strongest and most productive retail advertising is usually 
 to be found in the big cities where stores are numerous and com- 
 petition keenest. The latter command the best advertising 
 talent because they pay the largest salaries. The lure of great 
 centers of business draws to them men who are ambitious, 
 resourceful and eager to win places for themselves. The intense 
 rivalry between the department and other leading retail stores 
 in all lines of trade is a constant stimulus to advertisement 
 writers. 
 
 The big cities, however, do not monopolize all of the good 
 talent, by any means. The instruction in advertising now given 
 in many schools, colleges and universities is working wonders in 
 disseminating a practical knowledge of advertisement construc- 
 tion among merchants. The result is seen in the marked im- 
 provement that has taken place in the character of the copy put 
 out in practically all of the cities and towns of the country during 
 the last few years. 
 
 Outstanding Characteristics of Successful Retail Advertising 
 Copy. First it should possess a news interest that is not found 
 in the long-range general advertising appearing in the maga- 
 zines and periodicals. The chronicling of the arrival of new 
 styles in dress goods, millinery, and other things dear to the 
 feminine heart; the announcements of special sales of household 
 furnishings and supplies, are as eagerly read by women as the 
 record of local happenings in the news columns. 
 
 Women are more interested in the latest fashions on display at 
 the leading department or dry goods store than they are in the 
 report of a Peace Conference or a Congressional debate. They 
 buy the most of the things that go into the home. From 50 to
 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 119 
 
 90 per cent, of the men's underwear is purchased by women, 
 who also have much to say in the selection of men's hats, shoes 
 and suits of clothes. Being constantly in the market for goods 
 of one kind or another they are ever on the lookout for store news. 
 The merchant who knows best how to create a news interest in 
 his advertising, providing, of course, he has the confidence of the 
 community, will draw the largest percentage of trade. 
 
 Second, retail advertising copy should have individuality in 
 order that it may be easily identified by the reader. People soon 
 learn to distinguish the advertisements of one store from those of 
 another without looking at the name plate, the determining 
 factors being the typography, the way the goods are described, 
 or the style of the illustrations. Usually the advertising of a 
 store reflects the personality of the owner. Therefore, after 
 reading a series of his announcements you can get a fairly 
 accurate idea of his character. If they are bombastic, contain 
 exaggerated or misleading statements as to values or prices, you 
 are warranted in believing that the advertiser is a trickster and 
 a cheat. On the other hand, if they are straightforward, tell 
 the truth, and are conservative in statement you are not mistaken 
 in believing that he is honest and dependable. 
 
 The advertisements of John Wanamaker have marked individ- 
 uality and are regarded as models of their kind. They are 
 attractive in appearance and easy to read. They are written in 
 such an interesting way that you often forget for the moment that 
 they are advertisements and think you are reading a page from 
 a book of travel or a romance. They are cheerful in spirit and 
 educational in purpose. From them you receive the impression 
 that Mr. Wanamaker is an optimist and practices the golden 
 rule. 
 
 It should be the constant aim of the retailer in his advertising 
 to build confidence and good will, two of the best assets he can 
 possibly have. He should never publish statements about his 
 merchandise that he cannot prove. If he makes a mistake he 
 should acknowledge the error and make good any loss entailed 
 by his customers resulting from it. Advertising is retroactive. 
 Rightly used it builds a reputation that must be lived up to. 
 It erects standards that must be maintained or the whole struc-
 
 120 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 ture of confidence will come tumbling to the ground. There 
 have been instances in which advertising has revolutionized 
 store policies and store methods by creating good will of such 
 enormous value that the very foundation of the business had 
 to be rebuilt to support it. 
 
 Some Suggestions Regarding the Writing of Retail Copy That 
 Will Be Helpful. Give prices but don't lie in quoting them. If 
 you have a special sale of goods name the price at which you have 
 been selling them and the cut price. Don't say an article "is 
 worth $2, but we are selling it for 50 cents." If it was really 
 worth $2 you certainly would not sell it at any such reduction. 
 It may have been worth $2 at one time, but because of a change 
 in style or because it has become shopworn it is not worth a cent 
 more than you now charge for it. What you can truthfully say 
 is that "we formerly sold the article for $2, but because it is now 
 out of style we have cut the price to 50 cents." 
 
 Avoid Comparative Prices. There may occasionally be a 
 tune when their use is warranted as, for instance, when you are 
 getting rid of left-overs, odd sizes, etc., at the end of the season. 
 The trouble with comparative prices is that they are in most cases 
 misleading. For instance, a shirtwaist is advertised thus: 
 Price $3, worth $4.25. How is the reader to know that the 
 statement is true? Whose estimate of value is it, the manu- 
 facturer's or the retailer's? Is it at all likely that a merchant 
 will sell an article for 33^ per cent, less than it is worth if he 
 could get more? In most cases he uses comparative prices for 
 the sole purpose of making the public think that the article is 
 better than it really is. Women often know values just as 
 accurately as the retailers. If they find, upon examination, that 
 the goods are not worth any more than is charged for them they 
 will lose confidence in the store. 
 
 Do not Over -emphasize Price in Retail Advertising. Unless 
 a merchant wants his store to be known as a "bargain house" or 
 a " Cheap John " shop he should be careful how he uses prices to 
 attract trade . While the patronage of bargain hunters is not to be 
 despised nevertheless the most desirable customers are those who 
 consider quality first and price next. They know that the better 
 classes of goods give the greater satisfaction and are therefore
 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 121 
 
 the most economical to buy. Those who purchase them con- 
 stitute the backbone of the retail business in nearly every com- 
 munity and it is their patronage that the merchant should seek. 
 As the quality appeal carries great weight with them the adver- 
 tiser should lay considerable stress upon it in his advertising. 
 
 Adapt Your Copy to Your Audience. Don't use pedantic 
 language at any time. Educated and refined people dislike it 
 
 In full swing now! 
 
 Revisions! 
 
 All through our men's 
 Summer suits. 
 
 $50 to $75 now for quali- 
 ties that were much more. 
 
 ROGERS PEET COMPANY 
 
 .Broadway Broadway' 
 
 at isth St. "Four at 34th St. 
 
 Convenient 
 
 Broadway Corners" Fifth Ave. 
 
 at Warren. at 4ist St. , 
 
 The Rogers Peet Company style of advertising has many imitators but none 
 are as good as the original. The ads which are in one-column measure, carry a 
 humorous picture at the top. The type is Bookman. Note the short, crisp 
 sentences which are characteristic of all Rogers Peet copy. 
 
 and those whose school days have been few do not understand it. 
 The safest plan to pursue is to write your copy in plain, simple, 
 everyday English, using short sentences and appropriate 
 illustrations. You will then be certain that your message will 
 reach all classes. Avoid the use of long words or those not 
 commonly employed in the newspapers. The only exceptions 
 are the technical or trade terms used in the description of new 
 fabrics for women's wear.
 
 122 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 FRANKLIN SIMON MEN'S SHOPS 
 2 to 8 WEST 38th STREET 
 
 Men's English 
 Foulard Scarfs 
 
 Hand-Made 
 
 8150 
 
 This season's importation 
 Last season's price 
 
 WHILE some shops are ask- 
 ing $1.75 for machine-made 
 foulards, we are asking only $1.50 
 for a hand-made scarf of imported 
 material. No other men's shop 
 offers so much to its patrons or 
 demands so little for itself. 
 
 The variety in these foulards is 
 prodigious. A pandemonium of 
 patterns and a chaos of color 
 and yet discrimination chaperon- 
 ing both. Please look them over. 
 
 Bat Wings $1.00 
 
 FIFTH AVENUE 
 
 Retail advertisements like the above win perusal from busy men because the 
 display lines, which can be taken in at a glance, tell what they are about. The 
 headlines are set in Bodoni Bold and the body matter in Bookman.
 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 123 
 
 If your advertisements are to appear in high-grade class pub- 
 lications which circulate only among people of wealth and position, 
 greater attention should be given to the quality of both the text 
 and the illustrations. A well-dressed and well-groomed salesman 
 
 Stern Brothers 
 
 West 42nd Street (Between 5 A and 6th Avenues) West 43rd Street 
 
 WOMEN'S HIGH-GRADE 
 
 PUMPS and OXFORDS 
 
 r= REDUCED T0= 
 
 $8.85 
 
 Below Original Cost 
 
 A variety of distinctive models suitable for 'dress 
 or general wear developed in selected grades of 
 
 Tan Russia Calfskin dazed Kid 
 
 Patent Collskin Matt Kid 
 
 Gun Metal Brown Kid 
 
 Military, Dolly or Lours XV Heels. 
 Hand Turned or Welled Sole. 
 
 It is the usual practice to employ cuts in both wholesale and retail shoe adver- 
 tisements. That a shoe ad can be made attractive without illustrations is shown 
 by the Stern Brothers announcement above. 
 
 who uses correct English in conversation can secure a hearing 
 among high-class business men which would be denied to the 
 salesman who wears ill-fitting clothes and betrays his lack of an 
 education by coarse and ungrammatical language.
 
 124 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 On the other hand in advertisements addressed to a community 
 largely composed of toilers in workshops and factories, the 
 simplest kind of language should be employed. What the latter 
 want are facts briefly stated in words with which they are familiar. 
 They like chatty talk with plenty of pictures that tell their own 
 story. 
 
 >-^i-ran.-a^.|agia 
 
 9"he Dcbts-knit Top Jacket, shown 
 in the illustration, is offifed in a va- 
 riety of attractive mixtures . Dobbs- 
 tailored with exquisite nkiety of de- 
 tail. A Dobbs Hat. DobbsShirtand 
 Dobbs Skirt complete the costume. 
 "IheTop Jacket is F(fty Dollars. 
 
 Sbc-tvenQr Fifth Avon* 
 
 This Dobbs ad possesses character and individuality. Its artistic design and 
 its quiet tone appeals to people of refinement and good taste. 
 
 Avoid Superlatives. Don't say that an article is "the best 
 made" or that you have "the finest line of merchandise in the 
 State," or that you offer "the most wonderful bargains ever 
 seen in this city." How ridiculous it is for a merchant occupy- 
 ing a small three-story building to advertise that he carries the 
 " greatest assortment of dry -goods in the city, "when right across 
 the street is a department store, occupying an entire block, that
 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 
 
 125 
 
 sells more goods in a day than he sells in several months. What 
 is the use of lying when the truth is so much more effective? 
 You cannot safely say that anything is "the best" because you 
 don't know and you cannot know. There are enough plain adjec- 
 tives to use in describing the store or the goods it carries without 
 employing superlatives. It is better to understate than to over- 
 state the quality of merchandise. 
 
 STORE HOURS 9:30 A. M. to 6 P. M. 
 
 you get nto a 
 Saks-tailo red garment 
 you just can't help feel- 
 ing the least bit conscious 
 of the quality. 
 
 The feeling may wear off 
 but the quality won't! 
 
 BROADWAY AT 34th STREET 
 
 Small space utilized to its full value. One of a series of Saks ads that appeared 
 in New York dailies. Just a sentence or two, set in large plain type, with the 
 name plates at top and bottom, enclosed in a double 4-point border. 
 
 Get Your Clerks Interested in Your Advertising. Every 
 employee in the store should be "sold " on the firm's advertising. 
 Without the hearty cooperation of the clerks half the value of 
 the advertising will be lost. They ought to see in advance of 
 publication every advertisement that appears that they may 
 intelligently answer the inquiries of customers who ask about the 
 day's offerings. In order to get them to read carefully each
 
 126 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 advertisement, some firms offer a prize of $5 to any clerk who finds 
 an error in it. 
 
 If all the clerks are furnished correct information about the 
 merchandise they sell their efficiency behind the counter will be 
 greatly augmented. Many a sale has been lost because they 
 were not sufficiently posted to answer convincingly the questions 
 of customers. The girl at the hosiery counter ought to know 
 
 temfi and shades juring Au[uit 
 
 WHILE we do not 
 wish to cry "wolf, 
 wolf, it is nevertheless 
 true, that it is impossible 
 to replace, at the same pri- 
 ces, many lamps and 
 shades in the Ovington 
 showing, which', during 
 August, may be had at dis- 
 counts of 10% to 50%. 
 
 OVINGTON'S 
 
 "Tbt Gift Skop ef Fifth Avenue" 
 
 314 Fifth Ave. nr, 32d St. 
 
 Ovington's small ads they seldom run over three inches are models of their 
 kind. They are set in Bookman, with a two-line initial, carry a single figure 
 illustration and are framed in an artistic border. 
 
 why the brands she sells are better than some others. She 
 should be informed as to the different weaves, the effect of dyes 
 upon the wearing quality of the hose, how silk stockings should 
 be washed, and a hundred other things that will be helpful to 
 the customer. The man who sells shoes should be a mine of 
 information on the entire subject of footwear. He should be 
 acquainted with all kinds of leather, should know when to recom- 
 mend a straight last and when Q, curved; he ought to be able to
 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 127 
 
 fit anyone with the proper kind of foot covering. With intelli- 
 gent clerks behind the counter, people who take a real interest 
 in their work, a store is in a position to render the public a real 
 service. 
 
 The mediums employed in retail advertising are newspapers, 
 street car cards, posters, booklets, catalogs, letters and store 
 windows. Department stores in the larger cities use them all. 
 In the smaller cities retailers confine their advertising to one or 
 two newspapers and to their store windows. Of these mediums 
 newspapers have the lead in popularity for reasons that will be 
 given in another chapter. There are few towns with a popula- 
 tion of 500 in which there is not at least one newspaper published. 
 Therefore it is the most available and the most direct means of 
 reaching customers and prospective patrons of the store with the 
 single exception of the show windows. 
 
 Window Displays. Many retailers fail to make full use of the 
 store windows in advertising their goods. Sometimes the 
 clerks are too busy or too lazy to dress them attractively. In 
 the big department stores expert window dressers who draw 
 large salaries are employed to do the work. In the average 
 retail establishment one of the clerks who has shown that he 
 possesses better taste in planning displays than the others is 
 entrusted with the job. Even in the country towns there is 
 little excuse for poor window dressing as there are half a dozen 
 trade papers that devote much attention to the subject. At 
 least one periodical is wholly devoted to it. These tell how to 
 arrange artistic displays that will attract attention to the store. 
 Then, too, many manufacturers employ traveling window dressers 
 to call on retailers who handle their goods and show them how to 
 make effective displays. 
 
 Manufacturers who do not send out special men for the purpose 
 often supply ready-made window displays or furnish full descrip- 
 tions of several designs which any intelligent clerk can lay out 
 himself. 
 
 One of the main advantages of window .advertising is that you 
 can show the goods amid attractive and appropriate surroundings. 
 By the aid of wax figures you can display gowns, hats and other 
 apparel worn by women, almost as effectively as you could upon
 
 128 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 THE KEWTORK TIMES. SVCTAY.^ MJCUST 1. 19. . 
 
 Sale Begins Monday 9 A. M. 
 
 An Economy Event Watched For and Taken Advantage Of 
 By Home Makers 
 
 people look forward to our Mid-Summer Sale of Hut year will prove no exception to the high reputation daioed t 
 caaiaioaeMurebeeiu2tdbrthemai,r inquirietthM our preriotii evenn. Plant arc complete and we tut ready. 
 
 odFumimicomraaineaMrebeffaugedby the majyinquirie* that our prerioui event*. Plant are complete and we art ready. 
 
 For many yean, people ha<re instinctively turned to E&&9 Furnt- . conuiteticly knveu-Irvchc-c.tr prices. 
 
 Un, confident that new hofnn could be fumithed and old one* re- Suiies and odd piece* ot funuture for io*r home arc auembled M> chat 
 twd with a uiirum.ua of ciDene- aadtfactory iclechoa it aNurcd. 
 
 For Your Dining Room 
 
 furaiined with 
 
 For Your living Room 
 
 
 l prte. UO 
 OfAn- iUtlrw Boom 
 
 Odd Arm Chain " 
 
 ^^'gyggutaa For Your Bedroom 
 
 tf~~} f~*. PA g,,,., ,y propottlon mat i-Mtja ot period to featured. 
 
 *- CdVCha flOrrtNaUnd kd Rtom-ftukix-fil-kinifiaaM dcfdtnton; nfu AijUTj l 
 
 RiSrS.,ji JUJl '" r " - hu a t*d.'ir, diLffc*^ wmtin't mMtin, rf d. 1 .^ 
 
 Cwtii-.ni*iiiTieUT."ti**i'*''""o.l ( -* lt ** toOH Ufck; fa piccfav MM*. full i bed, rtiiKwot*. taki Utk; 
 
 B Bs S B*-*^-M ! ^---*i caK.as.sf'**' iS*jS.jL.g.j 
 
 ntuci> o.' 
 
 Brtaifa-l Room Soltea 
 
 Bedroom Furniture 
 
 SS^S^S^ 
 
 S^S.T'ij!.! SSSr.iJS; 
 c:u~. j< SS5?k . . JH 
 
 ^^, ullllt 
 
 eiaebdtekbclooiboerd,dett.er. curff MreA Tencer "wite, eontlrtinj 
 jcJrt^,bk.eL, ^.' 1 ^y^g55;;^ 1 
 
 Metal Beds and Bedding 
 
 iu>d. (nr the Fill tilled endilic*lr. efdcwrttx ui, . 
 
 fe 1 ^!.".-: ,' . ;.. 
 
 _s *-^> * :;,. sw 
 
 Herald Se,iu t^/lC. </ Nt " Yo ' k 
 
 One of R. H. Macy & Co. department store, page newspaper ada, showing what 
 can be done without column rules or divisional panels. Their absence does not 
 confuse the reader because white space is judiciously employed to separate the 
 individual announcements.
 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 
 
 129 
 
 .L.HUDSON COMPANY 
 
 Today Saw the Beginning, of Two Events of Extraordinary 
 
 Interest to Women 
 
 This Great Mid-Summer Sale 
 
 Has An Extraordinary Showing 
 
 of Living Room Furniture 
 
 At Prlcet .loir Will Hardly Watt to Mia . 
 
 t^HMI hlMTJ* fi I II II 
 
 Come and See the Sale 
 
 T*iH.fc*. ^ III I .! 
 
 IMi - wUty^l I Hi h rtlk *U> *~ OKI 
 
 Tht Pnblk Is Now Giricg Its Veriict 
 
 
 ^yagg> 
 
 ti rt> FVxir of tfc F>nr St A Woodnrd An t 
 
 Many Unusual Values 
 in the Girls' Shop 
 
 Important A Sale of 2,500 
 Women's Blouses at J 3.95 
 
 
 BBfa-^irTis 
 
 In the Infants' Shop 
 
 Mid-Summer 
 
 Sale of Rugs 
 
 40 Bot> t S15S 
 
 6 Bngi at M9.50 
 
 PilloWCases, Etc. 
 
 GnrtoMn* ft auuni*! trait ttatbMaBltlfoBdMM 
 
 tdt tkji^ to b* abte to HT puaiUMij *fc^ w OTMUv **^* It 
 bMi>othli>IB>ltiitt!iitt<T<i<&i*m 
 
 eoWkte d tbwt * 
 
 . . 
 
 wSrtis^E'iicvass jj5:*sri.ca' " " 
 
 r~i, .* T 
 
 
 Over a Quarter of a Million Dollars in 
 Coats and Small Fora 
 
 
 >.^s!"n^mrtr<s 
 
 Another style of departmeDt store full page advertising. The Hudson Com- 
 pany has its own ideas about typographical arrangement. The relative impor- 
 tance of the several offerings is indicated by the size of the headlines.
 
 130 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 living models. One of Pittsburgh's leading department stores 
 gives such an artistic setting to its displays that women come long 
 distances to see them. As there is practically no limit to the 
 advertising possibilities of window displays, a wide-awake mer- 
 chant ought to dress his windows at least once a week. 
 
 In giving advice to a young merchant on how to build up a 
 successful business, one of New York's largest retailers of men's 
 clothes said: "Make the front attractive through seasonable and 
 appealing window displays. Learn the names of your regular 
 customers so that you can properly address them when they call 
 to make purchases . Keep your store up-to-date in its appoint- 
 ments so that people will like to visit it because of its cheerful 
 appearance. Get rid of your old stock at a loss if necessary. 
 Shelf room costs money. The greater the percentage of your 
 turn-over, the lower the selling expense and the smaller the capital 
 required to handle the business. And last, and most important 
 of all, advertise attractively what you have to sell." 
 
 Keep a Card Index of Customers. Whenever you have an 
 opening sale of millinery or women's gowns, send a letter on 
 choice stationery to those whose patronage you specially ap- 
 preciate, inviting them to visit the store a day ahead of the pub- 
 lished date and inspect the new season's styles. Enclose a card 
 bearing the customer's name and entitling her to admission to 
 the show rooms. The women who receive these invitations will 
 appreciate the favor and their good will toward the store will be 
 strengthened. 
 
 Men are just as appreciative of any special attention. If you 
 deal in men's clothes and haberdashery and are putting on a 
 special sale of overcoats or suits, before you announce it in the 
 newspapers send your regular customers a short business-like 
 letter calling their attention to it. Having been tipped off in this 
 way they will be ready to take advantage of the bargains you 
 offer on the opening day. In many cases they will call up on 
 the telephone and ask you to pick out an overcoat or suit for 
 them and hold it until they can visit the store. As you have 
 their sizes on record in the store and know the kind of clothes 
 they want it will be an easy matter for you to do this. Men do 
 not have as much time to shop as women and are therefore grateful
 
 RETAIL ADVERTISING 131 
 
 for any cooperation the dealer may give that will help them to 
 get what they want. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. In advertising a retail business what is the first object to be attained? 
 
 2. From what distance can a store draw trade? 
 
 3. What are some of the things that can be done to induce people to visit 
 the store? 
 
 4. What are some of the characteristics of successful retail copy? 
 
 6. What can you say about the importance of giving individuality to a 
 merchant's advertising? 
 
 6. What are the striking features of John Wanamaker's advertising? 
 
 7. Give five suggestions regarding the preparation of retail copy. 
 
 8. How can the interest of the clerks in the advertising be stimulated? 
 
 9. How can their efficiency be improved? 
 
 10. What mediums are employed in retail advertising? 
 
 11. What can be done to make the show windows sell goods? 
 12 How can a card index help the retail merchant?
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 WHY ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPERS 
 
 Ours is a nation of newspaper readers. The average American 
 would as soon think of going without his breakfast as without 
 his morning or evening paper. And in those sections of the 
 country that are remote from the big centers where dailies are 
 published the people are no less eager in devouring the weeklies 
 which bring to their doors the news of the local field and the 
 great outside world lying beyond the horizon. It is because of 
 their universal distribution, the thoroughness with which they 
 are read, and the reasonableness of their charges for space that 
 newspapers have become the most popular of all advertising 
 mediums. When it is remembered that there are several thou- 
 sand towns and cities having less than 1,000 inhabitants, in 
 which at least one newspaper is published, and whose continued 
 existence would be impossible without advertising, it will be seen 
 that the great centers of population have no monopoly of this 
 particular medium. 
 
 Advantages of Newspaper Advertising. 1. Newspaper advo- 
 cates claim that newspaper advertising is the cheapest advertising 
 known because it reaches more people in proportion to the amount 
 of money expended than any other medium. 
 
 William H. Rankin, of Chicago, an advertising agent of wide 
 experience, is authority for the statement that a quarter of a 
 page advertisement can be placed in every daily, weekly, bi- 
 weekly and tri-weekly newspaper, representing a total circulation 
 of 46,000,000 copies for less than $200,000. 
 
 Harry C. Prudden, one of the most experienced space buyers in 
 New York, a short time ago estimated the circulation of the 
 2,044 daily newspapers in the United States at 26,595,204 copies. 
 A recent estimate based upon Government and Audit Bureau 
 of Circulations reports gives the circulation of all the morning 
 newspapers at 10,271,137 and of the evening papers, 18,353,904, 
 
 132
 
 WHY ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPERS 133 
 
 or a total of 28,625,041. The cost of running an advertisement 
 in the entire list would be about $61.74 a line. A national 
 advertiser paid $6.50 a line for a list of 25 representative city 
 dailies having a total circulation of 3,500,000 copies. 
 
 In the daily newspapers the rates run from 6 to 10 cents a line 
 in small-town publications; and from 20 to 70 cents and even 
 $2 a line, according to classification, in the metropolitan dailies. 
 In the country weeklies the rate runs as low as 6 cents an inch. 
 One of the big national literary weeklies sells its space at $6 a line. 
 
 If you want to get a good idea of the low cost of newspaper 
 advertising take your pencil and figure out what the expense 
 would be of preparing a circular, letter or folder, and sending it 
 to the subscribers or readers of any representative daily news- 
 paper with which you are acquainted. In making the estimate 
 you would have to include such expenses as writing the advertise- 
 ment, the cost of the paper, composition and press-work involved 
 in its production, the folding, enclosing and addressing of the 
 several thousand copies, the postage, and the delivery of the 
 sacks containing them to the Post Office. 
 
 Compare the total of all these items with the cost of an 
 advertisement containing the same amount of matter placed in a 
 newspaper and note how much less is the expense involved in 
 the use of newspaper space. 
 
 2. Newspaper Advertising Has the Advantage of Timeliness. 
 Time is a most important element in advertising. Because of the 
 frequency of publication the advertiser is able to place his 
 message before the public in a few hours. He does not have to 
 furnish copy from six weeks to two months in advance, as in the 
 case of many of the magazines, but can write it, have it put in 
 type and inserted in a newspaper all in the same day. He is 
 therefore in a position to take advantage of any unexpected 
 event or situation. 
 
 A few years ago when Passaic, N. J., had a $500,000 fire, 
 the enterprising agent of a patent fire extinguisher happened 
 to be in town. He saw in the event an opportunity to center 
 public attention upon the device and make sales. Finding, upon 
 inquiry, that the local agent had only a few of the fire extin- 
 guishers on hand he telegraphed to all the branch houses in the
 
 134 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 adjacent territory to send to Passaic at once all they had in 
 stock. Then he placed large display advertisements in all the 
 daily newspapers of the city, in which, after telling of the ad- 
 vantages of the extinguisher, he asserted that, had the buildings 
 that had been destroyed been equipped with it, the flames could 
 have been easily extinguished and the $500,000 loss prevented. 
 
 Appearing as it did when the entire business public was excited 
 over the fire, the advertisement made a great impression and 
 during the next few days the sales of the extinguisher in Passaic 
 were the heaviest ever known in the city, and gross after gross 
 were sold in the surrounding territory. Here was a case where 
 enterprise and newspaper advertising, coupled with opportunity, 
 made a ten-strike at small expense. 
 
 Advertisers are more alert in taking advantage of disastrous 
 fires to sell their products than they were formerly. When an 
 event of this character now occurs not only will the manufac- 
 turers of fire extinguishers and apparatus make use of the ad- 
 vertising columns of the newspapers, but also the insurance 
 companies, the builders, the dealers in fireproof material and 
 office furniture, and the real estate men who have stores and 
 lofts to rent. 
 
 Retail merchants appreciate the value of newspaper advertising 
 in getting quick action on special sales or in meeting a mer- 
 chandising emergency. It is not unusual for the sales manager 
 of a department store to cancel suddenly the advertisement 
 prepared for the following day and substitute for it another ex- 
 ploiting several lines of goods omitted from the previous an- 
 nouncement, but which it had been found desirable to sell 
 immediately. Sometimes these changes in copy are due to 
 the weather or to the unexpected arrival of shipments of goods 
 for which there is a heavy demand; sometimes to the action of 
 a competitor in making a drive on a particular article. 
 
 National advertisers are quick to employ newspaper space 
 to head off legislation that would harm their business; or defend 
 their products from attacks made upon them by physicians or 
 Health Bureaus, or by rival manufacturers. By promptly com- 
 batting the charges made they are often able to neutralize their 
 effect and turn the tables on their opponents.
 
 WHY ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPERS 
 
 135 
 
 raspberries 
 red or 
 black 
 
 Think of winter breakfasts with raspberry jam on but- 
 tered toast! Think of clear, red jelly and raspberry tarts! 
 
 Don't let raspberry time slip by without doing up all 
 you can both black and red. 
 
 There is so much nutrition in preserves that they 
 should be used to replace more costly winter foods. 
 
 When you order your sugar see that it's Domino Granu- 
 lated. Domino comes in tight, dustproof packages, ac- 
 curately weighed, packed and sealed by machine. Domino 
 sugars are all pure cane sugars of the highest quality, 
 packed in convenient sturdy cartons or strong cotton bags. 
 
 American Sugar Refining Company 
 
 "Sweeten i'( with Domino" 
 
 GmraUted. Tablet. Powdered, Confectioner!. Brown. 
 
 Gotdeo Syrup. KueUe> 
 
 Cane Sugars 
 
 SAVE THE FRUITCROPJ 
 
 An advertisement like this appearing in the newspapers when berries and other 
 kinds of fruit are ripe is certain to appeal to housewives. The bag of Domino 
 granulated sugar and the heap of ripe raspberries, suggests the desirability of 
 canning fruit for winter consumption.
 
 136 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 3. Newspaper Advertising Produces Quick Results. A daily 
 newspaper is published 30 or 31 times a month, a magazine, 
 usually once a month. The salesman who can talk to his 
 customers or prospects every day in a month has a tremendous 
 advantage over the salesman who can talk to them but once 
 in that time. Frequency of appearance is, therefore, one of the 
 chief advantages of the newspaper as an advertising medium. 
 If, however, newspapers were not continuously read by a majority 
 of the buying public frequency of issue would not carry much 
 weight with advertisers. It is because they are bought 
 and read by practically the same people, day in and day out, 
 that they are of special value to those engaged in the sale of 
 merchandise. 
 
 Reiteration of statement is one of the most effective means 
 of influencing the human mind. Through the constant repetition 
 in advertisements of a fact or series of facts about an article it is 
 possible to produce an indelible impression upon the mind of the 
 reader. He may or may not know that the impression is being 
 made, but in the end he will be led, consciously or unconsciously, 
 to buy the article if it comes within the range of his needs or 
 desires and he has the money to meet the cost. 
 
 Some of the most successful and most profitable business 
 enterprises of our time have been created through newspaper 
 advertising. C. W. Post, of Battle Creek, Michigan, brought 
 out Postum Cereal, a new substitute for coffee, in 1895. Through 
 the liberal use of newspaper publicity he made a profit of $175,000 
 the first year. His success was so unusual that a dozen or more 
 cereal substitutes for coffee, several being close imitations of 
 Postum, were placed on the market at a much lower price 
 Postum retailed for 25 cents a package. In order to meet the 
 competition of the cheaper brand Mr. Post organized another 
 cereal company and placed on the market a coffee substitute 
 called "Monks' Brew," which was sold at retail at 5 cents a 
 package and was advertised as "The equal of any cereal coffee 
 made." Admitting that Postum was the best coffee substitute 
 on the market Mr. Post did not misrepresent the new product 
 as every carton labelled "Monks' Brew," it afterward turned out, 
 contained real Postum.
 
 WHY ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPERS 
 
 137 
 
 Sold by Reliable Dealer* 
 
 Phone Prospect 1800 for puna 
 of dealer in your neighborhood 
 
 PHESE tires are 
 JL built on the prin- 
 ciple that you can't 
 get the best out of 
 your tires unless the 
 best was putin them 
 in the first place. 
 
 C. KENYON COMPANY, Inc. 
 
 Maktrt of Ktnyon Weathtrproaf 
 and Kmreifn Waterproof Coat* 
 
 DEALER'S SERVICE DEPT. 
 
 754 Pacific Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 There is no fuss or feathers about this Kenyon newspaper ad but it does three 
 things and does them well. It visualizes the tire by means of an outline picture; 
 it impresses its name, "Kenyon Cord," upon the reader's mind, and by a single 
 brief sentence starts a train of thought that ends in the conclusion that Kenyon 
 tires must be good tires.
 
 138 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 This move drove the rival manufacturers out of business. 
 As soon as this happened the Monk's Brew advertising was 
 stopped and the demand soon dropped off to such a degree that 
 the wholesalers sent it back to Battle Creek by the carload. 
 Post accepted the returned shipments and promptly mailed 
 checks for the full amount paid by the jobbers and retailers. 
 The manufacturer poured the contents of the packages into 25- 
 cent Postum cartons, which were then shipped out to fill orders 
 for Postum that had been received from all over the country. 
 At the end of the second year this enterprising manufacturer 
 found that he had lost $46,000. 
 
 The following year Mr. Post's profits were $384,000; the next 
 $465,000; the next $930,000, and for\ number of years after that 
 they averaged over $1,000,000. In 1908 he invested $1,317,952.- 
 55 in newspaper advertising; hi 1909, $1,245,779.30, and in 1910, 
 $1,500,000. At the time of his death a year or two later he was 
 spending more than $2,000,000 annually. 
 
 In an address before the Sphinx Club Mr. Post stated that his 
 sales increased in direct proportion to the amount he put into 
 advertising. He laid down the principle that "in conducting 
 successful newspaper campaigns it is of the first elemental im- 
 portance that you have a high-grade article, containing all of the 
 honest merit that human intelligence can put into it. Let the 
 advertiser know the ground-floor facts about his product, and 
 then tell them steadily and persistently, and all the time right 
 in the face of all ignorant criticism, however perverted it may be, 
 and he will win out in time for the people seek facts and ride 
 over biased and self-seeking comment." 
 
 W. L. Douglas, at one tune Governor of Massachusetts, and 
 one of the largest manufacturers of advertised shoes in the world, 
 once paid this tribute to newspaper advertising: 
 
 "Newspaper advertising has made me what I am. I have 
 tried all the advertising mediums there are and the newspapers 
 give me far the best results. A newspaper advertisement strikes 
 the eye the moment the sheet is opened. The same advertise- 
 ment would be hidden among the many pages of a magazine until 
 the reader found his way to it, if he ever did. Every man reads 
 a newspaper but every man does not read the magazines. There
 
 WHY ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPERS 
 
 139 
 
 4 never-ending procession of ships 
 
 is passing along this route, bringing fresh, fra- 
 grant Lipton's Tea to America. In the great 
 Lipton Plantations of Ceylon and India, over 
 8,000 miles awayj the picking, curing and 
 shipping of 
 
 is always going on. That is why you always get fresh tea 
 
 when you buy Lipton's. Freshness is vitally essential to 
 
 the satisfying flavor and fragrance of tea. Tell your grocer 
 
 you want Lipton's Tea because you know it will have this 
 
 freshness. 
 
 Look for the signature of Sir Thomas J. Lipton on every 
 
 package of tea you buy 
 
 TEA COFFEE** COCOA PiMtTfuCtruoH 
 
 It insures you the utmost in tea quality and is a guarantee 
 that you will enjoy tea drinking at its best. 
 
 Ask your grocer for Lilian's blends of Ceylon and India 
 Teas Black, Green or Mixed, also Orange Petot 
 
 THOMAS J. LIPTON, Inc. 
 
 Hobokeo San Francisco Chicago Toronto London 
 
 The never ending procession of ships carrying Lipton's tea from Ceylon to 
 New York, as shown in the illustration, is, to the reader, convincing proof of its 
 popularity. The reproduction of Lipton's signature, and the package in the 
 lower left-hand corner are helps to identification. Well adapted to newspaper
 
 140 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 is no place where the newspapers are not read with eager interest. 
 That is why I advertise exclusively in the daily newspapers." 
 
 Mr. Douglas has invested from $200,000 to $300,000 a year in 
 this kind of publicity. It would have been utterly impossible 
 for Mr. Post or Mr. Douglas to have achieved the great financial 
 success they did without advertising they say newspaper 
 advertising. 
 
 A large national advertiser in starting out to introduce a new 
 product began by spending $300 a month in the local newspapers 
 of a restricted territory. Disregarding the cost of advertising 
 he made a profit of $50, the first month; $75 the second; $100, 
 the third and so on up to the twelfth when the profit was large 
 enough to cover the cost of advertising for the month. At the 
 end of 18 months the profit equaled the cost of the advertis- 
 ing for the entire period, and beginning with the nineteenth 
 month he was doing a large volume of business with a fair profit. 
 He continued this same policy for 17 months in several other 
 localities, the results of the three years' use of local mediums 
 being three new factories with a fourth under construction to meet 
 the demand that had been created. 
 
 The above are only three out of hundreds of cases that might 
 be cited to show the substantial results that can be achieved in a 
 comparatively short time through the employment of newspaper 
 advertising. 
 
 Herbert Kaufman says: "Newspaper advertising is to business 
 what hands are to a clock. It is a direct and certain means of 
 letting the public know what you are doing. A dealer who does 
 not advertise is like a clock that has no hands." 
 
 4. Newspaper Advertising Increases Profits by Speeding Up the 
 Turn-over oj Stock. It is a well-known merchandising principle 
 that the more frequent the turn-over of goods the greater will be 
 the profit, as overhead expenses remain practically the same. 
 Hence the more goods sold the larger the profit. Frequency of 
 advertising, provided, of course, it is of the right kind, promotes 
 frequency of turn-over. It is this constant turn-over of capital 
 that makes large profits possible upon a comparatively small 
 initial investment. Volume and reasonable profits should be the
 
 WHY ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPERS 141 
 
 aim of both manufacturer and retailer. Newspaper advertising 
 promotes both. 
 
 5. What You Get When You Purchase Newspaper Space. 
 When you place an advertisement in a newspaper you buy much 
 more than the white space it occupies. Along with it goes the 
 prestige and influence which the paper has been building up for 
 many years. Victor Lawson spent $25,000,000 in developing the 
 Chicago Daily News. Four hundred thousand families read the 
 paper daily because of its dependability and their confidence in it. 
 Every advertiser in its columns buys the good will that has been 
 created by many years of square dealing and efficient public 
 service but all he pays for is space. 
 
 It took the great war to demonstrate to the Government, 
 bankers and business men of the country, the dominance and 
 force of newspaper advertising. One of the most impressive 
 illustrations showing what can be done through newspaper ad- 
 vertising was the Chicago Red Cross Membership Campaign. 
 By using 42 full-page advertisements in the local dailies for four 
 weeks the enrollment was increased from 17,000 to 416,000, at a 
 total cost of 7% cents a member. The best previous cost record 
 made without advertising was 16 cents per member. 
 
 6. Another Advantage oj Newspaper Advertising Is Its Flexibility. 
 You can localize your advertising by adapting it to the varying 
 social, financial, business and climatic conditions of the territory 
 you wish to cover. You can use one kind of copy in Florida and 
 Louisiana, another kind in Ohio and Kentucky, and still another 
 in Oregon and Washington, in each instance the text matter 
 being adapted to the special needs and customs of the people of 
 those sections of the country. 
 
 A newspaper advertising campaign can be confined to one 
 state or group of states, or it can cover the country like a blanket. 
 It can be canceled on a few days' notice or it can be extended to 
 territory that was not included in the original plan. The ad- 
 vertisements used need not be of uniform size. You can run a 
 page or double truck on Sunday, a quarter page Wednesday, 
 and a column or half a column on Friday, without the slightest 
 trouble. When the season for your product is on, if you are a 
 manufacturer, you can employ as much space as you may need
 
 142 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 to properly influence trade. In the dull season you are under no 
 obligation to advertise in the newspaper unless you want to. 
 
 7. One More Point to Be Considered in Newspaper Advertising 
 Is the Promptness with Which Newspaper Readers Respond to Ad- 
 vertising Appeals. They have been taught by experience to act 
 at once, notably in responding to classified and retail advertising. 
 They know that unless they immediately visit the store where a 
 special sale is taking place their chances for getting one of the 
 articles advertised are few. Delay mean loss of opportunity. 
 Prompt action prevents disappointment. National advertisers 
 say that readers of newspapers are more quickly responsive to 
 their advertisements than the readers of magazines. It is this 
 habit of promptness in answering advertisements that appeals to 
 merchants. They can tell within 24 or 48 hours after a special 
 sale advertisement has been printed just what results have been 
 achieved through that particular piece of copy. 
 
 How to Know What Newspaper to Use. The retail merchant 
 has little difficulty in selecting the proper daily or weekly papers 
 for his advertising. He lives right where they are published. 
 He reads one or more of them every day if he is a live and intelli- 
 gent merchant. He hears them discussed by customers in the 
 store, and by his friends and neighbors. He knows which ones 
 print the most reliable news and are the most helpful to the 
 community. Therefore when he advertises he is measurably 
 certain to pick those that will do his business the most good. 
 
 The national distributor hi making up the list of newspapers 
 in which his advertising is to appear naturally does not have 
 first-hand knowledge of the several city dailies possessed by the 
 local merchants. He can find in the newspaper directories facts 
 that will help him in his selection, but aside from the circulation 
 figures, political complexion, frequency of publication and the 
 names of the owners, there is little information that will assist 
 him in determining their standing in the community or their 
 value as advertising mediums. 
 
 The basic facts that are most helpful to the national advertiser 
 in determining the real advertising worth of a newspaper do not 
 appear in directories. They can only be found in the possession 
 of the large advertising agencies and big national advertisers
 
 143 
 
 who have assembled them for their use as the result of thorough 
 and costly investigations made by members of their own staffs. 
 What advertisers want to know is embodied in the answers to 
 these questions: What kind of people comprise the bulk of the 
 paper's readers? Is it an alert and progressive publication, 
 taking the lead in civic affairs and making its influence felt in 
 all directions, or does it drift along without definite aims or 
 purposes? Is it a sensational or a conservative newspaper? 
 Does it print objectionable advertising? Are its rates reasonable 
 and are they the same to all people? Does it give the advertiser 
 a square deal? Is the paper well printed and edited? Does 
 it have backbone in dealing with public questions? Are its 
 classified columns fat or lean? Does it have a distinct moral 
 tone? 
 
 When these questions have been satisfactorily answered the 
 advertiser can make his selection with intelligence and good 
 judgment. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. How does the cost of newspaper advertising compare with that of 
 other mediums? 
 
 2. What would be the expense of running a 10-line advertisement in all 
 the daily newspapers of the country? 
 
 3. Give six advantages of newspapers as an advertising medium. 
 
 4. Tell the story of Postum. 
 
 6. What effect does newspaper advertising have upon turn-over? 
 
 6. In buying space what do you get besides the white paper? 
 
 7. Are the readers of newspapers more quickly responsive to advertise- 
 ments than magazine readers, and if so, why? 
 
 8. How can an advertiser tell what newspapers to use in a campaign? 
 
 9. What are some of the points that should be considered in their selec- 
 tion?
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 MAGAZINES AS ADVERTISING MEDIUMS 
 
 All magazines may be grouped under three heads literary, 
 class and business. Usually when we speak of magazines in 
 advertising circles the literary or class publications are meant. 
 Because of their country-wide distribution magazines stand in 
 high favor among national advertisers. Retail merchants do 
 not use them in their campaigns unless, like B. Altman & Com- 
 pany, Tiffany and the Gorham Company, of New York, and 
 Marshall Field & Company, of Chicago, they have mail order 
 departments. Owing to the nature of their business they aim 
 to concentrate their advertising upon the territory from which 
 they can reasonably expect to draw customers. For their pur- 
 pose the local daily or weekly newspaper is an ideal medium. 
 
 On the other hand, the national advertiser generally a 
 manufacturer or jobber who sells his product all over the 
 country wherever he can find a market, uses the magazines be- 
 cause of their wide distribution. The publishers of these period- 
 icals do not contend that theirs is the best or the only advertising 
 medium that should be used in a general advertising campaign. 
 As a matter of fact they recognize the value of newspapers and 
 are themselves liberal advertisers in them. They have found 
 by experience that if they want to arouse public interest in a 
 striking feature article, or in an unusual story appearing in their 
 magazines they must use newspaper space. The Literary 
 Digest, the Pictorial Review, the Saturday Evening Post and 
 Collier's, employ full pages in the highest priced dailies in the 
 country for this purpose. Whenever the time element is an 
 important factor the newspaper is undoubtedly superior to 
 other mediums. 
 
 The Place of the Magazine. Before enumerating the argu- 
 ments in behalf of the magazine as an advertising medium let 
 
 144
 
 MAGAZINES AS ADVERTISING MEDIUMS 145 
 
 us consider the position it occupies in the reading world. Maga- 
 zines are not a necessity in the same sense as are newspapers. 
 Their function is different. Business men depend upon news- 
 papers for market reports and other information which is of 
 vital importance to them in the conduct of their affairs. From 
 this viewpoint it would not make much difference to them if no 
 magazines were published. And yet magazines are generally 
 regarded as indispensable to modern civilization. They are the 
 medium through which its highest culture finds expression. 
 In them may be found much of the choicest literature of our 
 time, the results of scientific research, articles on art, music, 
 the drama, travel, health and other topics that appeal to men 
 and women of education and refinement. 
 
 The magazines discuss many subjects with a thoroughness that 
 is not possible in the newspapers because of space limitations 
 and the speed with which they must be produced. They furnish 
 thousands of people with the only means they have of intellectual 
 improvement. Some are devoted to the home, some to women 
 and some to the children. Others to health, religion, education, 
 out-door sports and agriculture. They are read during leisure 
 hours when the mind is not absorbed with business affairs or by 
 social or household duties. Their monthly or weekly arrival is 
 looked forward to with pleasurable anticipation by all members 
 of the family. For thirty days they continue a live attraction 
 of the center table, and when the new issues come they are put 
 aside for future reference, and at the end of the year are bound 
 in volume form and placed on the shelves of the library. 
 
 Advantages of Magazine Advertising. We are now hi a posi- 
 tion to understand wherein the value of the magazine as an 
 advertising medium lies. Among its advantages are the following : 
 
 1. It Is Read in the Home and Forms a Part of Its IntettectualLife. 
 It has the confidence of the members of the family a confi- 
 dence that has been born of long familiarity with its ideals and 
 purposes as reflected in its pages. The publisher regards himself 
 as a trustee for the home into which his magazine enters and there- 
 fore keeps out of it all advertisements that might deceive or harm 
 the members of the family. That is the reason why for many 
 
 years before the prohibition law went into effect the pages of the 
 10
 
 146 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 standard magazines were free from beer, whiskey, patent 
 medicine and other objectionable advertisements. In one year 
 Everybody's rejected $200,000 worth of this kind of advertising. 
 
 2. Every Advertisement Appearing in Its Columns Has Behind 
 It the Implied, if Not Expressed, Personal Endorsement of the 
 Publisher. The reader does not question for a moment the 
 truth of the statements. He believes them because of his faith 
 in the responsibility and integrity of the sponsors of the magazine. 
 The advantage which this reader confidence gives the national 
 distributor of merchandise, whose advertising is admitted to its 
 columns, is incalculable. He can bank upon the results that 
 will follow with a greater degree of certainty than is possible when 
 some of the other mediums are employed. Magazine publishers 
 have claimed, and apparently not without reason, that reader 
 response is far greater in proportion to circulation than in the 
 case of the newspapers. 
 
 3. It Furnishes a Stable Market. Herbert S. Houston, of 
 Doubleday, Page & Company, publishers of the World's Work, 
 maintains that the magazine is most effective in creating a broad 
 and enduring market for staple articles having wide distribution, 
 for example, like Walter Baker's Chocolate, Royal Baking 
 Powder or Regal Shoes. Such a market depends upon the home 
 for its support and the way to reach the home, he asserts, is 
 through the literary and other magazines that cover the country 
 thoroughly many times a year. 
 
 4. It Protects Readers Against Loss Through Fraudulent Ad- 
 vertising. The readers of a magazine take it for granted that the 
 publisher guarantees the responsibility of his advertisers, and 
 hence, when they find they have been deceived, do not hesitate 
 to call upon him to make good any loss they have sustained. A 
 man in Florida who purchased some fancy pigeons that had been 
 advertised in a prominent monthly wrote the publisher that they 
 were not as represented. The latter requested him to forward 
 the birds to New York by express where he would have a pigeon 
 fancier decide whether they came up to the description given by 
 the seller in his advertisement. The expert reported that the 
 pigeons were of the ordinary barn-yard variety and not Belgian
 
 MAGAZINES AS ADVERTISING MEDIUMS 147 
 
 Some national advertisers depend upon illustrations to put their message across. 
 In this William Rogers ad the picture conveys the idea of quality, the few lines 
 of type underneath being supplementary.
 
 148 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 JW, 
 
 .*> 
 
 *-x 
 
 SHRE'DDl'MBlH 
 
 Vjfi 
 
 SHREDDED 
 Bumbles 
 
 K 
 
 rumbles 
 
 the real vim an 
 
 "DVERY bit of the perfect nutrition nature 
 -L-' puts in the whol,e wheat grain is in 
 Krumbles. That is why eminent food author- 
 ities say one could live indefinitely on Krum- 
 bles and milk. Krumbles gives you the valuable 
 mineral salts and other elements that benefit 
 muscles and nerves build up vitality and 
 provide pep. 
 
 Krumbles is made in the same big, modern 
 kitchens as Kellogg's Toasted Corn Flakes, 
 Kellogg's Krumbled Bran, Kellogg's Drinket, 
 etc, and comes to you from your grocer in our 
 flavor-hokUng"waxtite"pack- 
 age, with this signature- " 
 
 Here, again, we see in this Kellogg ad a happy combination of illustration 
 and text. The picture of the jolly-faced, wholesome-looking Boy Scout at the 
 top, and the package and prepared dish of berries at the right, are full of sugges- 
 tions to parents.
 
 MAGAZINES AS ADVERTISING MEDIUMS 149 
 
 Homers, as claimed. Thereupon the publisher forwarded to the 
 Florida buyer a check covering the price he had paid for them 
 and sent the birds back to the advertiser whom he compelled 
 to repay the money. 
 
 There are few representative magazines in America that do not 
 protect their readers from loss in a similar manner. It is a 
 tribute to the watchfulness of the publishers that so few mis- 
 leading or deceptive advertisements find their way into their 
 periodicals. 
 
 5. Advertisements Appear in Good Company. A magazine 
 advertiser is morally certain that his advertisement will be in 
 good company when it appears. If he is selling the bonds of an 
 industrial corporation of established reputation he knows that 
 it will not be elbowed by the alluring announcements of wild-cat 
 oil or mining companies. In business, as well as in society, we 
 like to be associated with honest and respectable people. We 
 know that if we are frequently seen in the company of men and 
 women who have an unsavory reputation, we will soon be classed 
 with them. In the same way we want our advertisements to 
 have the right kind of neighbors when they appear in print in 
 order that they may share in the advantages which such 
 association brings. 
 
 Physical Advantages of Magazine Advertising. Because 
 magazines are printed on a fine quality of paper, on slow-running 
 presses, and under conditions that allow more time for make- 
 ready and greater care in printing, they offer advertisers better 
 typographical effects and art values than the newspapers. 
 Finer screens can be used in making the halftone plates for the 
 illustrations, thus insuring clearer and more attractive pictures. 
 Within reasonable limitations the better the typographical and 
 artistic appearance of an advertisement the more likely its 
 chances are of being seen and read. 
 
 The shape and size of a magazine page contributes to the effect- 
 iveness of the advertisement printed upon it. The fact that full 
 pages are used by a majority of national advertisers gives to each 
 one an equal chance to interest the reader. There is no division 
 of attention. When you riffle over the pages every advertisement 
 has an opportunity, however slight it may be, of catching and
 
 150 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 holding your eye long enough to awaken a desire to read it. It 
 is the absence of counter-attractions that gives an added strength 
 to magazine advertisements. 
 
 Magazines Maintain Service Departments. Many of the more 
 important magazines have established service departments for 
 the assistance of advertisers in the preparation of their copy and 
 to supply valuable merchandising and marketing information. 
 While most of the national advertising is prepared and placed 
 by advertising agents, many new advertisers who have not reached 
 the point where they consider it advisable to turn over their 
 publicity campaigns to agents, are glad to avail themselves of the 
 advice and assistance given by the service departments of the 
 magazines. Sometimes a charge is made, but usually the service 
 is furnished free to those who have contracted for space. But 
 whether or not a charge is made for writing the copy, the 
 expense of all art work, halftones or other cuts, is borne by the 
 advertiser. 
 
 How Magazines Help the Dealer. The national distributor 
 who wants to get the most out of his advertising should not be 
 content to sit back and wait for results. He should see that the 
 retailers who handle his goods know about his campaign and the 
 names of the magazines he is using. This information can be 
 supplied to them through the manufacturer's salesmen who call 
 upon the merchants. They should carry with them copies of the 
 advertisements that are to appear during the campaign and 
 explain how they will increase sales. It is a good plan to furnish 
 copies of one or more of the magazines containing the advertise- 
 ments to the dealers so they can place them in the show windows 
 in which the goods are displayed. People passing by will see 
 them and be duly impressed by the fact that the articles thus 
 advertised in publications having a national reputation, are on 
 sale in the store. They will conclude, and rightly too, that the 
 goods must possess merit or the manufacturer would not spend 
 a large amount of money in advertising them. Moreover they 
 take pride in the possession and use of articles that have been 
 made popular through advertising. 
 
 The merchant also takes pride in selling them. To have on 
 his shelves trade-marked products that are being exploited in
 
 MAGAZINES AS ADVERTISING MEDIUMS 151 
 
 high-class magazines that circulate among his best customers 
 gives to his store a prominence in the community it would not 
 have if he dealt only in commonplace brands. 
 
 The Life of a Magazine Advertisement. Thirty days is the 
 limit of the active life of a magazine just as a day is the limit 
 of a daily newspaper. The magazine advertisement, however, 
 continues to pull long after the month of publication has gone 
 by. The Michigan Stove Company inserted a 224-line advertise- 
 ment three times in a select list of magazines and weeklies having 
 a national circulation. One of its features was a coupon offering 
 advice about stoves to any person returning it to the company's 
 office. Six years after the advertisement had appeared the 
 offer had not been repeated in the meantime the coupons were 
 still coming in, some from remote districts of Europe and other 
 foreign countries The explanation, of course, is that magazines 
 are not thrown away, like newspapers, but in many instances 
 are kept for a long time in bound or unbound form. Some- 
 times old copies are sent to institutions where they are read 
 and re-read until worn out. A magazine frequently has half 
 a dozen sets of readers, the copies being sent from one home 
 to another among the relatives and friends of the original owner. 
 While formerly it was the custom in binding copies into volumes 
 to discard the advertising sections, in these days, owing to the 
 increased size of the magazine page and the custom of running 
 reading matter and small advertisements together, it is impossible 
 to do so. It follows, therefore, under this arrangement, that the 
 advertisements are preserved indefinitely, and, as often as the 
 volume is opened are ready to deliver their message to the reader. 
 
 Things to Be Considered in Magazine Circulations. While 
 quantity of circulation is regarded as a most important factor 
 in newspaper advertising, in magazine advertising it is geo- 
 graphical distribution. The national advertiser wants to know 
 whether it covers the entire country or only a section of it. 
 When he buys magazine space he prefers that it shall be in a 
 periodical that covers the territory where he has the best dis- 
 tribution of his product. 
 
 Some mail campaigns will undoubtedly pay best in the far 
 West and in the Southwest where facilities for buying the article
 
 152 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 of local dealers are limited. Several of the magazines having 
 large circulations now furnish the advertiser statements showing 
 their geographical distribution by States. From them he can 
 tell whether the publications reach the people in the territory 
 in which he seeks to build up sales. 
 
 Half the population of the United States and Canada lies 
 east of the Mississippi and north of Ohio, but the purchasing 
 power of the West undoubtedly warrants a larger advertising 
 investment, according to population, than the East. There is 
 also less competition to be encountered. 
 
 Another important point to be considered about a magazine's 
 circulation is the manner in which it was secured. Was it the 
 result of premium or clubbing offers, of prize contests, or of sub- 
 scription drives? or was it the result of volunteer subscriptions? 
 Forced circulations are not as highly regarded by advertisers 
 as those that have had a natural growth. People who take a 
 magazine to get a premium or to help someone win a prize usually 
 care little about the publication itself. 
 
 The most profitable reader for the advertiser is the one who 
 buys or subscribes for a publication because it appeals to him 
 and he wants it. He not only desires to read it, but feels under 
 an obligation to do so. The man to whom a magazine is sent 
 free is influenced by neither of these sentiments. 
 
 Magazine circulations do not fluctuate like those of newspapers. 
 Severe rain or snow storms do not lessen the demand for them. 
 In the big cities where newspaper circulations depend largely 
 upon street sales it is not uncommon for the sales to fall off from 
 25 to 40 per cent, because of a spell of bad weather. The mag- 
 azines, with possibly one or two exceptions, are not sold by 
 newsboys. Stand sales keep up in spite of weather conditions 
 because the stands having the largest sales are located at rail- 
 way stations, near post offices, or other places where traffic is 
 heaviest. 
 
 Reliable figures regarding magazine circulations may be 
 obtained from the Publishers' Periodical Association, the Audit 
 Bureau of Circulations, and from N. W. Ayer & Son's News- 
 paper Directory.
 
 MAGAZINES AS ADVERTISING MEDIUMS 
 
 153 
 
 ^| Increasingly Appreciated 
 
 The exquisite beauty of tone 
 and craftsmanhke finish of The 
 Cheney is becoming known to 
 an ever enlarging group of dis- 
 criminating purchasers. 
 
 There is romantic interest as well as 
 unique acoustic superiority m the 
 fact that The Cheney embodies the 
 principles of the pipe organ and the 
 violin. "THE LONGER You PLAY IT, 
 THE SWEETER IT GROWS." 
 
 The increasing appreciation of The 
 Cheney manifests itself in an enlarg- 
 ing volume of sales, most gratityuig 
 to dealers. 
 
 O/ie 
 
 In the Cheney Talking Machine ad the sole purpose of the illustration is to 
 create atmosphere. It gives the impression that the Cheney appeals to people 
 of refinement. This impression is further strengthened by the reading matter.
 
 154 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 GrinneU 
 
 Gloves 
 
 "Best for every purpose" 
 
 GrinneU "Limp-Kuff" 'Driving gloves 
 
 An ideal motoring glove; with the snap of real style; light-weight; smooth- 
 fitting; soft, easy, comfortable; the flexible, limp-cuff keeps out wind, dust, rain 
 or snow, and crumples down naturally on wrist. Snug strap fastener at 
 wrist completes its handsomeness. 
 
 Ask your dealer for the GrinneU Limp-Kuffand other GrinneU gloves. Whatever 
 kind of glove you want, for driving, work, dress or play for men, women or 
 children, you'll find it among GrinneU styles. The GrinneU trade-mark is a sixty- 
 four-years-old guarantee of quality. Write us for the 1920 GrinneU Giove Book. 
 
 &5*KA^Si MORRISON RICKER MFG. COMPANY "TrS-Jfc"- 
 
 A capital specimen of effective glove advertising. Prominence is given, and 
 very properly, too, to the maker's name; the character of the glove is shown with 
 photographic accuracy and its use is indicated by the automobile in the picture 
 above it.
 
 MAGAZINES AS ADVERTISING MEDIUMS 155 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. Under what three heads are magazines grouped? 
 
 2. What kind of advertisers employ them in their campaigns? 
 
 3. What special services do magazines render the public? 
 
 4. Give the arguments hi behalf of the use of magazines in advertising 
 campaigns. 
 
 5. How do the magazine publishers protect their readers against loss from 
 fraudulent advertisers? Give an illustration. 
 
 6. Why are most magazine advertisements believable? 
 
 7. What can you say of the typographical and art value of magazine 
 advertisements ? 
 
 8. In what practical way do magazine publishers help their advertisers? 
 
 9. How do magazine advertisements help the retailer? 
 
 10. What is the length of life of a magazine advertisement? 
 
 11. What things are to be considered in magazine circulations? Are 
 magazine circulations more stable than those of newspapers? Why?
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE ADVERTISING VALUE OF TRADE AND CLASS 
 
 PAPERS 
 
 "The trade paper binds everybody in the business into a fraternity 
 which spells length of days because it serves, and its service is based upon 
 specific knowledge." ELBERT HUBBARD. 
 
 Newspapers fill so large a place in the stirring, aggressive life 
 of to-day that we may overlook the existence of an exceedingly 
 important though not generally circulated group of publications 
 known as technical trade and class journals. The great public 
 knows little of them because they are seldom found on the news- 
 stands, are not sold on passenger trains, and are only occasionally 
 encountered in libraries except in the larger cities. And yet 
 these same journals occupy an exceedingly important place in the 
 social, religious, professional and business life of the age in 
 which we live. Millions of dollars of capital are employed in their 
 production. Their annual revenue from advertising is estimated 
 at from $46,000,000 to $50,000,000. 
 
 The list of these publications which cover many activities is a 
 long one and includes periodicals devoted to the iron, steel and 
 coal industries; to the manufacture of textiles, shoes and clothing; 
 to education, religion and sociology; to science, commerce and 
 banking. There are few, if any, businesses that are not rep- 
 resented by one or more of them. 
 
 Selective Character of Circulations. The chief argument in 
 behalf of business papers as advertising mediums is based upon 
 the selective character of their circulations. They assemble in 
 groups those who are engaged in specific occupations. "The 
 trade and technical journals of the country are like magnets 
 picking iron filings out of the dust," says II . R. Shuman, of 
 Chicago. The public to which the national advertiser desires 
 to appeal is selected for him automatically from the millions who 
 
 156
 
 ADVERTISING VALUE OF TRADE AND CLASS PAPERS 157 
 
 have no interest in his product. Their readers are brought to- 
 gether at stated intervals to consider important problems relating 
 to the business they represent. They are told how to do things 
 quicker, better and cheaper. They are supplied with informa- 
 tion of vital value concerning new and improved manufacturing 
 methods and processes; concerning markets and the best way 
 to reach them ; concerning new products, new businesses and new 
 opportunities for increasing sales. 
 
 These publications give you an opportunity to present your 
 business story to the selected groups of readers they have as- 
 sembled. You can talk to them under ideal conditions just as 
 you would if they were gathered together in a big field or audi- 
 torium. The advantage which such a privilege gives is 
 incalculable as most of their readers are either themselves buyers 
 of merchandise or are in close contact with those who buy. 
 
 Horace M. S wetland, of New York, one of the largest trade 
 paper publishers in the world, says : 
 
 "It may be stated as a cardinal principle that wherever an 
 industry is served by a thoroughly competent industrial publica- 
 tion its pages offer the cheapest advertising that that industry 
 can buy." 
 
 H. E. Cleland, long regarded as an expert in the technical 
 advertising field, in an address before the Associated Advertising 
 Clubs of the World that won the Higham Prize as the most con- 
 structive delivered at the St. Louis Convention, gave these 
 reasons for the economy and resultfulness of trade paper 
 advertising : 
 
 "First The editorial character of each paper limits its circulation 
 to those men in an industry or trade who are responsible for results. 
 They are the men who actually buy or recommend the buying of the 
 machinery or merchandise advertised in the paper. 
 
 "Second The buying power of the subscriber represents an in- 
 finitely greater sum than the buying power per subscriber of any other 
 class of publications because each buyer purchases for business and 
 not for private consumption. 
 
 "Third The editorial contents of the paper are in harmony with 
 the advertising pages. The former tells a man 'how' and the second 
 shows 'what with.'
 
 158 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 "These three fundamental reasons form the backbone of effective 
 economy in advertising. Business paper advertising is economical 
 because it reaches and the advertiser only pays for a circulation of 
 tremendous buying power, which is continually being taught by the 
 publication itself to want the products advertised." 
 
 In an article in the Dry Goods Reporter, of Chicago, on the ad- 
 vertising value of trade papers, the writer says : 
 
 "The buying power of 5,000 readers of the average trade paper is 
 greater than that of 500,000 readers of the average popular medium, 
 and the advertiser who will avail himself of the privilege of winning 
 the acquaintance and confidence of those men through their own 
 business journals will find a new and signal solution to the increasingly 
 difficult problem of getting efficiency out of his advertising outlay." 
 
 Proof of the statements made above is readily available. 
 Trade-paper advertising in 15 years brought a soda fountain 
 house from a position of obscurity to a point where it is the largest 
 in the world. Through the use of double-page spreads in five 
 trade papers, at an expense of $4,000, a contractor secured 
 $8,000,000 worth of new business in a year's time. The Royal 
 Waste Company, of Rahway, N. J., by the investment of 2^ 
 per cent, of its sales in trade paper publicity was able to win, in a 
 few months, a commanding position in the trade. Its slogan 
 "Our Waste Your Gain" is known wherever cotton waste is used. 
 
 Industrial Publications. A group of publications that wield 
 a tremendous influence is made up of trade and technical publica- 
 tions representing the leading industries of the country. In the 
 amount of capital invested, in the cost of maintenance, and in the 
 volume of advertising carried they easily lead all other business 
 papers. 
 
 Formerly trade papers had little excuse for their existence. 
 The most of them were poorly edited, wretchedly printed, and 
 had small circulations. They contained very little news and few 
 articles that were of value to their subscribers. In fact, 
 many were established for the sole purpose of " pulling the leg" 
 of the more important manufacturers engaged in the industries 
 represented. 
 
 To-day business papers are conducted by experts who receive 
 large salaries. In fact their publishers are obliged to compete
 
 ADVERTISING VALUE OF TRADE AND CLASS PAPERS 159 
 
 with great manufacturing, industrial and commercial houses 
 that are always on the lookout for brainy men, in securing the 
 services of expert writers. These journals are now regarded 
 as indispensable to the trades to which they are devoted. They 
 print the news of the week in each particular field; they give 
 market quotations and publish articles upon the business topics 
 in which their readers are most interested. The engineering 
 paper, for instance, contains a list of new plants that are being 
 installed, or are contemplated; presents discussions of intricate 
 problems encountered by engineers in their work and tells how 
 they were solved; gives descriptions of new inventions that 
 promise to be of value to the trade, etc. Such a periodical enables 
 the engineer in the wilderness of the Northwest to keep in pro- 
 fessional touch with his fellows in the big cities. 
 
 These industrial and technical journals reach special groups of 
 readers who are buyers of raw or manufactured materials, and 
 who are dependent upon them for information as to prices' and 
 markets. Every manufacturer of machinery, every electrical 
 engineer, every factory owner is always on the lookout for new 
 devices that will reduce the cost of production or lessen the hours 
 of labor. What better medium can there be for presenting an 
 article employed in a trade or industry than the publication 
 representing it? That there is none, in the opinion of thousands 
 of advertisers, is indicated by the volume of advertising carried 
 by such periodicals. A single issue of the Iron Age has contained 
 450 pages of advertising. Special editions of the Textile World 
 the Dry Goods Economist, the Automobile Journal, and a dozen 
 other trade publications, have printed as much advertising. 
 
 Farm Publications. Of the several groups of periodicals one 
 of the most important, in point of circulation and influence, is 
 composed of agricultural publications, of which 512 are issued. 
 Of these only a comparatively small number have attained na- 
 tional distribution, the circulations of the majority being restricted 
 to certain states or sections of the country. Some are devoted to 
 the general subject of farming the cultivation of the soil, the 
 use of fertilizers, rotation of crops, and the discussion of every-day 
 farm problems. Others specialize on stock and poultry raising, 
 on bee culture, dairy production, etc. .
 
 160 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 The field covered by agricultural papers is much more extensive 
 and important than most people suppose. It is a fact, however, 
 that it is the country and not the city that furnishes the bulk of 
 ordinary trade. Sixty out of the ninety millions of our popula- 
 tion live in rural districts and in towns of less than 10,000 popula- 
 tion of these 30,000,000 actually reside on farms. In other 
 words, in order to reach two-thirds of our population an advertiser 
 must use mediums that go to people living in towns of 10,000 and 
 under. 
 
 Buying Power of Farmers. While the farmers have always been 
 the largest wealth producers there was a time when they received 
 only a small share of the value of their products. Some of us 
 can remember when the financial market was flooded with West- 
 ern farm mortgages paying from 6 to 12 per cent, interest; when 
 the small cotton planters of the South were so enmeshed in the 
 usurers' nets that their crops were mortgaged for nearly their full 
 value and the money spent, before they were grown. 
 
 During the decade immediately preceding the great war the 
 farmer began to come into his own. The introduction of the 
 telephone and automobile brought him into closer contact with 
 his markets and enabled him to get better prices for his products. 
 Improved agricultural machinery and the adoption of business 
 methods in farm management were instrumental in increasing 
 his crops and in reducing the cost of raising them. Then came 
 the world war that sent the prices of all food stuffs to unpreced- 
 ented high levels. Wheat that only a short time before had 
 sold at 60 cents, and a little later at $1 a bushel, went up to $2.50 
 and $2.75 a bushel. Beef, pork and lamb were sold at an advance 
 of 300 per cent. The demand, even at these figures, was greater 
 than the supply. Hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of 
 grain and food supplies of various kinds were sent abroad, not 
 only to feed our own soldiers and those of the Allies, but to 
 keep the inhabitants of nearly every country of Europe from 
 starvation. 
 
 No authentic figures are available showing to what extent the 
 wealth of the farmers was increased by the extraordinary condi- 
 tions prevailing during and immediately following the great war, 
 but the present average income is $3,500 a year. No other
 
 ADVERTISING VALUE OF TRADE AND CLASS PAPERS 161 
 
 class of our population possesses such aggregate buying power. 
 The home of the farmer of to-day is equipped with practically 
 the same conveniences as that of the city dweller. He sends his 
 children to the best schools and colleges. A $300 or $400 piano 
 occupies the place in the parlor once held by the $25 or $50 parlor 
 organ. A victrola or graphophone, with an assortment of the 
 latest operatic, instrumental or song records, stands in the corner 
 of the room. Gas or electric light has superseded the kerosene 
 lamps of yesterday. The kitchen is equipped with a washing 
 machine and the dairy with a cream separator and a power churn. 
 The farmer's wife and daughter wear hats, wraps and gowns 
 of the latest mode, ordered from New York or Chicago shops. 
 The telephone keeps him in touch with his neighbors, no 
 matter how far away, and when he goes to town he rides in an 
 automobile. 
 
 In order to reach the farmer the standard agricultural paper is 
 employed. He subscribes for it, not to be amused or entertained, 
 but to get information that will help him in his business, that 
 will tell him how to get rid of insect pests that destroy his crops 
 or show him how to secure better prices for his products through 
 the exercise of greater care in packing. Because of the very close 
 relationship that exists between the farmer and the agricultural 
 paper he reads weekly or monthly, advertisements appearing in 
 its pages carry greater weight with him than those appearing in 
 other publications. 
 
 A Missouri farmer, without making a single inquiry, sent his 
 check for a $2,000 order of merchandise to an advertiser whose 
 announcement appeared in his favorite agricultural journal. He 
 knew nothing about the reliability of the manufacturer, but the 
 fact that the latter's advertisement was admitted to its columns 
 was to him sufficient proof of his honesty. In other words, the 
 farm paper had, through its straightforward policy and helpful 
 attitude toward its readers, gained his confidence and good will. 
 It is because of this confidence that advertisements appearing 
 in the farm journals bring such a hearty response from their 
 subscribers. Through them manufacturers in one month sold 
 $60,000 worth of automobiles and $25,000 worth of pianos hi one 
 
 county in Iowa alone. 
 11
 
 162 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Class Publications.-^-Under the head of class publications may 
 be listed a number of groups of papers. One group is composed 
 of those devoted to the professions law and medicine. Another, 
 of journals representing religious denominations. A third, of 
 periodicals dealing with education. A fourth is made up of 
 fraternal or insurance papers. In fact, there is hardly a subject 
 or a form of human activity in which people are interested that 
 is not represented by one or more periodicals. 
 
 The religious field is thoroughly covered. Every denomination 
 or religious organization has its own papers. Those devoted to 
 Catholicism and Methodism are the most numerous because 
 these churches have the largest memberships. The religious 
 papers have always been regarded as good advertising mediums 
 because of their authority and standing. Business announce- 
 ments in their columns carry weight with their readers who 
 assume that the advertiser has the endorsement of the church 
 authorities. Unfortunately there was a time when the publishers 
 in their eagerness to fill their papers with profitable advertisements 
 did not exercise sufficient care in excluding misleading and decep- 
 tive announcements, the result being that swindlers took 
 advantage of their laxity and obtained large sums of money from 
 the trusting readers through the promotion of fake oil, mining 
 and other companies. 
 
 In recent years the religious press has not been open to this 
 charge. It would now be almost impossible to secure the 
 insertion of a misleading or deceptive advertisement in any one 
 of the standard publications. Religious papers are highly re- 
 garded as advertising mediums by many of the foremost business 
 concerns, including Huyler's, Scott & Bowne, Royal Baking 
 Powder Co., Heinz, and the Procter & Gamble Co. Their influ- 
 ence in the home is such that advertisements appearing in them 
 have a strong pulling power. 
 
 In making your selection of the business or class papers you 
 are to use in your advertising campaign you should, in case you 
 are unfamiliar with their relative value, seek advice from business 
 men engaged in the trades they represent. There are always 
 one or two publications that are regarded as leaders in the field 
 and because of their standing are the best mediums in which to
 
 ADVERTISING VALUE OF TRADE AND CLASS PAPERS 163 
 
 advertise. Don't waste your money on journals that are trying 
 to get a foothold in a field that is already adequately represented 
 by well-established periodicals. 
 
 Don't worry about position. If you can secure one of the 
 cover pages, the first page opposite the second page of the cover, 
 or a page facing reading matter, well and good. You will have 
 to pay a premium for such space and sometimes it is worth it. 
 But in the event you cannot get one of these preferred positions 
 be content with any position as your advertisement is certain 
 to be seen wherever it is placed. The pages of business papers 
 are more carefully examined than those of literary or society 
 publications. They are read not for entertainment but for 
 help. Hence if you have something worth while to sell and 
 advertise it in one of these journals you are measurably sure of 
 finding among their readers many who will buy it. 
 
 When once you have started advertising in one or more of these 
 business papers don't stop, unless for financial reasons you are 
 compelled to do so. Start in with the maximum amount of 
 space you can afford to use throughout the year. If it is a 
 monthly don't advertise one month and drop out the next with a 
 view of saving money. Trade papers are kept on file a long 
 time after their date of issue. If a man who saw your ad in one 
 issue, happens, in trying to find it a few weeks later, to pick up 
 an issue in which it did not appear, he may conclude you have 
 gone out of business or that you have discontinued the manu- 
 facture of the article you were advertising. When you take 
 your place hi the ring stay there until you are either licked or 
 you win out. Plunges are wholly speculative. It is better to use 
 a quarter page in every issue of a weekly or monthly trade paper 
 than a page every fourth issue. Keep your flag flying at the 
 top of the mast all of the time when once you have put it up, in 
 order that the world may know you are still alive and doing 
 business. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. In what ways do business publications differ from general magazines? 
 
 2. What is the difference between trade and class papers? 
 
 3. What is the chief argument in behalf of these publications as advertis- 
 ing mediums?
 
 164 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 4. Give H. E. Cleland's three reasons for the economy and resultfulness of 
 trade paper advertising. 
 
 5. Give an instance of the successful use of this medium. 
 
 6. How many farm publications are there? Name some of them. 
 
 7. What can be said regarding the buying power of farmers? 
 
 8. Why are trade and technical publications of special value to the 
 manufacturer? Give the names of several with which you are acquainted. 
 
 9. What are class publications? 
 
 10. What are the arguments in behalf of religious papers? 
 
 11. Give several suggestions concerning the use of advertising space in 
 business periodicals.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING 
 
 Outdoor advertising is the oldest form of written advertising 
 we know anything about. In the Louvre, in Paris, may be seen 
 a poster, made of papyrus, dated 146 B.C., offering a reward for 
 the recovery of two slaves who had escaped from Alexandria, in 
 Egypt. Another found in a temple in Jerusalem and issued in 
 the reign of Herod the Great, forbade the entrance of foreigners 
 to certain parts of the temple upon pain of death. In the 
 British Museum in London there are exhibited well-preserved 
 posters, also of papyrus, taken from the walls of buildings in 
 Pompeii and Jerusalem. 
 
 From the early days of civilization until now the poster has 
 been a popular medium for placing before the public commercial, 
 religious, or political information. Wherever men congregate 
 posters have been found effective. When placed upon walls or 
 billboards on public thoroughfares where they can be easily seen 
 they usually arrest the attention of passers-by long enough to 
 put across the message they convey. 
 
 To 85 per cent, of the population outdoor advertising offers a 
 blackboard from which there is no turning away. It teaches 
 people when they do not know they are being taught. Thou- 
 sands of persons who are indifferent to newspaper or magazine 
 advertising cannot escape the lure of the attractive posters, the 
 printed bulletins, or the flashing electric light signs that greet them 
 on every side. 
 
 Outdoor Advertising Involves No Expense to the Reader. 
 Newspapers and magazines must be bought before the ad- 
 vertisements they contain secure an attentive audience. Outdoor 
 publicity necessitates no turning of pages, no examination 
 of endless columns of text and advertising matter. It greets 
 the eye of the shopper on the way to the store, the merchant 
 going to and from his place of business, the idler in search of 
 
 165
 
 166 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 entertainment, and the worker returning to his home after a 
 day's toil. 
 
 The three most popular forms of outdoor advertising are the 
 poster, the painted sign or bulletin, and electric light displays. Of 
 these the one most frequently called into service by national 
 advertisers is the poster, which takes the place of the bellman of 
 Colonial days. As we have already noted it was in use long 
 before the Christian Era began. Its earliest employment was 
 by kings, emperors and other rulers to convey proclamations to 
 their subjects. Then the merchants adopted it as a medium for 
 advertising their goods. In the time of Christ they even hung 
 posters about the necks of idols in the temples of Greece and 
 Rome. 
 
 In our day the circuses and the patent medicine manufacturers 
 were the first to perceive the value and make full use of the poster 
 for advertising purposes. P. T. Barnum, L. B. Lent, John 
 Robinson, James A. Bailey and other circus owners in the 
 seventies depended upon posters displayed on billboards, fences, 
 barns and even houses to fill their tents in the cities and towns 
 where they exhibited. The posters were crude in design and 
 coloring. The showmen vied with each other in displaying 
 pictures of weird-looking animals that never existed except in 
 the imagination of the artists who drew them but which, the cir- 
 cus owners asserted, were on exhibition in their menageries; 
 and of acrobats and equestrians defying all the laws of gravita- 
 tion. The more improbable they were the more eager people 
 were to see the show. During the last few years there has been 
 a great improvement in the character of circus poster advertising. 
 It is still flamboyant but much more truthful. 
 
 No less successful in the use of posters in those early days were 
 the manufacturers of patent medicines, liniments and other 
 external remedies such as Flagg's Instant Relief, Hostetter's 
 Bitters, Ayer's Hair Vigor, Hood's Sarsaparilla, and Beecham's 
 Pills. 
 
 Present-day posters are in many instances veritable works of 
 art. A number of our foremost painters and illustrators design 
 them for the largest national advertisers. Some of their crea- 
 tions are so well executed that if reduced in size and reproduced
 
 ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING 
 
 167 
 
 LIGHT 
 
 UNION MADE 
 
 ve rails 
 
 outwear two 
 ordinary pair 
 
 Posters. In most of the commercial posters, of which the above are examples, 
 illustrations have been found to add so much to their appeal value that they are 
 generally employed. Care is taken to have them properly displayed in appro- 
 priate surroundings. Some posters are veritable works of art.
 
 168 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Painted Bulletins. The United States Tire advertisement shown in the lower 
 panel is one of several thousand painted bulletins erected along the highways of 
 the country. They are popular with automobilists because they present interest- 
 ing historical data about places neur which they are erected.
 
 ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING 169 
 
 in oils on canvas they would bring good prices from art connois- 
 seurs. Maxfield Parish's designs for the posters of the Fisk 
 Tire & Rubber Company, James Montgomery Flagg's pictures 
 on the United States Rubber Company's posters, and Charles 
 Dana Gibson's Liberty Loan poster creations show that the best 
 that art can give to advertising is none too good. Art does not 
 demean itself in lending its aid to the adornment of business 
 messages that will be seen by millions. If the mission of art 
 is to uplift and appeal to the higher emotions, where can it find 
 a greater or more worthy audience than is reached by the ad- 
 vertisements seen on the billboards or in the magazines and 
 newspapers? 
 
 Posters are used by the United States Department of Agricul- 
 ture for various purposes. Railroads find them effective in 
 attracting homesteaders to their farm lands. Government offi- 
 cials have declared that without posters the task of raising 
 billions of dollars through bond sales during the great war would 
 have been much more difficult. Cities and states have em- 
 ployed them to secure manufacturing plants. Political parties 
 regard them as indispensable in national campaigns. Manu- 
 facturers of automobiles, paints, articles of food, soap, tobacco 
 products, clothing, shoes, furniture and the hundred and one 
 articles entering into home consumption, who seek national 
 distribution for their goods, make large appropriations for this 
 form of publicity. 
 
 The Michigan Agricultural College and the United States 
 Department of Agricultural put on a campaign to increase the 
 consumption of milk in that State. Three posters were shown, 
 one to interest the children, one the women, and one the 
 men. At the end of two weeks the consumption of milk had 
 increased 10 per cent.; cottage cheese, 3 per cent., and butter, 
 15 per cent. 
 
 Tile advantages of poster advertising, as enumerated by its 
 advocates, are these: 
 
 First, the poster is of heroic size the 24-sheet stand, in com- 
 mon use, being 9^ ft. deep by 21 ft. in length. It is mounted 
 in a frame 11 X 25 ft., leaving a margin of white space all 
 the way around it, thus giving it greater prominence.
 
 170 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Second, it has the attraction of color, the value of which in catch- 
 ing the eye cannot be measured. Moreover, the actual appearance 
 of the goods exploited can be faithfully and realistically repro- 
 duced and their attractive qualities set forth. 
 
 Third, the poster, because of its bigness, allows the display of 
 the name or trade-mark of the article, or the name of the manu- 
 facturer in letters of such large size that they can be easily read at 
 a considerable distance. Moreover, it affords the artist an 
 opportunity to employ designs of a most appealing character in 
 the adornment of the text. Pictorial posters will sell goods to 
 the illiterate and to the foreigner who cannot read English. 
 
 A poster to be effective from a selling standpoint should com- 
 bine beauty and strength oj design and coloring. In order to 
 accomplish the purpose for which it is intended it must put its 
 message across in a flash, say, two seconds. Therefore, the text 
 should be brief and contain at least one well-defined selling 
 idea. Pictures that are irrelevant or that must be studied to 
 reveal their meaning have no place on a poster. People are 
 usually in motion, riding or walking, when they pass by the 
 billboards; Hence they must take in both the text and illustra- 
 tion of the poster at a glance. If the former is printed in small 
 display type or if the picture must be studied to reveal its mean- 
 ing, then the poster misses the mark. Sometimes a poster 
 carries a picture and only one line of text. 
 
 The fact that most of the posters seen on the billboards to-day 
 are the work of skilled artists is proof that illustrated posters 
 have been found more resultful than those in which type alone is 
 employed. In any event there should be only one predominating 
 feature in a poster. When more are employed the impression 
 made upon the reader is confusing because of the exceedingly 
 brief time the observer has to analyze the message. 
 
 Some Mechanical Details. In bill-posting the one sheet 
 poster, 28 X 42 in., is the unit of measurement. The 24-sheet 
 poster which covers an area of 9^ X 21 ft. is the size most 
 popular with advertisers. Billboards are now made of sheet iron 
 rather than wood because they retain their shape in all kinds of 
 weather and require little attention from year to year. 
 
 The bill-posting of the country is controlled by the Poster
 
 ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING 171 
 
 Advertising Association, representing 8,000 plants, which has 
 done more to standardize the business and put it on a sound 
 footing than any other association. It has established rules to 
 protect advertisers from irresponsible and dishonest bill-posters. 
 Through a Censorship Committee it keeps a sharp lookout for 
 deceptive or objectionable advertisements and will not allow 
 them to appear on the billboards of the organization. For some 
 time before the prohibition law went into effect no liquor ad- 
 vertisements were accepted for posting. 
 
 What Posting Costs. Rates for posting are fixed by each 
 individual plant owner. They are based upon the class of serv- 
 ice rendered at so much a sheet per month whether one or a 
 million are used, a bill-poster's month being four weeks and not 
 a calendar month. In New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and 
 Boston the rate is 30 cents for regular locations. In towns of 
 from 2,000 to 5,000 in New York State it is 9 cents. In towns 
 of from 5,000 to 12,000, it is 12 cents. In the average run of 
 towns it is 7 cents a sheet. 
 
 Displays on the billboards are called "showings." A full 
 showing on all the billboards of the United States costs $197,000 
 a month and requires 26,138 posters. Very few full showings 
 are used. An advertiser can make a contract for a three-quarter, 
 a half, or a quarter showing. In the Manhattan and Bronx 
 Boroughs of New York City there are 228 regular and 124 special 
 locations or stands. These cost from $7.20 a month for regular 
 and from $20 to $30 for locations at dominating points. An ade- 
 quate showing can be had in these three boroughs for $3,000. 
 
 The advertiser supplies the posters at his own expense, which 
 varies widely according to the cost of the design, the number of 
 colors used, and the character of the lithographing or printing. 
 In lots of 5,000, when printed in from four to six colors, the 
 cost, excluding the design, is from $1.50 to $1.75 per 24-sheet 
 poster. 
 
 The advertiser must furnish enough paper (the sheets compos- 
 ing the poster) not only to cover the boards once, but also to re- 
 place any posters that may subsequently be defaced by boys or 
 spoiled by storms. He is given a list of the stands upon which 
 they are placed and their locations in order that he may check
 
 172 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 up the posting, through his salesmen or inspectors, to see if it has 
 been properly done. The Poster Advertising Association has 
 its own system for checking the work of local bill-posters and 
 if they find one who does not live up to his contract he is com- 
 pelled to make a rebate to the advertiser. 
 
 Poster advertising is specially helpful in supporting newspaper 
 and magazine campaigns. The impression made by advertise- 
 ments in these mediums is continued and intensified by the 
 posters. They familiarize the public with the name and charac- 
 ter of the product through repetition. In a city in which 100 
 stands are located the posters are telling their story all day long 
 from each of these places. They are more effective than 100 
 men would be calling out their messages like the town criers of 
 the Colonial days, because they have the added attraction of 
 color, of variety of design and of large display. They are always 
 ready to tell their story to whoever passes by. 
 
 Poster advertising is effective at all seasons of the year but 
 renders its greatest service in the Spring, Summer and Fall when 
 people spend more time out-of-doors, and it therefore has a larger 
 "circulation." Moreover, the days are longer and the posters 
 are seen to better advantage. 
 
 Valuable in Special Drives. The advertiser finds posters of 
 great assistance in special drives and intensive campaigns. A 
 full showing in a town attracts wide attention. 
 
 The new advertiser should beware of trying to cover too much 
 territory at the start. Better try out your product in a few 
 cities and add others as the increase in business warrants. The 
 advertising highway is lined with corpses of advertisers who 
 tried to blanket the country with their advertising and salesman- 
 ship efforts. Insufficient capital, an untried article and an 
 inordinate ambition to get rich quick were some of the causes of 
 their failure. 
 
 Painted Signs and Bulletins. In addition to the hundreds 
 of miles of billboards, having a total area of 26,000,000 sq. ft. 
 of surface, and used exclusively for poster advertising in 2,726 
 cities and towns, there are about 1,000 solid miles of fence 10 
 to 12 ft. high devoted to painted signs and bulletins. While a 
 large proportion of the display space is located along railroads
 
 ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING 173 
 
 and highways, a considerable amount is found in the populous 
 cities. The railroad bulletins, averaging in size 10 X 48 ft., 
 cost $10 to $12 each, under a year's contract. A reduction is 
 made on a two or three years' contract. City bulletins, aver- 
 aging 10 X 20 ft., or a total of 200 sq. ft., are sold at a general 
 average of 30 cents per lineal foot or $6 each, on a six months' 
 contract. 
 
 There is practically no limit to the size of painted bulletins. 
 The bare walls of high buildings that are exposed to view when 
 adjoining buildings are torn down to make way for new and 
 larger structures are frequently used for advertising purposes. 
 A few years ago the wall of a skyscraper on lower Broadway was 
 employed to advertise Wilson Whiskey. Upon its surface was 
 painted in colors the picture of a typical Southerner, 100 feet 
 tall, in the act of making a highball by the aid of real water 
 running from a 30-ft. syphon into a 9-ft. glass, with whiskey 
 taken from a 48-ft. bottle. The picture was so well painted 
 that for weeks it was the talk of the city and thousands of people 
 journeyed downtown to see it. 
 
 One of the special advantages of painted signs is that they are 
 not affected by heavy rain storms and retain their freshness of 
 coloring for months. Changes of copy are not made more fre- 
 quently than three or four times a year. 
 
 The Appeal of Electric Signs. Of all forms of outdoor adver- 
 tising the latest, and by many considered the most impressive 
 because of its novelty of appeal, is the electric light display. 
 People may not read the advertisement in the newspapers and 
 magazines but the message of fire blazing from the roofs or fronts 
 of buildings at night compels their attention. There is probably 
 no better way of impressing upon the mind of the passer-by a 
 trademark, the name of a product or firm, or a short message of 
 any kind. 
 
 The most brilliant and beautiful display of electric sign ad- 
 vertising in the world is on view nightly on Broadway from 34th 
 to 59th Streets, New York. Standing in Longacre Square the 
 spectator sees a bewildering series of electric light advertising 
 displays some glowing steadily like constellations in the heavens; 
 some flashing out their message for a few seconds and then
 
 174 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 going out; some representing objects in motion; some that appear 
 to develop under the hand of a hidden artist. 
 
 Along this thoroughfare from six o'clock until midnight flows 
 the human tide of the great city to and from a hundred theaters 
 and places of amusement, restaurants, hotels and railway ter- 
 minals. It is composed of from three hundred and fifty to five 
 hundred thousand people representing not only New York but 
 practically every city in the United States and every quarter of 
 the globe. Not one of them, unless he is blind, fails to see the 
 advertising messages that greet the eye from every roof and 
 building front along the Great White Way. 
 
 Results of Electric Light Advertising. A few years ago a 
 cleanser of men's and women's garments who had just established 
 himself in New York used a novel electric sign on Broadway to 
 advertise his business. Up to that time the public had never 
 heard of him. Thirty days later he was doing business in 
 eleven states as the result of his electric light display. 
 
 Heinz, of the "57 Varieties" fame, whose products were ad- 
 vertised by means of a huge electric sign on the north wall of the 
 Cambridge Building, which occupied the lower end of the triangle 
 at the junction of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, where the Flat- 
 iron Building now stands, once stated that the advertisement 
 brought him orders for goods from Africa, South America and 
 Russia. 
 
 Manufacturers of various kinds of merchandise have asserted 
 that one of the most valuable features of these electric displays 
 lies in the fact that through them they are able to luence the 
 hundreds of thousands of buyers of mercantile lishments 
 
 who flock to New York yearly for supplies of good :>r several 
 years the Nonotuck Silk Company displayed d Street 
 
 and Broadway an electric sign showing a kitten ^ mg with a 
 spool of Corticelli Silk, in order to reach dressmakers and dry- 
 goods dealers who purchase spool silk in large quantities. 
 
 Perrier, the natural sparkling table water, was for some time 
 advertised by an electric sign, 55 X 108 ft., reproducing the 
 fountain at Versailles. Through a mechanical device ten 
 streams of water apparently rose from the ground to a height of 
 25 ft. and fell back into the great basin below, live steam being
 
 ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING 
 
 175 
 
 Electric Light Displays. These reproductions of notable night advertise- 
 ments give little idea of their real beauty and effectiveness. The Wrigley 
 display, in the second panel, is the costliest yet erected.
 
 176 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 utilized to produce the. effect of spray. Twenty-two hundred 
 and thirty electric lamps were employed in the design. 
 
 Another notable sign erected on the roof of the Hotel Nor- 
 mandie showed a realistic Roman chariot race with the horses 
 running at full speed and the driver's tunic streaming behind him 
 in the wind. The appearance of motion was produced by the 
 opening and closing of 2,750 switches. The sign, which was 
 40 ft. long and 20 ft. high, was composed of 20,000 electric light 
 bulbs and required a 600 h.p. engine to operate it. The ad- 
 vertisements of various products were flashed out on a screen 
 just below the chariot design. 
 
 The largest of all electric light signs on view in New York is 
 that of Wrigley's Spearmint Gum, which occupies a space 200 
 ft. long and 50 ft. high on the roof of a building a block long be- 
 tween 43d and 44th Streets on Broadway. By the use of white 
 and colored bulbs the artist who designed it shows two great 
 peacocks with tails 60 ft. long, in their natural colors, with 
 fountains playing on either side, while whimsical figures go 
 through a gymnastic drill. Over 17,000 electric lights are 
 employed. 
 
 Cost of Electric Light Displays. The expense of electric 
 advertising displays depends upon their size and location. The 
 Wrigley sign above referred to costs $7,500 a month or $90,000 a 
 year. The cost of the average display ranges from $2,000 to 
 $1,500 a month according to locations. Small signs such as 
 appear in front of stores, composed of 24-8 candle power 
 lamps, are furnished free by some of the electric light companies, 
 provided a minimum of $3 is paid each month for the electric 
 current supplied. The larger signs cost from $5 to $15. 
 
 Slogan Signs. Slogan signs are used by many cities for 
 advertising purposes. They are usually erected near railroad 
 stations where they can be seen by passengers on the trains. 
 The cost of operation is small $3 to $5 a night. Here are a 
 few of the slogans now employed: Atlantic City, "America's 
 Playground;" Galveston, "The Treasure Island of America;" 
 New Orleans, "Welcome to the Winter Capital of America;" 
 Schenectady, "Lights and Heats the World;" Chattanooga, 
 "The Dynamo of Dixie."
 
 ADVANTAGES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISING 177 
 
 In all electric light advertising the advertising message must 
 be brief and expressive of a strong selling point unless its purpose 
 is simply to present the name of a product, firm or business. 
 The importance of using a picture or design having pronounced 
 attention value should not be overlooked. People will remember 
 a striking illustration long after they have forgotten the inscrip- 
 tion that accompanied it. 
 
 In selecting locations choose those on the busiest thorough- 
 fares where they will be seen by the largest number of people. 
 Some of the best are found near theatres, department stores, 
 popular places of assembly, public squares, and railway terminals 
 when close to the business center of a town. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What is the oldest poster of which we have knowledge? 
 
 2. In what one way does outdoor advertising differ from all other kinds? 
 
 3. What are its three most popular forms? 
 
 4. Who were first to make an extensive use of posters? 
 
 5. For what other purposes are posters employed besides selling goods? 
 Give examples. 
 
 6. Name three specific advantages of poster advertising. 
 
 7. What are the characteristics of an effective poster? 
 
 8. What is the unit of measurement? 
 
 9. How many bill-posting plants are there in the U. S. and how are they 
 controlled? 
 
 10. Give some idea as to the cost of posting. 
 
 11. How can this form of advertising be helpful in supporting news- 
 paper and magazine campaigns? 
 
 12. What is the cost of painted bulletins? 
 
 13. What are the advantages of electric light advertising? 
 
 14. Give examples of its successful employment by national advertisers. 
 
 15. Describe any one of the electric light displays given in this chapter. 
 
 16. Give some idea as to the cost of this kind of advertising. 
 
 17. Give an example of a slogan sign. 
 
 18. What are the best locations for electric light displays?
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 THE APPEAL OF STREET CAR ADVERTISING 
 
 One of the mediums that, figuratively speaking, compels you 
 to read its advertisements whether you want to or not, is the 
 street car. When seated in one of these vehicles you see dis- 
 played before you in tempting array a row of fourteen or more 
 attractive cards, the most of them printed in colors and appro- 
 priately illustrated, each carrying an advertising message. 
 Above your head is a similar arrangement of cards. 
 
 As long as you continue to read a newspaper or look out of 
 the window none of the cards will get your attention, but the 
 moment you lay aside your paper and allow your eyes to wander 
 about, the strong appeal of the cards makes itself felt, and before 
 you know it you are taking in their advertising message. During 
 the fifteen minutes or more that your trip takes you cannot, unless 
 you deliberately exercise your will-power, keep your eyes away 
 from them. 
 
 In order that we may better understand the value of the street 
 car as an advertising medium let us look at a few facts concerning 
 the street railway industry. 
 
 The increase in street railway mileage in recent years has been 
 amazing. There are now few cities in the United States with 
 5,000 inhabitants, unless they are located on the sides of hills or 
 mountains where the grades are too steep to allow of their opera- 
 tion, that do not have street railroads. In New York City alone 
 there are 108 lines, including the elevated and subway systems. 
 During the last twenty-five years the greatest development has 
 been in the contruction of interurban roads that link together 
 half a dozen or more towns or cities. 
 
 The building of these transportation lines has done more than 
 anything else to stimulate the movement of people from the 
 densely populated cities to the suburbs and the open country 
 beyond, where living conditions are more favorable to health 
 
 178
 
 THE APPEAL OF STREET CAR ADVERTISING 179 
 
 and the rearing of children. They also bring the farmer into 
 closer touch with marketing centers where he can sell his products 
 and furnish the members of his family educational and social 
 advantages that may be derived from high-class schools, theaters, 
 concerts and other forms of entertainment. 
 
 In the larger cities the street cars are indispensable for carrying 
 the armies of workmen, clerks and other business men and women 
 to and from their places of employment. It is when a strike 
 occurs among street railway operators and the cars cease to run 
 that people find out how dependent they are upon them. On 
 the occasion of a big street railway strike in New York a few 
 years ago the retail merchants lost hundreds of thousands of 
 dollars because customers from distant parts of the city and from 
 the suburban towns could not get to their stores; manufacturers 
 could not operate their plants effectively because of the inability 
 of their employees to reach them, and the theaters played to 
 empty seats. 
 
 According to the reports of the Public Service Commission 
 the number of passengers carried by the rapid transit and surface 
 railway lines of New York City in 1919 was 2,079,942,604, an 
 increase of 104,430,015 over 1918. . The average traffic each day 
 during the fiscal year was 5,700,000 which about equals the popu- 
 lation of the city. Each of the 10,000 cars in constant use on the 
 108 lines carried an average of 570 people daily. The records of 
 street railway traffic in other cities show that a proportionate 
 number of passengers travel on their several lines. 
 
 We are now in a position to understand why national and local 
 advertisers invest approximately $14,000,000 a year in street 
 car publicity. A medium that reaches such a large proportion 
 of the community is worth your careful consideration. 
 
 Advantages of Street Car Advertising. Among the advantages 
 claimed for street car advertising are the following: 
 
 1. All Advertisers Occupy the Same Space. Therefore every 
 advertiser has an equal chance to put his message across. This 
 prevents the merchant or manufacturer who has a lot of money to 
 spend from blanketing the advertising of a struggling competitor. 
 Every advertiser is placed on the same footing. This is real 
 democracy in advertising.
 
 180 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 2. Street Car Advertising Reaches the Masses. Fifty-eight 
 per cent, of the inhabitants of a city ride on the street cars twice 
 daily. They include all classes and represent a majority of 
 the buying public the people whose patronage business men 
 are anxious to secure. 
 
 3. When People Ride on Street Cars They Are in a Receptive 
 Mood. Unless they read newspapers or talk to acquaintances 
 there is nothing to engage their attention. Those who travel 
 over the same road every day are not interested in the buildings 
 or scenery along the route, and therefore do not spend much time 
 looking out of the windows. In glancing about the car their 
 eyes naturally fall upon the artistic advertising cards displayed 
 directly in front of them. Their attractive features arouse their 
 interest and they read them. 
 
 4. The Last Advertisements a Woman Sees When She Goes 
 Shopping Are the Street Car Cards. She may have made up her 
 mind as to what she is going to buy before leaving home, and 
 perhaps not one of the articles thus advertised is upon her list, and 
 yet as she sits there, pocket-book in hand, looking at the attractive 
 announcements she may become so favorably impressed by 
 them that on arriving at her destination she will purchase one or 
 more of the articles she had seen exploited. 
 
 5. Street Car Advertising Sustains and Strengthens the Impres- 
 sion Previously Made by Advertisements Appearing in the News- 
 papers, Magazines, and Other Mediums. The brief messages, 
 usually artistically illustrated, reiterate the sales arguments with 
 which the public has already become familiar. The person who 
 sees these advertisements twice a day for weeks at a time is, 
 consciously or unconsciously, influenced by them. 
 
 The standard card used in street car advertising is 11 X 21 in. 
 The advertiser therefore knows that his cards will fit the display 
 racks of every street car in every city in the country. The adop- 
 tion of a uniform size simplifies the work of both the printer and 
 the agency that handles the campaign, and lessens the expense. 
 
 Brevity a Necessity in Car Card Copy. Owing to space limi- 
 tations the number of words used on a card should not exceed 
 40 or 50 if the text is to be set in type that can be read at a 
 distance of from 6 to 12 ft. The fewer the number, the
 
 THE APPEAL OF STREET CAR ADVERTISING 
 
 181
 
 182 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 greater the opportunity for display. Some of the most effective 
 cards we have seen contained less than 10 words. In advertise- 
 ments of this kind it is imperative that the type should be plain 
 in outline and easy to read. 
 
 The text should present one and usually not more than two 
 selling points about the article advertised on each card of a 
 series. The sentences should be brief and so constructed that 
 persons having a limited education will have no trouble in under- 
 standing them. Avoid the use of foreign, technical, or unfamiliar 
 words. The usual aim of the car card is to reach all classes of 
 people. Many of the patrons of street railway lines, and especi- 
 ally those born in countries where languages other than English 
 are spoken, cannot grasp the meaning of many of the long words 
 that are in common use here. There are enough short, simple 
 words in our own language to express any selling ideas you 
 may have. 
 
 Fully 90 per cent, of ail car advertisements are illustrated 
 for the very good reason that there is nothing that so quickly 
 catches and holds the eye in advertising as an attractive picture 
 printed in colors. Commercial art has been so greatly improved 
 in recent years that it is now possible to reproduce in natural colors 
 fruit, flowers, food products and other articles so accurately 
 that at first it is difficult to tell the artificial from the real. 
 Moreover, some of the best artists of our time are devoting their 
 skill to the preparation of illustrations and other designs for car 
 card advertisements. It is not unusual for an advertiser to pay 
 from $300 to $500 for a single picture. 
 
 Be Careful in the Use of Colors. When a card is put through 
 seven or eight lithographic printings its character is apt to be 
 impaired. A few well-selected colors will give the best results. 
 The jemployment of a wide variety of colors in the text matter 
 should be avoided. Multi-colored letters are confusing and 
 give the impression of patchwork. 
 
 Don't display the name of your product in such large type that 
 little room is left for text and illustration. While prominence 
 should be given to the name it is also desirable to tell why the 
 article is a good purchase. In a recent successful campaign the 
 name of the article was not displayed, but was set in the same
 
 THE APPEAL OF STREET CAR ADVERTISING 183 
 
 size type as the body matter. Although the advertisements 
 contained not more than fifty words of text and carried no 
 illustrations, the argument was so skillfully presented that the 
 resulting sales were surprisingly large. 
 
 The stock used in car cards is usually six-ply, enameled surface 
 cardboard, which permits the use of halftones, wood-cuts, line- 
 cuts and lithography. Only high-grade stock should be employed 
 as the cheaper grades will not take colors well or stand up under 
 the handling they will receive. 
 
 The cost of producing car cards depends upon the charge 
 for the design, the number of colors employed and their reproduc- 
 tion by lithography or ordinary printing. For 1,000 cards the 
 cost of stock and press work is about as follows: 1 color, $25.15; 
 2 colors, $32.35 ; 3 colors, $41.30 ; and 4 colors, $48.65. The work 
 should be done by a concern that specializes in the designing 
 and printing of car cards rather than by the average job printer 
 who turns out only a few jobs of this kind in a year. In the 
 former case the printer, by concentrating his attention on such 
 work, is able to furnish a superior product. He employs men 
 who are experts in designing and printing this form of adver- 
 tising, and although he charges more than the ordinary printer 
 the superior character of his work warrants the additional ex- 
 pense. Some of the car advertising companies have service 
 departments that prepare and furnish the cards at cost. 
 
 Car cards are changed weekly or monthly according to the 
 terms of the contract made with the advertising agent who 
 handles the business. John Wanamaker once carried on a 
 campaign in New York in which the cards were changed every 
 day. The expense involved in designing, printing and placing 
 them in 10,000 cars was, however, so heavy and the results so 
 out of proportion to the expense, that, at the expiration of the 
 contract, he did not renew it. Changing the cards once a week 
 or every other week is sufficient. 
 
 Cost of Street Car Advertising. Advocates of street car 
 advertising affirm that dollar for dollar it offers the advertiser 
 more circulation and more space in which to tell and illustrate 
 his story than any other medium of national circulation. One 
 of the largest street car advertising companies that claims to
 
 184 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 control 67 per cent, of the street railway advertising of the coun- 
 try, during the war quoted the following rates : 
 
 "For a three months' run in all the cars it controls, 50 cents a 
 month per car; for six months, from 45 to 62^ cents and for a 
 year, 40 cents. When less than a full run is taken, but not less 
 than half the cars in any town or group, 5 cents extra." These 
 rates do not include the cost of the cards. The present rates 
 are higher and in a country-wide campaign the cost would aver- 
 age about 65 cents per car per month. 
 
 The total number of street cars in the country that are avail- 
 able for advertising purposes is 75,000. One-tenth of all the 
 money invested in street railway advertising is spent on the 
 passenger transportation lines of New York City. 
 
 New York is such a large city and has so many different busi- 
 ness and residential centers that it is possible for the advertiser to 
 cover any one of them by using the street cars of a comparatively 
 few lines. As some sections are regarded by advertisers with 
 greater favor than others the prices charged for space in the 
 cars vary. The Broadway and Madison Avenue lines, for in- 
 stance, command a higher rate than those running through the 
 East Side. The advertiser can make his own selection of street 
 railway lines and spend much or little as he may deem best. 
 
 The national advertiser can make a contract with the com- 
 panies handling street railway advertising for a campaign cover- 
 ing the states or sections of the country in which he has his largest 
 distribution. The length of the campaign depends upon the 
 results to be accomplished. As rule it is not advisable to make a 
 contract for less than six months or a year. Three- or five-year 
 contracts are numerous. It frequently happens in the large 
 cities that all the space in the street cars is sold, in which event, 
 prospective advertisers are sometimes obliged to wait several 
 months for a chance to get in. 
 
 Results Achieved Through Street Car Advertising. Some of 
 the biggest businesses in the country owe much of their success to 
 street car advertising. William Wrigley began advertising his 
 chewing gum in this medium in 1905. He invested $40,000 the 
 first year, but the results were so unsatisfactory that he was 
 about to abandon this form of advertising when he was per-
 
 THE APPEAL OF STREET CAR ADVERTISING 185 
 
 suaded to continue, on the ground that he had been using the 
 wrong kind of copy. The second year's campaign, in which a 
 more attractive and convincing line of copy was used, was so 
 satisfactory that the Wrigley advertising has been running in the 
 street cars ever since. The amount now annually invested by 
 the company in this medium is about $1,000,000. 
 
 The Coca-Cola Company began its career with an initial ex- 
 penditure of $300 in street car advertising. This amount was 
 gradually increased until its announcements were appearing in 
 the street cars of every state in the Union. This company is 
 now doing the largest soft drink business in the world and not a 
 little of its success is attributed by S. C. Dobbs, the president, to 
 street car advertising. 
 
 When the Joseph Campbell Company, manufacturers of 
 Campbell's Soups, started its first advertising campaign in the 
 street cars in New York City in 1899, its total sales per month 
 in the metropolis did not exceed 16 cases. The appropriation 
 was a small one, $350 a month, and for this amount only a few 
 cars could be used. The advertising, however, was so productive 
 that the number was gradually increased until the company was 
 using every car in the city. Then it extended its campaign to 
 other cities until, in 1910, it was advertising in practically every 
 street car in the United States. During this period the annual 
 sales went up to 20,000,000 cans. 
 
 In 1911 the company dropped street car advertising and went 
 into the newspapers and magazines. At the end of three years, 
 after spending annually four times as much money in these 
 mediums as in street cars, with no better results, the company 
 resumed its street car advertising on the same scale as before. It 
 is now the largest manufacturer of condensed soups in the world. 
 President Frailey recently made this statement concerning the 
 company's experience: "This business, aggregating $2,000,000 
 a year at retail prices, has been built up almost wholly through 
 street car advertising." 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What is the annual expenditure for street car advertising? 
 
 2. What are some of the advantages claimed for this medium?
 
 186 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 3. What are the limitations as to the number of words that should be used 
 on a car card? 
 
 4. How many selling points should be presented? 
 
 6. What precaution should be taken regarding the use of colors? 
 
 6. What are the elements entering into the cost of the printed cards? 
 
 7. How often should car cards be changed? 
 
 8. How many street cars are there in New York? 
 
 9. In the United States? 
 
 10. What is the average monthly charge per car card? 
 
 11. For what period should a campaign be run? 
 
 12. Give the experience of the Joseph Campbell Company in advertising 
 its soups. 
 
 13. What would be the cost of a half-run of cars on New York City's 
 transportation lines? 
 
 14. If a national advertiser wanted to use all the cars in the United 
 States for one month what would be the cost? 
 
 15. Prepare a car card advertising Ivory Soap.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 DIRECT AND MAIL ORDER ADVERTISING 
 
 Direct advertising is the term applied to printed matter that is 
 sent by the advertiser direct to the prospect, usually by mail. Next 
 to the personal solicitation of a salesman it is the most intimate 
 method of selling employed in marketing. 
 
 All businesses can use this kind of advertising. Many of the 
 great industries depend upon it for the bulk of their sales. Small 
 manufacturers, wholesale and retail merchants employ one or 
 more of its principal mediums. An examination of the advertis- 
 ing costs of a well-known steel furniture manufacturer showed 
 that of every dollar invested 16.4 cents went for overhead charges, 
 21.8 cents for magazine advertising, and 61.8 cents for direct 
 advertising, of which nearly one-half was spent for booklets and 
 folders. The appropriations of seventeen national advertisers 
 indicate that an average of 38 per cent, went for direct advertis- 
 ing. Tt is estimated that in 1919 the total amount expended 
 was nearly $110,000,000. 
 
 Advantages of Direct Advertising. Some of the advantages 
 claimed for direct advertising are the following: 
 
 1. It is Selective and Individual. The advertiser can pick the 
 buyers with whom he wants to do business and hammer away at 
 them so persistently with his battery of argument that their 
 indifference is overcome and their interest aroused. He can 
 confine his campaign to one class of people in a single state or he 
 can extend it to several classes in all the states. 
 
 2. It is Confidential. Through direct advertising it is possible 
 to get closer to the prospect and talk to him in a more intimate 
 manner. The latter is made to feel that the message is for him 
 alone or for a selected group to which he belongs. He therefore 
 takes a greater interest in it, so its advocates claim, than he does 
 in general advertising. You can talk to him in a letter, for in- 
 stance, with less restraint and less formality. 
 
 187
 
 188 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 3. It is Forcible. Through its aid you can marshal an army 
 of facts in such a way as to carry conviction. You are able 
 to anticipate the objections that may be raised and answer them 
 beforehand, thus saving time, and increasing the chances of 
 making a sale. You can go into details and explanations that 
 would be impossible in other forms of advertising. 
 
 4. It is Flexible. Direct advertising may be employed for 
 many different purposes. It introduces the salesman to pro- 
 spective customers or supplements his call. It arouses interest, 
 creates good will, and establishes confidence. It directs trade 
 to the manufacturer, to the jobber or to the retailer, as desired. 
 
 5. It is Timely. It can be used to meet an emergency. For 
 example, a manufacturer or wholesaler finds at the end of the 
 season that he has on hand a large stock of a certain article which, 
 although of excellent value, has not moved as rapidly as it should. 
 By sending to his customers a letter announcing a heavy cut in 
 the price he can often dispose of the goods in a few days, thus 
 releasing the invested capital and preventing a heavy loss that 
 would have been incurred had he not brought advertising to 
 bear upon his market. 
 
 6. It is Economical. There is no waste circulation every 
 piece of copy that goes out can be placed in the hands of a definite 
 person who may become a buyer. You can limit or expand 
 your field of operations in accordance with the amount of money 
 you wish to invest in advertising. 
 
 Mediums Employed. The mediums employed in direct ad- 
 vertising are letters, circulars, folders, mailing cards, broadsides, 
 house-organs, booklets, catalogs, blotters, fillers and specialties. 
 Because advertising matter coming under this head is usually 
 distributed through the postoffice it is frequently spoken of as 
 mail order advertising. This, however, is incorrect. 
 
 Mail Order Advertising is the term applied to advertising 
 employed to sell articles by mail regardless of the mediums 
 used. Millions of dollars worth of mail order advertising ap- 
 pears in national publications. 
 
 There is practically no limit to the number of articles that can 
 be sold by mail. This is shown by the success of such concerns 
 as Sears, Roebuck & Company and Montgomery Ward & Com-
 
 DIRECT AND MAIL ORDER ADVERTISING 189 
 
 pany, of Chicago, that handle hundreds of thousands of different 
 kinds of merchandise, ranging from pins to automobiles, and 
 from spice boxes to houses. The immensity of the business 
 carried on by these great mail order concerns is indicated by the 
 fact that in 1918 Sears, Roebuck & Company sold $181,000,000 
 worth of goods. It has a $6,000,000 plant, carries a stock of 
 $6,000,000, owns 40 factories, makes 7,500 vehicles a year 
 and has 8,000 employees. 
 
 Some of the large mail order houses confine their sales to a few 
 lines of merchandise, often to a single one. The National 
 Cloak & Suit Company, of New York, which occupies an eleven- 
 story building covering one end of a city block, does a very large 
 business in women's wearing apparel. The Chicago House 
 Wrecking Company began its career by selling the building 
 material left after dismantling the Chicago Exposition, and later, 
 that of the St. Louis World's Fair. Gradually it enlarged its 
 scope until it now handles all kinds of merchandise obtained from 
 receivers' and sheriffs' sales. Through advertising it has devel- 
 oped a remarkable business. It receives 50,000 letters a day 
 and employs 110 stenographers to take care of its correspondence. 
 Its daily shipments amount to from 20 to 25 carloads. 
 
 The mail order experts assert that outside of the half dozen 
 or more big concerns that handle all lands of merchandise the 
 greatest successes have been achieved by those dealing in goods 
 listed under the following classifications: medical preparations, 
 patented articles, specialties, trust schemes, things sold on the 
 instalment plan, stock corporations and correspondence schools. 
 The best advice that can be given to persons who wish to estab- 
 lish a profitable, direct mail business is this Get hold of some- 
 thing new, a household novelty preferred. The more practically 
 useful the article is the better its chances for success in the 
 market. 
 
 Compiling the Mailing List. Having selected an article for 
 which it is believed a strong demand can be created through 
 direct advertising the next important step is the compilation of a 
 mailing list. This requires careful consideration for upon it 
 depends to a large degree the success or failure of the enterprise. 
 It is easy enough to get a list of names from a dozen different
 
 190 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 sources but unless they are the names of persons who may become 
 interested in, and possible purchasers of the article you are 
 selling it is worthless. 
 
 The important thing to do at the very start, therefore, is to 
 decide upon the class of people with whom you hope to do busi- 
 ness. Are they of the wealthy class, are they persons of moderate 
 means or are they wage earners ? Are they householders, grocers 
 or drygoods dealers? Are they young men, widowers or bach- 
 elors? Are they yachtsmen, golfers or lovers of the races? 
 
 Assuming that the article to be marketed appeals to farmers 
 there are several ways of compiling the mailing list. Upon 
 application to the United States Bureau of Agriculture or the 
 Agricultural Boards of the several states lists of the Granges, 
 agricultural associations or other farmers' organizations may be 
 obtained. By writing to the secretaries and offering to pay a 
 small fee for copying, if they are not printed, lists of members 
 may be secured. States and country directories and voting lists 
 are also helpful. The telephone directories are especially valua- 
 ble in selecting the better class of farmers. In Canada postmas- 
 ters are required to post lists of mail delivery box holders. 
 
 If you want to reach city dwellers you can buy lists of names 
 from directory publishers. These are so classified that you can 
 get complete lists of different kinds of people, such as advertising 
 agents, real estate owners, persons who live in apartments, etc. 
 Manufacturers of goods in any line of business that are sold to 
 retailers can usually obtain the names of dealers in these several 
 lines of goods by consulting the trade papers and the trade 
 directories. 
 
 Desirable lists of names are sometimes obtained through news- 
 paper or magazine advertisements in which a booklet or other 
 article is offered to anyone sending in a list of people who might 
 become interested in the goods. 
 
 Importance of Keeping the Mailing List Up-to-date. After 
 having assembled the best list of names you can procure it must 
 be kept up-to-date or its value is soon impaired. It has been 
 found that mailing lists deteriorate at the rate of from 15 to 
 35 per cent, annually unless measures are taken to prevent it. 
 This is due to deaths, changes in address, and other causes. If,
 
 DIRECT AND MAIL ORDER ADVERTISING 191 
 
 therefore, the mailing list is not corrected at least once a month 
 the letters or catalogs sent to some of the names will not be 
 delivered and therefore become a dead loss. It costs much time 
 and considerable money to keep the list up-to-date but it is 
 well worth the price. Many campaigns have failed through the 
 use of poor mailing lists. Hence the need of being continually 
 on the alert to make them 100 per cent, efficient. 
 
 The number of names carried by mail order houses often 
 reaches into millions. Sears, Roebuck & Company's list con- 
 tains 7,000,000. Some of the insurance companies carry from 
 2,500,000 to 5,000,000. The Larkin Company's mailing list 
 contains 1,000,000 names and that of the National Cash Register 
 1,110,000. Butler Brothers not only keep a large clerical force 
 busy on their big mailing list the year round, but also employ 
 investigators who travel over the country checking up the names 
 and seeing that their catalogs do not fall into improper hands. 
 
 Because of the wide variety of mediums that may be employed 
 in direct-by-mail advertising it is possible to select one or more 
 that are especially adapted to the class of people you want to 
 reach. In some cases letters will be found the most effective; 
 in others, booklets or folders. When a number of different 
 things are to be marketed catalogs often produce the best results. 
 Broadsides and bulletins are used to arouse dealer interest. 
 Booklets are valuable in introducing a new article or line of 
 goods requiring more extended description than can be given in 
 a catalog. Envelope stuffers are advertisements printed on thin 
 colored paper which may be slipped into an envelope containing a 
 letter without appreciably adding to its weight. Book publish- 
 ers use them extensively. 
 
 Mailing cards, which have been called "silent salesmen," 
 have been found especially effective in paving the way for sales- 
 men in new territory. The outside of the folded cards carries 
 a single line of type so worded as to excite the curiosity of the 
 recipient as to what is inside. Sometimes it is accompanied by 
 an illustration that serves to heighten his interest. A par- 
 ticularly good example of this type was a card so folded that the 
 two ends met in the center of the side containing the address. 
 Upon it was printed pictures of two fierce-looking pirates standing
 
 192 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 on guard on either side of a brass-bound treasure chest. Across 
 the top was the inscription "There's Treasure Within." In 
 opening up the card the lid of the chest was lifted, revealing the 
 advertiser's message attractively set forth within. 
 
 In using mailing cards it is well to confine their shapes to 
 conventional forms, except in rare instances. Odd-shaped 
 cards, and particularly those that are intricately folded, often 
 fail of their purpose for the reason that the reader's attention 
 is so taken up with their novelty of form that he overlooks or 
 fails to be impressed by the message they carry. 
 
 The backbone of the advertising of the great mail order houses 
 is the catalog. Sears, Roebuck & Company issue two catalogs 
 a year, each containing from 1,500 to 1,700 pages and weighing 
 from 33^ to 5 Ib. a piece, and 60 to 75 special catalogs. Six 
 thousand of the large catalogs will fill an ordinary freight car. 
 As 4,000,000 catalogs are printed and shipped twice a year to the 
 72 catalog warehouses from which they are distributed, some 
 idea of the enormous cost entailed can be obtained. Elsewhere 
 in this volume, (see p. 208), will be found a chapter devoted to 
 catalog building. 
 
 Object of Direct Mail Advertising. Nearly all direct-by- 
 mail advertising is designed to produce immediate action. If 
 the prospect is not urged to respond with a cash order he is 
 encouraged to send for a booklet with an attractive title giving 
 additional information, or to ask questions direct about the goods 
 advertised. The richest crop of business is often developed from 
 these requests and inquiries, much depending upon the skill of 
 the correspondence clerks in handling them. 
 
 Advertisers have learned the value of the follow-up and es- 
 pecially those who are engaged in the mail order business. 
 Homer J. Buckley, of Chicago, once said that he used to pay 
 little attention to inquiries written on cheap paper or postal 
 cards on the assumption that the persons who sent them couldn't 
 amount to much and that their patronage was not worth seeking. 
 One day, however, he wrote a three-page reply to an inquiry of 
 this kind and found that the writer was a manufacturer whose 
 early education had been neglected. The correspondence that 
 followed resulted during the next two years in business amounting
 
 DIRECT AND MAIL ORDER ADVERTISING 193 
 
 to $27,000, not a penny of which would ever have gone to Mr. 
 Buckley had he not answered that misspelled, cheap-looking 
 letter. 
 
 Promptness in answering inquiries and fitting orders that are 
 accompanied by cash is essential in direct-by-mail advertising. 
 Delays from whatever cause result in disappointment and are 
 often destructive of confidence. It is a standing rule with the 
 mail order houses to answer all letters and fill all orders the day 
 they are received. The wisdom of such a rule is apparent. The 
 goods are promptly received by the customer who is made to feel 
 that the firm values his patronage, however small it may be. 
 Moreover, it acts as a stimulant to further orders. If he wants 
 something else he knows he can get it without delay. While 
 prompt service benefits the consumer it also directly benefits 
 the dealer or manufacturer as he can turn over his capital more 
 rapidly. The customer has no time to change his mind and 
 cancel his order. 
 
 Some Useful Suggestions. An offer to send small samples 
 inspires confidence. It is a good plan to make a nominal charge 
 for them as it serves to discourage children and curiosity seekers 
 from writing for samples. Several tests that have been made 
 show that while an advertisement offering something free will 
 pull 1,000 replies, it will not pull 200 when a 2-cent stamp is 
 required for the postage. If a person's desire for a sample is 
 not strong enough to induce him to send 2 cents or any other 
 small amount for it his patronage is not worth cultivating. 
 
 Price is often a determining factor in direct advertising, es- 
 pecially when the privilege of returning the goods is not allowed. 
 People want to know what an article costs without being obliged 
 to write to the advertiser to find out. 
 
 Sending goods on approval is not usually satisfactory. In the 
 mail order business you are dealing with people concerning whose 
 character or financial responsibility you know nothing. It is 
 just as easy for a thief to send in a request for the privilege of 
 inspecting your goods as for the honest man. The one never 
 intends either to buy or to return them; the other will. Not all 
 who fail to pay for them or send them back are intentionally 
 dishonest. Some are careless or forgetful; some change their 
 
 13
 
 194 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 addresses and do not receive the letters you send them about the 
 matter; some delay the returning of the articles so long that 
 they are ashamed to do so, seemingly overlooking the fact that 
 by this act they lay themselves open to prosecution. The 
 expense involved in following up those who neither return the 
 goods nor pay for them not only eats up the profits on those 
 actually sold, but in many cases drives the advertiser who has 
 only a limited capital into bankruptcy. 
 
 Unless the article that is being marketed is a novelty that can 
 be sold for only a short time while it is popular, the constant aim 
 of the direct-by-mail advertiser should be to obtain re-orders. 
 Except in the case of articles that bring a comparatively large 
 price there is little net profit on single sales. It is only when 
 customers repeat follow up their first by other orders that a 
 remunerative business can be established. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. Define direct advertising. 
 
 2. In the case of seventeen manufacturers cited what was the average 
 per cent, of the annual appropriation spent for direct or mail advertising? 
 
 3. Name six advantages to be derived from it. 
 
 4. What are the principal mediums employed? 
 
 5. Give the names of three of the largest mail order houses. 
 
 6. What kinds of goods have been most successfully sold by mail? 
 
 7. How would you go about securing a mailing list? 
 
 8. What is the annual depreciation in the value of a mailing list? 
 
 9. In what way are mailing cards helpful to salesmen? 
 
 10. What is the chief object of direct advertising? 
 
 11. Why should a small charge be made for samples? 
 
 12. Should goods be sent on approval? Why is it desirable to name 
 prices in direct advertising?
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 BUSINESS GETTING LETTERS 
 
 Letters are used to solicit business, to promote friendship, to 
 ask favors and to insist upon our rights. Of all the advertising 
 mediums they are the most available and the most easily em- 
 ployed. A sheet of paper, and a pencil or pen are the only 
 things necessary for the production of a letter. No business is 
 so small or so unimportant that it cannot afford to make use of 
 this form of advertising. Letters may be written by hand in the 
 old-fashioned way, or on a typewriter; or they can be set up in 
 type and printed or lithographed. Copies can be reproduced 
 by the mimeograph, multigraph, Hooven, Underwood and other 
 mechanical processes. 
 
 The following suggestions will be found helpful in writing 
 business getting letters: 
 
 First. Have something that is attractive to offer to your pros- 
 pective customer. No one will buy an article for which he has no 
 use, no matter how good it may be or how reasonable its price. 
 
 Second. Make your letter personal in its appeal. Write in 
 much the same way you would talk if you were in the presence 
 of the prospect. Make him feel that you recognize his standing 
 in the community and want his cooperation and support. 
 
 The following letter, which was addressed to printers, is a 
 good example of the personal appeal style of letter writing. 
 
 DEAR SIR: 
 
 "Ting-ailing," goes your telephone. You take the receiver 
 off its hook, put it to your ear, and presto! there's an angry 
 customer sputtering on the wire wanting to know why the printer's 
 devil you haven't delivered his job at the hour promised. 
 
 That's incident number one. 
 
 Five minutes later, in walks your outside man with an animated 
 countenance. He slaps a big contract, apparently profitable, on 
 your desk. You congratulate him, and put it in work. But your 
 
 195
 
 196 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 press-room is only equipped for your usual quota of job work. The 
 large order is a bomb scattering confusion. To turn it out other 
 patrons must be neglected; the bigger the contract, the longer they 
 must wait. 
 
 That's incident number two. 
 
 The next morning two of your feeders are among the missing. 
 Perhaps the wanderlust had seized one, a strong thirst the other. 
 Two presses remain idle that day and the rest of the boys work 
 overtime that night. The crippled force crawls through the week. 
 In the meantime, your outside man is in despair and the dawn 
 editions of the newspapers carry your frantic appeal in the classified 
 advertisement columns captioned HELP WANTED MALE. 
 
 That's incident number three. 
 
 It never rains but it pours! You return to your office dis- 
 couraged, and learn that a dissatisfied customer has dumped a 
 5,000 lot of 12-page booklets back on you: "Solids on the cover 
 poorly laid; halftones do not show up well; rotten impression; 
 poor inks; badly soiled by finger prints; the stuff was promised days 
 ago and it is too late to use now." Well, it was really a cylinder 
 proposition but you had figured low because you could not afford 
 the expense of extra plates. You solemnly mark the transaction 
 down on the "We mourn our loss" side of the ledger. 
 
 That's incident number four. 
 
 And then comes the postman with this letter. It deals with your 
 troubles one by one. Now it tells you that the AUTOPRESS van- 
 quishes them all. This is what the AUTOPRESS does: 
 
 Insures quick deliveries and pleased customers; 
 
 Turns big contract emergencies into a mere incident in the day's 
 work; 
 
 Rises above feeder frailties; always stays on the job; 
 
 Splits hairs in register; lays solids of intense density; reproduces 
 the artist's proof in halftone work; runs at a guaranteed speed of 
 5,000 impressions an hour; gives the quietus to three or four platens 
 and their attendants. 
 
 SUMMARY: The AUTOPRESS produces more and better out- 
 put in quicker time, at lesser cost. 
 
 Of course, The Autopress Company want to sell you an AUTO- 
 PRESS. It is not what they want but what you must have. 
 Your business problems combine in a Gordian knot, hard to undo. 
 Don't try. Cut it with a bold stroke a keen investment the 
 purchase of an AUTOPRESS. 
 
 Third. Adapt the length of the letter to the nature of the appeal 
 and the character of the audience. While there can be no hard 
 and fast rule in regard to the length of letters, in the majority
 
 BUSINESS GETTING LETTERS 197 
 
 of cases single-page letters will best serve the advertiser. The 
 head of one of Chicago's largest letter-writing agencies says that 
 out of 5,000 letters he has written only five were two pages long. 
 And yet there are tunes when short letters are inadequate. If 
 you were trying to interest a man in an important business enter- 
 prise, or you wanted to sell him an automobile or a country 
 estate, a two- or three-page letter would be required to properly 
 present the information he would need in order to decide upon 
 the merits of the proposition. When a person is deeply interested 
 in a subject he will read every line of a long letter providing the 
 facts are attractively set forth. 
 
 Some of the occasions when long letters can be employed to 
 advantage are these: 
 
 1. When writing to a woman, and especially a housewife about 
 an article that will make her family happier, her home more 
 cheerful, her children prettier and herself more beautiful, the 
 paper used should be a delicately tinted bond, of good quality, 
 and the envelope of baronial size, the aim being to give the letter 
 an air of refinement. Women do not receive as many business 
 communications as men and therefore attach much importance 
 to those addressed to them. 
 
 2. When answering letters requesting information regarding your 
 proposition. If a person is sufficiently interested to ask for 
 further data he will read all you write in reply. Go into details. 
 Tell him exactly what you would want to know if you were in his 
 place. If you have any printed matter that is pertinent to the 
 subject send that along too. 
 
 The mistake of mailing advertising matter under separate 
 cover when sending a letter of this kind has resulted in the 
 loss of much business. Although mailed at the same tune, the 
 letter, because it travels under first-class postage usually 
 reaches its destination first. Any interest it may create in the 
 reader's mind is apt to die out because of the delay in receiv- 
 ing the supplementary literature to which the letter refers. This 
 situation can be prevented by the employment of a new 
 envelope device which permits the letter and advertising 
 matter to travel together but each under its own mail classi- 
 fication.
 
 198 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 3. When writing to a customer who has purchased your product 
 to tell him how he can get the most out of it. People are usually 
 grateful for any suggestions that will help them to secure better 
 results from an article they already possess or adapt it to new 
 uses. 
 
 4. When you have important facts to tell a man about his own 
 business. Distributors of merchandise have found that one of 
 the best ways to hold customers is to show them how to sell 
 their products, how to increase their revenues by the adoption 
 of new methods of salesmanship or a different arrangement of 
 the goods displayed in the store, or to call their attention to a 
 new and more economical plan of store management. The 
 merchant is made to feel that the manufacturer or wholesaler is 
 interested in his success apart from the quantity of goods he 
 purchases. Letters bearing upon these and other subjects will 
 always be read no matter how long they may be. 
 
 Short letters may be used to advantage under these circum- 
 stances: 
 
 1. When you have a real bargain to offer and you do not need to 
 go into details regarding it. If you say too much the prospect 
 may think you are trying to bamboozle him or cover up a defect 
 in the merchandise. 
 
 2. When asking for an appointment to show your goods. 
 Arguments and explanations in behalf of your line are unneces- 
 sary. If you state them in your letters the buyer may say, 
 " What's the use of telling me all this stuff in a letter and then 
 asking for an interview to go over the same ground again?" 
 Therefore, your letter should be confined to a bare statement of 
 what you have to offer and the request for an interview. If he 
 is not interested in your line of merchandise he will turn you 
 down anyway. 
 
 3. When sending a catalog, or acknowledging a remittance or 
 the receipt of an order. 
 
 4. When answering an inquiry for confidential information 
 about a man's credit, regarding which you have little or no positive 
 knowledge. 
 
 Much care should be taken in the preparation of follow-up 
 letters, which are an important part of every advertising cam-
 
 BUSINESS GETTING LETTERS 199 
 
 paign, no matter what mediums are used. They may be insistent 
 without giving offense. In any case they should be diplomatic. 
 Don't "demand" an answer to sales letters. Because you have 
 written several to a merchant, especially when he is not a customer, 
 is no reason why he should acknowledge their receipt unless he 
 has previously asked for information. Merchants in the smaller 
 cities are not given to much letter writing and object to any 
 attempt to force replies from them. 
 
 Fourth. Make your business letters cumulative in interest and 
 in sales pulling power. The first blow of a sledge hammer upon 
 a big rock seems to make little impression upon it, but if the blows 
 are continued for any length of time the rock is finally split open. 
 It is the accumulative force of all the blows that accomplishes 
 the result. Similarly under the constantly applied influence of 
 a series of well-constructed, forceful letters the indifference of the 
 prospect is gradually overcome, his interest is aroused and he is 
 won over to the proposition. 
 
 (a) Endeavor to form a picture in your mind's eye of the man 
 you are addressing. (6) Try to appreciate the local conditions 
 under which he works or conducts his business, (c) Try to get a 
 fairly accurate idea of his likes and dislikes which, in many 
 instances, may be determined from his environment, (d) Re- 
 member that there is no man, no matter who he is or where he 
 lives, who is not susceptible to the right appeal, (e) When you 
 have finished your study of the prospect and his local surround- 
 ings talk to him sensibly, as man to man. Be sincere, friendly, 
 but not too familiar. 
 
 There is no hard and fast rule for building a sales letter. 
 Different men have different ideas as to how it should be done. 
 Nevertheless a careful study of a number of successful letters 
 shows that a certain plan is consciously or unconsciously followed. 
 Edward H. Schulze, a New York authority on business letter 
 writing, after examining many letters of this kind deduced the 
 following paragraph arrangement for a winning letter. 
 
 First Paragraph. Attention getting opening. Creating the 
 right atmosphere. 
 
 Second Paragraph. Continuation of first paragraph. Show 
 prospect what your product will do for him rather than what it is.
 
 200 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Third Paragraph. Description of your product as the buyer or 
 user would describe it. 
 
 Fourth Paragraph. Argument in favor of the product to be 
 sold, not a description. 
 
 Fifth Paragraph. Proposition. Attractively worded answer 
 to the question, "Why should the prospect buy of you now?" 
 
 Closing Paragraph. 
 
 There is a wide difference between a newspaper or a mag- 
 azine advertisement and a personal letter. In the former the 
 message is addressed to the general public, in the latter to 
 an individual member of that public. In the one case we talk 
 to a few hundred or many thousands or millions of people the 
 country over; in the second we take each man or woman aside and 
 tell our story in the direct, personal way we speak to our friends. 
 
 Therefore, a good letter writer must be a student of and under- 
 stand human nature. He must know how to appeal to the differ- 
 ent types and classes of people. He must have an easy flow of 
 correct English. This implies, of course, a thorough knowledge 
 of grammar and punctuation. He should so master the details 
 of letter writing that each letter of a series he prepares will per- 
 form its own office and add strength to the entire campaign. 
 He should keep track of the letters sent out and the results that 
 follow by means of a card index. Such a record if carefully filed 
 and studied will save thousands of dollars annually to the direct 
 mail advertiser. 
 
 Fifth. Business selling letters should be correct in form and 
 printed on good quality of bond paper if they are to impress the 
 prospect with the dignity and responsibility of the company or 
 firm that sends them out. People are apt to judge of the charac- 
 ter of a concern by its stationery, just as we are inclined to judge 
 of a man's character by his dress. Swindlers take advantage of 
 this fact and invariably employ expensive stationery in all their 
 correspondence with persons whom they are trying to induce 
 to invest in their schemes. 
 
 Sixth. Letters should be properly folded, sealed and stamped. A 
 carelessly folded letter with the stamp stuck on any old way and 
 the address poorly written or misspelled creates an unfavorable 
 impression no matter how fine the quality of the stationery, or
 
 BUSINESS GETTING LETTERS 201 
 
 how excellent the typography, or how important its contents. 
 The man who receives such a letter feels affronted that the sender 
 did not regard him of sufficient importance to see that the mailing 
 was properly done. 
 
 The most glaring evils of the usual type of circular letters are 
 the use of cheap stationery, the absence of the names of the per- 
 sons who are supposed to receive them, the misspelling of names, 
 the omission of a hand-written signature, failure to fold letters 
 neatly and to affix stamps properly, and, finally, neglect to affix 
 sufficient postage. 
 
 If you want to get a merchant's attention talk about his 
 business and show him how you can help him make or save 
 money. Make it a "you" letter instead of an "I" letter. He 
 is not going to buy your goods to benefit you, but himself. What 
 you have got to do is to convince him that he can increase his 
 income and add to his prestige in the community by selling your 
 product. The primary object of most sales letters addressed to 
 the trade is not so much to create immediate sales as to elicit 
 replies for further information, or to pave the way for the sales- 
 men when they make their calls. 
 
 The narrative form of writing is popular with business men. 
 They like a clear presentation of facts with as little fancy trim- 
 ming in the shape of decorative language as is consistent with 
 the subject. If you can arouse their curiosity at the start by a 
 statement that is new or novel you have a good chance of holding 
 their attention to the end of the letter. Don't tell everything 
 about your product in one or two letters. Say enough to make 
 the reader hungry for more information. Leave something to 
 the imagination. 
 
 Cultivate conciseness in your letter writing. Think out what 
 you are going to say before you write it down. A rambling, 
 pointless letter is an abomination to be shunned. Learn to use 
 words that exactly express your meaning and that the average 
 man or woman can readily understand. The merchant who 
 receives a letter written in "highbrow" language, which may 
 be Greek to him, is not going to expose his ignorance by ask- 
 ing one of his office assistants to explain its meaning. 
 
 Get away from stereotyped expressions such as " In reply to your
 
 202 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 favor of the the contents of which have been carefully noted, " 
 " We beg to inform you, " etc. You wouldn't use such phrases if 
 you were writing to a friend because they would make your 
 letter so deadly dull and formal. Why, then, use them in your 
 correspondence with business men whose good will and favor you 
 are trying to cultivate? 
 
 Business letters are employed for other purposes than the selling 
 of merchandise. The sales correspondent of a wholesale grocery 
 house, in looking over some old ledgers, was surprised to see on 
 their pages the names of so many firms who were no longer 
 customers of the house. He made a list of them and after 
 crossing off those that had gone out of business, and checking 
 up the others through Dun's or Bradstreet's, he wrote them a 
 diplomatic letter asking why they had dropped out. Eighty 
 per cent, replied, and of these a majority were induced to resume 
 their old relationship to the house. At the end of three years it 
 was found that these merchants had purchased more than a 
 million dollars worth of goods. 
 
 Little things sometimes nullify the effect of carefully prepared 
 letters. A strong letter sent to Catholics to arouse their interest 
 in and secure their support for a Church publication brought 
 back only one per cent, of returns. This was such a poor record 
 that an investigation was made to see where the trouble lay. It 
 was found that the letters had been posted at the Masonic 
 Building branch office of the post office, and were so stamped. 
 Most Catholics are strongly opposed to Masonic and all other 
 secret societies and when those to whom the letters were sent saw 
 that they were stamped "Masonic Building" their antipathy was 
 at once aroused. When the publishers changed their mailing 
 station the returns from their letters immediately increased. 
 
 'A manufacturer of toilet articles that are sold by mail, whose 
 factory and office were located near the Chicago Stock Yards, 
 wondered for a long time why his mail matter did not pull better. 
 A shrewd advertiser told him to mail his letters and circulars from 
 a postal sub-station in a more attractive neighborhood and see 
 what would happen. He did so and was surprised to note how 
 quickly his business began to improve. 
 
 The business letter writer must be ever on the alert to take
 
 BUSINESS GETTING LETTERS 203 
 
 advantage of changing events in the commercial world. Giving 
 a news twist to correspondence helps to arouse the prospects 
 interest. 
 
 How many follow-up letters should be sent to the same person 
 or firm? The number of follow-ups depends on the profit 
 that lies in the sale if it is secured. This does not mean the 
 profits on the first order, if there are chances for repeat busi- 
 ness, but the profits the sender of the letter might ultimately 
 expect from the account. Thus, in selling machinery running 
 into the hundreds or thousands of dollars, it is obvious that 
 if one sent a letter every week for a year (52 weeks at 2 cents 
 postage per week is $1.04) the amount thus expended would be 
 small when the profits on a possible sale are considered. On 
 the other hand, in selling a $2 article, upon which there is no 
 chance to get repeat orders, it would not pay to send more than 
 two letters or perhaps three, as the amount of money allowed for 
 selling is proportionally smaller. It is best to consider the 
 number of follow-ups in relation to how much one can afford to 
 spend to get a sale. 
 
 Here is a follow-up letter that brought replies from a large 
 proportion of the firms to which it was addressed : 
 
 DEAR SIB: 
 
 Twenty minutes past two. 
 
 In half an hour, the afternoon mail will be in. I'm sitting 
 here waiting for an envelope with your name in the upper left- 
 hand corner. 
 
 An answer to my letter of November 23d. 
 
 That letter went to a great many Meat Packers. And a great 
 many letters have come in return. Most all of them containing 
 Keepdry Barrel Cover orders for trial. 
 
 One arrived yesterday from the Morton-Gregson Co. Quite 
 prominent in the meat industry. They think Keepdry Covers are 
 worth a trial, so they're going to try them. 
 
 And now there are 25. Let's name a few of them : 
 
 Armour, Agar, Buckley, Ballard, Cudahy, Dunlevy, Hammond- 
 Standish, Hormel, Kalbitzer, Kingan, Lima, Oscar F. Mayer, 
 Swift and Underwood. 
 
 Pretty soon Morton-Gregson will say to ship some more Keepdry 
 Covers. At any rate that's what has happened with all the others 
 after they have tested out a few.
 
 204 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 I wonder if that mail will bring your trial order. If not I am 
 going to shoot this little reminder along to-night just so that you 
 will know that I sat here waiting. But it isn't too late yet. 
 
 Concerning Form Letters. Every concern doing a fairly large 
 national business receives every day many letters on the same 
 subjects and which require the same replies. It is obviously a 
 waste of time to dictate or write over and over again differently 
 worded answers to the same questions, or replies to the same 
 complaints. 
 
 Hence the economy and convenience of form letters. These 
 should not be dictated right off the reel as a part of the day's 
 work, but should be the result of a close study of the firm's 
 correspondence extending over several months. If you will look 
 over fifty or a hundred letters that have been written on the 
 same subject you will find some of them much better than others. 
 In one you discover a paragraph in which the idea is set forth 
 in an exceptionally strong and clear manner. In another you 
 observe a phrase or a paragraph that strikes you as specially 
 clever. One letter has an introduction that is out of the ordinary 
 and rivets attention. You admire the wind-up of a fourth 
 letter, or the convincing way in which a complaint is answered 
 in a fifth. 
 
 By combining these or other paragraphs you produce a letter 
 that covers the subject in a thorough and satisfactory manner and 
 can adopt it as one of your form letters. By listing a number of 
 the paragraphs on a sheet and giving to each a number you can 
 use one or several in dictating other letters by simply giving the 
 numbers to the stenographer. Pursue this same course in 
 preparing form letters on other subjects. With these letters 
 in hand routine correspondence can be quickly disposed of by the 
 office staff at minimum cost and maximum efficiency. 
 
 In mailing circular letters should 1- or 2-cent stamps be used? 
 Here again no categorical answer can be given. The A. W. 
 Shaw Company, of Chicago, publishers of business books, 
 state that they have secured as many responses when letters 
 bore 1-cent stamps as when 2-cent stamps were used. Much 
 depends upon the nature of the offering and the class of people 
 to whom the letters are addressed. When letters are sent to
 
 BUSINESS GETTING LETTERS 205 
 
 prospects in rural districts, or elsewhere, who are not accustomed 
 to receive much mail matter, a 1-cent stamp can be used. 
 
 But when, on the other hand, your letters are mailed to persons 
 or firms who receive a large amount of advertising matter and 
 many letters every day, your communications have a much better 
 chance of being read if they bear a 2-cent stamp. Why? 
 Because, in sorting the mail the clerks are usually instructed to 
 separate the first-class from the second-class matter. The first- 
 class mail has the right of way and receives the direct personal 
 attention of the executives, while the second-class matter is 
 referred to one of the office staff for examination, in which case 
 it often happens that circular letters never reach the important 
 heads of the business but are dumped into the waste basket 
 unread. Of course, the 2-cent stamp will not insure the de- 
 livery of your letter into the hands of the person for whom it is 
 intended, but you may be reasonably certain that it will, in most 
 instances, accomplish that purpose. 
 
 On the Use of Window Envelopes. Considerable expense can 
 be saved in mailing large editions of circular letters by the em- 
 ployment of window envelopes. It costs from $2.75 to $3.00 a 
 thousand to address envelopes on the typewriter. This expense 
 can be eliminated if the letters are so folded that when enclosed 
 in the window envelopes the filled-in address at the top of the first 
 sheet shows through as the mailing address. If, however, you 
 have a high-grade proposition to submit to a select list of out of 
 the ordinary prospects, typewritten addressed envelopes would 
 be more appropriate and make a better impression. 
 
 Return Postage. When you enclose a post card for a reply it 
 is not necessary to use a stamped card unless you are writing to 
 a customer, or asking a favor as, for instance, for the names of 
 friends or acquaintances who might be interested in your offering. 
 A Wisconsin concern in order to determine the value of furnishing 
 stamped return postal cards mailed 3,000 letters enclosing them. 
 Six hundred came back. As 2,400 were not used those returned 
 cost 5 cents apiece in addition to the other mailing cost. A 
 second lot of 3,000 letters were mailed in which the cards enclosed 
 were not stamped. Of the latter 526 were returned. As no 
 postage was paid on these cards the firm saved $10 on each thou-
 
 206 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 sand sent out. It is the opinion of most mail order houses that 
 the man who is sufficiently interested to furnish a stamp for an 
 enclosed card asking for particulars is a much better prospect 
 than the one who replies only when a stamped card is furnished 
 by the advertiser. 
 
 On the Use of Enclosures. In sending out business getting 
 letters, whatever their character may be, do not enclose several 
 pieces of advertising matter for they have little chance of being 
 read. It is a much better practice to use one piece at a time. 
 When a business man receives an envelope stuffed to the limit 
 with advertising leaflets, poorly printed, on cheap, thin paper, 
 he is likely to throw the contents into the waste basket without 
 reading, on the ground that no responsible concern doing a pros- 
 perous business would send out such a mess of junk to a pros- 
 pective customer. One concern that tested the value of various 
 enclosures found that the fewer the enclosures the greater the 
 attention given to the letter, the best results being obtained when 
 a well-printed booklet, giving the history of the product was 
 the only enclosure. 
 
 Signatures. All circulars, form, or other letters should carry 
 a personal signature. If sent out by a company, the name of the 
 president or some other executive should appear below that of 
 the company, the reason being that the person who receives 
 such a letter will attach much more importance to it than he 
 would if it only bore the company name. To many people a 
 corporation is an intangible, soulless body with which it is 
 impossible to establish an intimate relationship. If, however, 
 these same persons are brought in contact, through correspond- 
 ence or otherwise, with its president or someone else in authority, 
 they will have an entirely different idea regarding it. To them 
 the president or other official is the company and can be dealt 
 with as a person. When they receive circular or other letters 
 from an executive of such a corporation they are impressed by 
 the fact and their interest is aroused. 
 
 In the production of facsimile letters in quantities the signa- 
 ture is printed with the letter, and, when the work is well done, 
 it cannot be distinguished from the hand signature of the writer. 
 In instances where the letters are of more than ordinary importance
 
 BUSINESS GETTING LETTERS 207 
 
 the letters should be signed by hand and the name typewritten 
 underneath in case the signature is difficult to read. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. In writing business-getting letters what are some of the things to be 
 kept in mind? 
 
 2. Under what circumstances can long letters be employed to advantage? 
 
 3. When is it advisable to use short letters? 
 
 4. Before writing a letter what should you do? 
 
 6. Give Mr. Schulze's plan for writing a business getting letter. 
 
 6. What are the qualifications of a good letter writer? 
 
 7. Why should special care be taken in the selection of stationery? 
 
 8. What are some of the glaring evils of circular letters? 
 
 9. How can you quickly get a merchant's attention? 
 
 10. What form of letter writing is popular with business men? 
 
 11. Give several stereotyped phrases that should be avoided. 
 
 12. When should follow-up letters be discontinued? 
 
 13. What suggestions can you make concerning the preparation of form 
 letters? 
 
 14. In mailing circular letters should 1- or 2-cent stamps be used? 
 
 16. When are window envelopes to be preferred over the ordinary kind? 
 16. When should return postage be enclosed if replies are desired?
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 SUGGESTIONS ON CATALOG MAKING 
 
 The most important mediums employed in direct advertising 
 are letters, folders, booklets and catalogs. They are the back- 
 bone of practically all mail order advertising campaigns and a 
 vital necessity in the marketing campaigns of general and tech- 
 nical advertisers. Of these catalogs are depended upon for the 
 heavy work. They are used to back up newspaper and maga- 
 zine advertising; to obtain new customers and to hold those who 
 have already been lined up; to pave the way for the visits of 
 salesmen, and to secure direct orders from places to which it is 
 not feasible or possible to send salesmen. Through catalogs the 
 manufacturer can present information that cannot be presented 
 in newspaper or magazine advertising. 
 
 Charles W. Beaver, in speaking of the characteristics of the 
 catalog, says: 
 
 "The catalog must be your personal representative, duly accredited, 
 backed by your word, vested with the authority of knowledge, and 
 lacking none of the polish essential to the most profound courtesy. 
 Lacking the magnetism of the human voice its cold type must be in- 
 fused with a message so true, and its every page so suggestive of uses and 
 applications that the prospect is made to see each article as his own." 
 
 The fact that a large amount of money is wasted annually upon 
 catalogs and booklets that are thrown away unread because they 
 are unattractive, or have no real selling value, shows how necessary 
 it is that we should know how to prepare the kind that will market 
 the goods at a profit to the advertiser. The contents of the waste- 
 paper basket of the average busy executive ought to be a con- 
 tinual warning to every advertisement writer if he would save 
 his own work from a like fate. 
 
 A Catalog in Physical Appearance and in Text Matter Should 
 Reflect the Character of the Firm by Which It Is Issued. Much 
 
 208
 
 SUGGESTIONS ON CATALOG MAKING 209 
 
 depends upon the first impression it makes upon the prospect when 
 he opens the envelope containing it. If it has an attractive cover, 
 is printed on good paper, is appropriately illustrated and contains 
 information of value to the recipient, it will receive the attention 
 it merits and will be kept for future reference. 
 
 No business house of standing would think of sending out on 
 the road a salesman who is slovenly in dress, boorish in bearing, 
 and cannot talk to a customer in an intelligent manner. The 
 salesman, when he calls upon a merchant, is, for the time being, 
 the house he represents. If the impression he makes is favorable 
 the firm back home profits by it; if it is unfavorable the reputation 
 of the house suffers. 
 
 Catalogs Are Silent Salesmen, Deputy Ambassadors of Busi- 
 ness, Sent Out to Promote Sales. Like salesmen they must have 
 a certain personality to win attention and favor. They should 
 have an inviting, prosperous look that will make the recipient 
 want to study them carefully. They should present facts about 
 the merchandise offered in such a clear, straightforward way 
 that they will gain the reader's interest and confidence and induce 
 him to send in his order. 
 
 The three kinds of commercial catalogs : 
 
 1. The mail order catalog, designed to reach the consumer, is 
 abundantly illustrated, contains full descriptions of the articles 
 offered, numbering in some cases 150,000, quotes lowest prices, 
 and gives full directions for ordering and paying for the goods. 
 
 2. The wholesaler or jobber catalog, which is sent out by the 
 manufacturer, is confined to brief descriptions of the goods, a 
 list of sizes and prices, and the terms under which they are sold. 
 
 3. The retailer catalog, also distributed by the manufacturer, 
 and frequently by the wholesaler, contains, in addition to much 
 of the information presented in the wholesaler's catalog, a list 
 of selling points or arguments showing the superiority of his 
 goods over those offered by competitors; statements regarding the 
 profits to be derived from handling them; and a list of dealer 
 helps furnished, such as advertising cuts, window trims, cut-outs, 
 display cards, posters and other materials. 
 
 Catalogs in many cases are issued monthly and in others 
 only twice a year, in Fall and Spring. 
 H
 
 210 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Every Catalog or Booklet Should Have a Plan Behind It. 
 
 Next to letters, catalogs and booklets are the most intimate form 
 of advertising and therefore special care should be given to their 
 appearance and contents. A catalog is not hastily pitchforked 
 together, but is deliberately planned and executed. 
 
 Before the details of mechanical construction are taken up, 
 decision should be reached as to its character and purpose, the 
 style or method of presentation, and the class of people to whom 
 it is to be sent. Then comes the consideration of its physical 
 features the size, cover, paper, illustrations, type, use of colors 
 and the binding. If these things are determined beforehand 
 there will be no confusion and no misunderstanding on the part 
 of the printer as to what is required of him. It is just as neces- 
 sary for the advertisement writer to have a plan for the production 
 of a catalog as it is for the marine engineer to have a plan for the 
 ship he is about to construct. 
 
 Things to Be Considered. Most catalogs are not as volumi- 
 nous as they were years ago owing to the present high cost of 
 paper, engravings and printing, but what they have lost in bulk 
 they have gained in attractiveness and in pulling power by the 
 use of color. These are important factors in selling merchandise 
 through the printed word. The fact that national distributors 
 in their magazine and newspaper advertisements frequently 
 request readers to send for a booklet or catalog indicates that 
 they do not depend entirely upon periodical announcements to 
 market their goods. Technical advertisers especially rely upon 
 catalogs to make sales. In one respect a catalog is better than a 
 flesh and blood salesman it can illustrate an entire line and keep 
 it before the buyer indefinitely. In other words, it is a show room 
 as well as a salesman, a combination that is of great advantage in 
 selling merchandise in remote towns not covered by the regular 
 salesmen. 
 
 The Introduction. Every catalog should start off with a live 
 message from the advertiser to his customers or the prospects 
 who are to receive it. This should outline the policy of the house, 
 tell of its business methods, and give a general idea of the char- 
 acter of its products and its facilities of manufacture. Sometimes 
 it is well to say something about the personnel of the firm and
 
 SUGGESTIONS ON CATALOG MAKING 211 
 
 their experiences in developing the business in which they are 
 engaged. The introduction should not be a dry recital of facts, 
 but a statement that is full of human interest. It should make 
 the customer feel that in trading with the firm he is dealing with 
 real men and not with a thing that has neither soul nor feeling. 
 If written in the right spirit it will give to the pages that follow 
 added interest and pulling power. 
 
 The Problem of Size. The first thing to be decided upon in 
 considering the physical aspect of the catalog is its size. It 
 should be large enough to comfortably accommodate all the text 
 matter and illustrations you can use to advantage and yet be 
 small enough to be easily handled. There are a few concerns 
 that, because of the number of their products especially in 
 hardware publish catalogs a foot thick and weighing 12 
 or 15 Ib. Recently, however, a tendency to issue several 
 catalogs, each devoted to a different kind or line of mer- 
 chandise, has been noticed. While the cost of production is 
 greater this is more than offset by the saving effected in their dis- 
 tribution. Many merchants carry only a single line of a manu- 
 facturer's products. Why go to the expense of mailing them a 
 catalog of 2,000 or 3,000 pages when one of 100 pages describ- 
 ing the goods in which they are interested, would meet all their 
 requirements? 
 
 Hitherto it has been somewhat difficult to select from the many 
 different sizes of catalogs the one that would best serve the 
 purpose of the advertiser. Both advertisers and printers have 
 long wished that the time might come when catalog sizes would 
 be standardized, because of the saving of time, cost and labor 
 that would follow. The first concerted attempt to bring this 
 about was made at a conference of representatives of the United 
 States Chamber of Commerce, the United States Department of 
 Commerce, the National Association of Purchasing Agents and 
 twenty-six engineering, printing, paper and allied associations, 
 held in Chicago in 1918. 
 
 Three standard sizes were recommended as a result of their 
 deliberations : 6 X 9, 7^ X 10% and 8X11 in. The 
 Purchasing Agents preferred a single size, 7^ X 10%, or its 
 half-size, saddle-stitched so that the catalog will lie flat. Its
 
 212 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 advantages are that it fits in a standard letter file and thus makes 
 possible a uniform filing and indexing system; it effects economy 
 in filing space and thus insures the instant availability of the 
 catalogs when wanted. This size page can be cut from standard 
 size sheets of paper without waste and can be folded on all makes 
 of folding machines. Eighty per cent, of the printing presses 
 now in use can economically print it in 16- and 32-page page- 
 forms. One of the largest catalog printers in the country has con- 
 centrated production on the 7^ X 10% size. 
 
 Selecting the Cover. The cover should be of heavier weight 
 and of more durable stock than the paper upon which the text 
 is printed. Its toughness and color should depend upon the 
 amount of handling the catalog is to receive. In trade catalogs 
 that are frequently consulted the cover should be dark in color 
 so as not to soil easily, and tough in texture so that it will with- 
 stand hard usage. Choose a cover that will be in keeping with 
 the business that is being advertised. The cover of a refrigerator 
 manufacturer's catalog that attracted much attention was a 
 light green; that of a water-heater and furnace manufacturer, 
 red and yellow. Dark browns, blues and grays are in demand for 
 machinery catalog covers. Jewelers use white and bright tints 
 while light gray is favored by schools and colleges. Excellent 
 cover color effects may also be secured through printing. 
 
 Kind of Paper to Use. For catalogs in which line cuts and 
 coarse screen halftones are used newspaper stock is employed, 
 but for those in which artistic typographical effects are sought 
 coated papers are necessary. There are several kinds of 
 finish high, medium and dull or semi-dull. The latter is much 
 easier to the eye than a high finish and takes a better impression. 
 All coated papers have a grain running lengthwise of the sheet 
 in the roll as it is manufactured. When cut into sheets care 
 should be taken in printing to have the grain so run that, when 
 folded, they will not crack. 
 
 The Different Finishes of Paper Are Machine Finish, Super- 
 calendered, Coated, Plated and English Finish. The machine 
 finish is produced by the steel rolls through which the paper runs 
 in the course of manufacture. Super-calendered finish is given 
 by passing the paper at high speed between steel rolls under
 
 SUGGESTIONS ON CATALOG MAKING 213 
 
 heavy pressure. Coated paper is paper to which a thin layer of 
 white clay has been applied to give it body and an extra-smooth 
 surface. Plated paper has a surface somewhat similar to that 
 of super-calendered paper, produced by pressing it between steel 
 plates or rolls. English finish is given by introducing a small 
 amount of clay into the paper pulp during the process of 
 manufacture instead of adding it to the surface after it is 
 made. 
 
 It should be borne in mind in selecting paper of any class that 
 there are many different grades and weights of that class produced 
 by the many different mills. Unless you are careful you may 
 find when you come to print your catalog that the paper instead 
 of being clean and clear is muddy and dirty, although the finish 
 and weight are exactly what you ordered. 
 
 Type. What kind of type shall we use in printing the catalog? 
 It depends largely upon the nature of the product. Quality 
 may be indicated by the type faces used. 
 
 Experts say that Caslon Old Style stands supreme as a good 
 readable type and that it is as popular to-day as when first cast 
 many years ago. Some type faces, while artistic in outline, are 
 not easily readable or pleasing when used in combination with 
 cuts except when they have been modernized. The body type 
 faces in common use in catalog printing, in addition to Caslon, 
 are French, Century and Roman Old Style, Old Style Antique, 
 Cheltenham, Bodoni, Modern Roman and Scotch. Type faces 
 generally used for display purposes include Jensen, Delia Robia, 
 Cheltenham Bold, Bookman, Post Old Style and Bewick Roman. 
 
 Lines set in capital letters need more leading than those set in 
 lower case or small letters. It has been found by experiment 
 that the length of line easiest to read is 2% in. It can be 
 read at the rate of Q^Q words per second. A very short line, 
 singularly enough, is as hard to read as a very long line. Black 
 letters on a white background form the best combination in 
 printing provided the paper is not high-finished, coated stock. 
 
 The size of the type should be in proportion to the size of the 
 catalog page. Ten-point is recommended for the ordinary size 
 page, although 12- and 14-point can be employed to advantage 
 when the page is 9 X 12 or larger.
 
 214 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Cuts and Illustrations. In order to secure the best results in 
 the reproduction of illustrations the cuts or plates must be made 
 with due regard for the work they are expected to do. The two 
 most popular kinds are line cuts and halftones. The use of wood 
 cuts, once in favor with catalog makers, is a fast dying one. The 
 character of the cuts depends upon the kind and quality of the 
 paper to be used in printing. It is therefore highly important 
 in ordering them from the engraver that he be furnished these facts 
 in order that he may produce the right kind of plates. High- 
 grade line cuts which are almost etchings in effect are more 
 applicable to high-quality advertising than the ordinary half- 
 tone. In technical advertising halftones are preferable. 
 
 The proper screen for halftones when a dull paper is to be used 
 is 133 lines to the inch and for coated stock from 150 to 175 
 lines. As we already know, a screen is a sheet of glass upon 
 which parallel lines are drawn at right angles to each other, the 
 fineness of the screen depending upon the number of lines to the 
 inch. These lines break up the surface into dots. On the 
 negatives the shadow dots are sometimes allowed to run a little 
 larger than for ordinary work, according to the ability of the 
 paper to take care of the spreading of the ink. The larger dots 
 in the high lights permit of deeper etching. Because of the 
 absorbent qualities of the paper and the pressure required to get 
 a good impression the plates have a tendency to flatten out unless 
 they are treated in this way. If you want a good job of printing 
 do not use old and new cuts together on the same page. The 
 old cuts, being worn, will not show up as well as the new. 
 
 Binding. Up to 80 pages, the stock being on the basis of 25 
 X 38-80, the catalog should be saddle-stitched, with two wires 
 through the cover, trimmed flush. If 7 X 10 in. in size, 
 three wires will give additional strength. The cover, which 
 should be tough, but not too thick or of too hard a finish, should 
 be sufficiently porous to take the glue. If the stock is heavy it 
 should be scored so that it will crease properly and not break 
 away so readily when glued to the book. No catalog over 1 
 in. in thickness should be wired. Catalogs that are to be 
 handled much should be hand- or saddle-stitched so that they 
 will lie flat when opened.
 
 SUGGESTIONS ON CATALOG MAKING 215 
 
 Distribution. Catalogs run into money very fast. There- 
 fore they should not be sent out indiscriminately. See that your 
 mailing list is kept up-to-date and contains no "dead" names. 
 There is a certain waste that cannot be avoided, especially when 
 an advertiser offers to mail a catalog on request. Many persons 
 who have not the slightest intention of buying will write in for 
 copies. The sales department of one of the best known auto- 
 mobile concerns in America once received a request for a catalog 
 written on the crested letterhead of an exclusive coast hotel. 
 In an effort to further interest the prospect several letters were 
 written to him, but they elicited no response. Finally the 
 manager of the branch office nearest the place where the hotel 
 was located was instructed to call upon the writer. 
 
 Visions of the sale of a $4,000 car flitted through the agent's 
 mind as he made the forty-mile trip. When he arrived at the 
 fashionable hostelry and asked that his card be taken to the 
 room of the guest whose name was signed to the request for 
 the catalog, he was told that no one of that name was stopping at 
 the hotel. The automobile agent insisted that he must be there. 
 The clerk thought a moment and then suddenly exclaimed, 
 "Sure he's here! He is the head bell-hop." They went to the 
 boy's room, where they found enough automobile catalogs to 
 fill a bushel basket, not one of which cost less than 40 cents, and 
 several as much as $3. 
 
 Export Catalogs. Now that the United States, as a result of 
 the great war, is actively engaged in foreign trade, catalogs 
 are being largely depended upon to carry the business messages 
 of our manufacturers and merchants to foreign countries. In 
 preparing catalogs for distribution among people whose language, 
 customs and traditions differ materially from our own, certain 
 things must be taken into consideration. 
 
 Catalogs Should be Printed in the Language in General Use in the 
 Country to Which They Are to Be Sent. Hundreds of thousands 
 of dollars have been wasted by the United States exporters on 
 catalogs printed in English and circulated in South America 
 where Spanish and Portuguese are the only languages spoken 
 by more than 90 per cent, of the population. Don't send catalogs 
 in English to any of your foreign customers unless you know they
 
 216 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 understand that language. If you wish to do business in Brazil 
 your catalog must be printed in Portuguese; if in Argentine 
 and other countries of South America, in Spanish. Another 
 point to be remembered is that you should avoid the use of 
 American slang or colloquial expressions. 
 
 In describing your goods give full details leave nothing to the 
 imagination. Remember that the buyer may be unfamiliar 
 with the product you are selling or he may never have purchased 
 merchandise in the United States. He wants to know all he 
 can about your firm, your goods and your method of doing busi- 
 ness. Make everything so plain that requests for further infor- 
 mation by letter or cable will be unnecessary. 
 
 In Giving Weights and Measures Use the System in Vogue in 
 the Country in Which the Catalog is to Be Circulated. The Metric 
 System is in general use in Latin America, France, Spain and 
 many other countries. It is not advisable to print prices except 
 when the catalog is to be distributed among consumers. Better 
 print the price list on a separate sheet. 
 
 Make Your Catalog Durable. Cheap paper, flimsy covers, 
 poor printing and careless binding are a poor investment in 
 angling for export trade. If it falls into the hands of a good 
 prospect or is received by a customer it will be constantly used 
 and consulted, and therefore should be so well built that it will not 
 fall apart after it has been consulted once or twice. 
 
 Use Illustrations Freely, but See to It that They Do Not Misrepre- 
 sent the Goods. Lying pictures will destroy confidence as quickly 
 as lying text. If you can put local color into your illustration 
 you wiU greatly enhance the value of their appeal to your for- 
 eign audience. When you have an English catalog translated into 
 another language have the work done by a person who is thor- 
 oughly conversant with business terms and practices in both 
 countries. Several New York exporters who cater to South 
 American trade have their translations made in Rio Janiero, 
 Buenos Aires or Santiago because of the superior quality of the 
 work done by native translators. You can secure the addresses 
 of reliable translators here or abroad by writing to the editor 
 of any one of the leading export publications.
 
 SUGGESTIONS ON CATALOG MAKING 217 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. For what purposes are catalogs used? 
 
 2. In what respect should a catalog reflect the character of the advertiser? 
 
 3. Name the three kinds of catalogs. 
 
 4. What points should be determined before the actual work of con- 
 structing the catalog is begun? 
 
 6. In what respect is a catalog better than a salesman? 
 
 6. What should be the character of the introduction? 
 
 7. What three standard catalog sizes have been adopted? 
 
 8. What things should be considered in selecting the stock for a cover? 
 
 9. Name the different finishes of paper. 
 
 10. Name some of the type faces used in catalog printing. 
 
 11. What length of line is easiest to read? 
 
 12. Wliat size of type is recommended for the ordinary size page? 
 
 13. When cuts are ordered of the photo-engraver why should he be in- 
 formed as to the character of the paper to be used? 
 
 14. When should a catalog be hand-stitched? When wire-stitched? 
 
 15. In distributing catalogs what precautions should be taken to prevent 
 waste? 
 
 16. Give several practical suggestions for the preparation of export 
 catalogs. 
 
 17. In what language should a catalog be printed that is to be distributed 
 in Brazil? In Argentina?
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 THE MISSION OF THE BOOKLET 
 
 A booklet has been defined as "a salesman traveling by mail." 
 Some of the suggestions made in the preceding chapter con- 
 cerning the selection of paper, covers, and type dress for a 
 catalog, apply with equal force to a booklet. In the catalog, 
 as we have already seen, we deal with classified information 
 price lists, simple or technical descriptions of many articles of 
 merchandise, with accompanying illustrations that usually 
 bulks large and is frequently referred to by those who are in- 
 terested in its contents. 
 
 In the booklet, on the other hand, we present arguments in 
 favor of the articles or services offered and give reasons why they 
 should be purchased. We go more into details than is possible 
 in newspaper or magazine advertisements. Often booklets 
 contain entertaining stories about the firm and its manufacturing 
 processes, statements about its policies, the distribution of its 
 goods, and such other matters as would appeal to the public 
 who buy, or the retailers who sell its products. 
 
 "Reason, sunlit with imagination, should characterize the ideal 
 booklet," says an advertisement writer. "Put a little of the 
 pink flesh of imagination on the dry bones of logic. " Argument 
 will sell golf balls to a golf player, but not to other people. If 
 you want to influence the latter you must appeal to their imagina- 
 tion through pictures of scenes on the golf links and descriptions 
 of the pleasures and benefits to be derived from the game. 
 
 In Writing a Booklet the Story Form of Presentation Will Be 
 Found Particularly Effective. People like to read stories, what- 
 ever the subject, if they are well told and have a human interest. 
 Men and women are only grown-up children. In their kinder- 
 garten days they were taught many important facts about the 
 animal and vegetable worlds by means of stories related by their 
 
 218
 
 THE MISSION OF THE BOOKLET 219 
 
 teachers or parents. In their mature years they are still sus- 
 ceptible to this kind of instruction, but insist that the matter 
 presented shall be of sufficient importance to be worthy of their 
 attention. When you write a business story be sure you stick to 
 facts. It's so easy to exaggerate and misrepresent in order to 
 make the narrative grip the reader that unless you are constantly 
 on your guard you will find yourself spinning Munchausen tales 
 that no one will believe. 
 
 Avoid the Commonplace. Don't follow a bell-wether. Be 
 original don't "crib" other people's work. We all use practic- 
 ally the same words but we have a chance to show our origi- 
 nality and ability in the way we combine them. A booklet 
 should be entertaining as well as instructive. If it lacks 
 spontaneity, life, and a purpose it will not make a favorable 
 impression. 
 
 Booklet Sizes. The size of a booklet has much to do with its 
 attractiveness. While booklets are still made in many shapes 
 and sizes, advertisers who have been most successful in their use 
 favor the smaller, standard sizes those that will fit the pocket. 
 They are handy to hold and are convenient to read in the street 
 cars or while waiting for an interview or for a train. A large 
 proportion of those put out by leading manufacturers are 33^ 
 X 634 in. and will exactly fit a 6^ envelope. 
 
 Large booklets are hard to handle, take up space and can only 
 be read to advantage when spread out on a desk or table. More- 
 over, they are difficult to file. They cannot be folded without 
 spoiling their appearance. Sometimes it is necessary to make 
 the booklet large for the sake of impressiveness or to accommo- 
 date large cuts and diagrams. 
 
 The proportion of a booklet should be carefully considered. 
 It is possible to make a mistake in such a simple geometrical 
 figure as an oblong. One man will lay it out in such a manner 
 that it will be graceful in its proportions while another will 
 produce a booklet that is ungainly. The nature of the product 
 to be advertised may be suggested by its shape. For instance, 
 a line of imported parasols or expensive hosiery would suggest 
 a long, slim, booklet while cement blocks or machinery would 
 require one that is nearly square.
 
 220 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Coated and Highly Calendered Paper Should Be Sparingly 
 Used. The shiny surface is not grateful to the eye as it furnishes 
 a trying background to the printed page. The glaring effect 
 of the paper upon the eyes makes the type hard to read. The 
 best thing in its favor is that it brings out the details of fine half- 
 tone plates better than any other kind of paper. 
 
 When the greater part of the space is occupied by text matter 
 the most satisfactory typographical results may be secured by 
 the use of dull-finished, hand-made, or machine-made paper 
 that imitates hand-made, or even a good book stock, if cheapness 
 is to be considered. On this kind of paper zinc engravings, 
 instead of halftones, can be employed to advantage. It is well 
 to remember that the illustrated booklet tells no more and no less 
 than the advertiser wants to make known. 
 
 The Booklet Should Be Inviting in Appearance. Its appeal 
 may be based on two things its purpose as indicated by the 
 title and its intent as shown by the arrangement. A lot of money 
 is wasted on fancy designs for the front cover page. If a suffi- 
 cient amount of thought is given to the title it should be possible 
 for the advertiser to write a line or a sentence that will literally 
 compel the person who receives the booklet to open and read it. 
 "There's Treasure Within," "How to Save Money," "How to 
 Double Your Income," and "A Short Cut to Wealth" are titles 
 of this character. 
 
 Arranging the Type. Type matter should not be placed in 
 the center of the page, but above it, and nearer the fold than to 
 the opposite edge. This arrangement places the widest margin 
 at the bottom of the page and the narrowest next to the fold. 
 The old-time bookbinder laid out the page in this way to 
 allow convenient space for making notes on the margins 
 and while note-making is no longer in vogue the practice is 
 continued for the reason that it produces a much better look- 
 ing page. 
 
 When the page is not broken up by illustrations, subheads 
 should be used unless it is quite small in size. There are two 
 kinds of subheads one, the centered horizontal line, set in small 
 caps, and the other, the indented. The former best serves its 
 purpose in large booklets and the latter in the smaller ones.
 
 THE MISSION OF THE BOOKLET 
 
 221 
 
 <s$ 
 
 A group of booklets showing a wide variety of treatment in cover designs and 
 titles. In some cases illustrations are introduced to advantage.
 
 222 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Subheads should not be placed above the text at the top of the 
 page or below it at the bottom. 
 
 The employment of large initial letters at the beginning of a 
 booklet or in the introductory paragraph of a section gives an 
 attractive appearance to the page. Cheltenham and Scotch 
 Roman type are well adapted for this purpose. Fancy, specially 
 designed initial letters are frequently employed in the more 
 expensive booklets to carry out the idea of exclusiveness or class. 
 
 Concerning Illustrations. In selecting booklet illustrations 
 you should keep in mind these three requirements: First, a 
 picture should truthfully and graphically represent the advertised 
 article; second, it should, if possible, show the article in use; and 
 third, it should be artistic and pleasing unless it is technical in 
 character. In short, the illustration should represent the article 
 so convincingly that the reader of the booklet will be seized with 
 a desire to possess it at once. 
 
 Cost of Booklets. Booklets of a pretentious kind are ex- 
 pensive. Those issued by several automobile companies cost 
 $5 apiece and upward. Ordinary booklets run from 10 or 
 15 cents to $1. Therefore you should carefully estimate the 
 number you can use to advantage and order accordingly. It is 
 safer to get out larger editions of booklets having a permanent 
 value than of those that only serve a temporary purpose. For 
 example, a booklet devoted to the history of a business can be 
 distributed to advantage for a long time, while one describing a 
 novelty that is the season's vogue has little or. no value the 
 following year. 
 
 Folders and Their Uses. Folders are sheets of paper so cut 
 that when folded they resemble a booklet in appearance, are 
 convenient to carry in the pocket and can be mailed in standard 
 sized envelopes. Because they are less expensive than book- 
 lets they are more extensively employed in advertising campaigns. 
 Some advertisers have found them more productive of business 
 than letters. Folders are employed to develop and retain 
 trade; to keep alive interest in the store or the product; to furnish 
 information to travelers regarding railroads and steamship lines; 
 to show, through pictures, how a device or machine is operated; 
 to call attention to special sales, etc.
 
 THE MISSION OF THE BOOKLET 223 
 
 If the text is arranged in page form each page should form a 
 complete unit by itself in other words, the type matter should 
 not break over from one page to another. The copy should be 
 chatty in style except when tabulated matter is presented. Use 
 pictures on the inside of the folder and a catch-line on the outside. 
 The title should be such as to arouse curiosity, as, for example, 
 "This Is The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of." 
 
 Sometimes a post card is made a part of the folder for the 
 convenience of the reader in ordering goods or in sending a request 
 for a booklet or further information. 
 
 Persistence is essential to success in getting business through 
 folders. When a Pittsburgh collection agency started its career 
 it relied upon folders to obtain clients. Twice a week for several 
 years these trade messengers were sent out to a list of prospects. 
 A curious thing about its experience was that although its busi- 
 ness rapidly increased year after year, direct results from the 
 folders were hard to trace. When the manager one day figured 
 out how much the direct inquiries he received cost and found it 
 was $50 each, he threw up his hands, but kept on advertising. 
 To-day the agency has over 2,000 clients and is one of the 
 largest collection agencies in the world. 
 
 The results from the use of folders are liable to be disappointing 
 to new advertisers for they are sometimes felt rather than seen. 
 The fact that progressive firms doing a large business continue 
 to employ them in their advertising campaigns is proof that they 
 are satisfied with the service they perform. Folders are one of 
 the cheapest advertising mediums that can be used. Quite an 
 effective campaign, consisting of 12 pieces of copy, mailed 
 at the rate of two pieces a month for 6 months to 2,000 persons, 
 can be carried on for $3,000. As one folder has been known to 
 bring in a single order that paid the entire expense of its produc- 
 tion, there is always a gambling chance that the next folder you 
 send out may put you in touch with customers whose purchases 
 will amount to many thousands of dollars. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What is a booklet? 
 
 2. What advantages does it have over a newspaper or magazine ad- 
 vertisement?
 
 224 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 3. Why is the story form of presentation effective? 
 
 4. What is a favorite size for a booklet? 
 
 5. Why should highly calendered paper be sparingly used? 
 
 6. What is the rule for the arrangement of the margins surrounding the 
 type page? 
 
 7. When should subheads be employed? 
 
 8. What are the three requirements in the selection of booklet illustra- 
 tions? 
 
 9. Give some idea as to the cost of booklets. 
 
 10. What are folders and for what purposes are they used? 
 
 11. Give the experience of a Pittsburgh collection agency hi building up 
 its business through the employment of folders. 
 
 12. About what will it cost to send twelve pieces of copy to a list of 2,000 
 people? 
 
 13. Prepare layout and copy for a twelve page booklet of Regal Shoes. 
 (You can secure the material from one of the company's retail stores or 
 from its published advertisements.)
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 USEFULNESS OF HOUSE ORGANS 
 
 What is a house organ? A house organ is a magazine or 
 bulletin issued by a person, firm, corporation or organization to 
 dealers, customers, employees or members for the purpose of promot- 
 ing good will, increasing sales, inducing better salesmanship or de- 
 veloping greater profits. The public knows less about this medium 
 than some of the others because little is said or written about it 
 by advertising men. And yet its value is recognized by many 
 of the foremost commercial and industrial concerns. Eighteen 
 hundred house organs are published annually in the United 
 States and Canada at an estimated cost of $7,500,000. One, the 
 Metropolitan, issued by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Com- 
 pany, of New York, for its agents and policy holders, has the 
 largest circulation of any periodical in the world 5,000,000 
 copies. The oldest house organ is the Fall River Line Journal 
 which has been issued since May 15, 1879. Printers' Ink was 
 started by George P. Rowell in 1888 as a house organ for his 
 advertising agency. System, the magazine of business, began life 
 as the house organ of a filing cabinet manufacturer. 
 
 How Classified. House organs may be classified under four 
 heads : 
 
 1. Those issued for jobbers and retailers. 
 
 2. For consumers or users. 
 
 3. For agents, salesmen and other employees either at home 
 or in the field. They vary in size, weight and appearance, and 
 are printed on a fine quality of paper. Their covers are, in 
 many instances, especially designed by high-priced artists and 
 are printed in several colors. In physical appearance some 
 compare favorably with the best literary magazines. 
 
 4. For members of fraternal, social, religious and other 
 associations. 
 
 15 225
 
 226 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Popular Sizes. The two sizes of house organs that have 
 found the greatest favor are 7 X 10 and 4^ X 6 in., the former 
 being known as the "magazine" size, and the latter as the 
 "pocket" size. The number of pages varies, being in multiples 
 of 4 as 8 pages, 16, 24 and 32. Twelve- and 20-page papers 
 are not economical on account of the extra expense involved in 
 cutting and folding the sheets upon which they are printed. If 
 halftones are used, coated, enameled or dull-finished stock gives 
 the most satisfactory results. The proper size of sheets for the 
 magazine-size page is 28 X 42, the weight, 60, 80, 100, and 120 
 lb., depending upon the number of pages and the postage limit. 
 If you want to limit the postage to 1 cent a copy for a 16-page 
 publication, 80- or 100-lb. paper should be selected. 
 
 Who Are the Publishers of House Organs? They are manu- 
 facturers who employ them to reach the jobbers or retailers 
 who already handle their products, or prospects whom they 
 desire to convert into customers, and, to a limited degree, the 
 consumer. The house organ is also used to develop esprit de 
 corps, loyalty, cooperation and good will among employees or 
 agents. Its aim, generally speaking, is to bring those to whom 
 it is addressed into a closer and more friendly business relationship. 
 The house organ is issued in various forms. Sometimes it is a 
 newspaper printed on newsprint stock with illustrations and 
 headings like those of a daily or weekly journal. Sometimes 
 it is a bulletin, a single- or double-page sheet. Or it appears as a 
 blotter, in which case the reading-matter is confined to a few items. 
 The Travis Milk Bottle, of Clarksburg, W. Va., takes the novel 
 shape of a milk bottle. The most popular sizes, of course, are 
 the magazine and the pocket, already described. 
 
 The House Organ Is the Printed Message of the House to Those 
 Whose Cooperation Is Desired. It contains news of the person- 
 nel of the organization; it gives details of policy, of management, 
 of changes in prices and of new territory opened up. It paves 
 the way for the salesmen out in the field by acquainting the 
 retailer, in advance of their coming, with the character and 
 quality of the goods they have to offer and the standing of the 
 house that makes them. When they call on the jobber or retailer
 
 USEFULNESS OF HOUSE ORGANS 
 
 227 
 
 A group of representative house organs. Note the wide variety of treatment 
 of their cover pages. The Metropolitan is said to have the largest circulation of 
 any periodical in the world 5,000,000 copies.
 
 228 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 prospect they do not have to spend several hours in describing 
 the house they represent or the goods they sell. Many house 
 organs are educational in character and aim to teach merchants 
 and clerks better business methods and higher standards of 
 efficiency. 
 
 House organs are also employed by retailers as an intimate 
 medium of communication between them and their customers. 
 In such mediums they can give details about their goods that 
 would be impracticable in other mediums because of the cost. 
 They present the news of the store, tell of new supplies of 
 merchandise received, new departments established, and new 
 clerks employed, and give reports of entertainments and other 
 functions. 
 
 House Organs as Advertising Mediums. The value of the 
 house organ lies in its directness and its automatic, relentless 
 repetition. It drops into the hands of the reader regularly and 
 systematically. The latter may not at first pay much attention 
 to its contents or be influenced by it, but if the magazine is well 
 edited, as it must be to achieve success, and contains bright, 
 snappy articles relating to the house and its products, judiciously 
 interspersed with others written in a lighter and interesting 
 vein, he will soon fall under the spell of its influence. The 
 Willys-Overland Company declares that its house organ is "the 
 most direct form of advertising we know of." 
 
 A singular thing about house organs is that although the 
 most successful make no special effort to produce sales, they are, 
 in many instances, remarkably effective in bringing in business. 
 A well-known machine company traced sales amounting to 
 $18,000 in one year, and to $76,753 the next, directly to the 
 influence of its house organ. 
 
 In the case of a New York manufacturer of railway supplies, 
 the first year after he established a house organ his sales jumped 
 130 per cent, over those of the preceding year. Three years 
 later the increase was 250 per cent. 
 
 The Miller Sawtrimiter paid its way from the first issue. 
 The second number, in the five days following the date of its 
 first publication, produced $20,000 worth of orders. 
 
 Six years after an Eastern manufacturer had established him-
 
 USEFULNESS OF HOUSE ORGANS 229 
 
 self in business he decided to start a house organ. At the end 
 of another six years he had developed a $5,000,000 demand for 
 his product. The only advertising support he gave his salesmen 
 was that afforded by the house organ. The latter found they 
 could cover more ground at less cost than formerly, and sell 
 more goods. 
 
 Another firm discovered that its house organ had produced a 
 volume of new business equivalent to the efforts of its six expert 
 salesmen at the cost of one. Moreover, its salesmen were able 
 to call on dealers more frequently and thus keep constantly 
 alive their interest in the firm and in the line of goods handled. 
 
 Robert E. Ramsay, author of "Effective House Organs," cites 
 the case of the Houghton Line, published by E. F. Houghton 
 & Company of Philadelphia, which in nine years quadrupled the 
 company's business and reduced the cost of obtaining inquiries 
 through advertising by 90 per cent. 
 
 George Frederick Wilson in his book, "The House Organ: 
 How to Make It Produce Results, " cites the case of a manu- 
 facturer of railroad equipment who sold eight passenger cars, 
 one baggage car and five snow ploughs directly through a single 
 issue of his house organ. He also tells of a shoe manufacturer 
 who enclosed an order blank in one issue of his house organ 
 which in 30 days brought $60,000 worth of orders. The Trenton 
 Potteries Company printed in its house organ, which had a 
 circulation of 10,000, a notice of a new catalog it had just issued, 
 and received 1,000 requests for copies. 
 
 A concern manufacturing motors increased its business 113 
 per cent, after five issues of its house organ had been distributed. 
 Immediately following the appearance of the several numbers 
 the entire normal output of its factory for the remainder of 
 that year and the year following was sold. A large addition to 
 the plant had to be made to keep up with the demand that had 
 been created by the house organ. 
 
 The Globe Machine & Stamping Company, of Cleveland, 
 manufacturers of tumble barrels and automobile parts, in 1906 
 established a house organ called The Silent Partner, because 
 it had become convinced that however profitable trade paper 
 advertising might be to other concerns it was not paying the
 
 230 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 company. The magazine was printed on antique book paper, 
 24 pages to an issue, the cover being of a different color each 
 month. It was received with such favor that several thousand 
 people now pay $1 a year to have the publication sent to them. 
 Seven-eighths of the names on its mailing list are those of execu- 
 tives of some of the largest business concerns. It accepts no 
 outside advertising and restricts its own advertising to a few 
 pages. The Silent Partner has none of the earmarks of a 
 trade paper; in fact, the aim of the company is to keep it as far 
 away from the trade paper field as possible. 
 
 A house organ that is well known in all parts of the country is 
 Buck's Shot, issued by the Buck Stove & Range Company of 
 St. Louis. It is an excellent publication and is read with eager 
 interest by nearly every stove retailer in the country. 
 
 The Sherwin Williams Paint Company issues five different 
 house organs The S. W. P., The Home Decorator, The 
 Colorist, The Chameleon, and The Spectrum, one for the dealer, 
 one for the consumer, one for the architect, one for the painter 
 and one for the salesman. This we believe, is the largest 
 number published in the interest of a single manufacturer. 
 
 The Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company spends 
 $40,000 a year on its house organ and considers it a good invest- 
 ment. The Burroughs Clearing House, issued by the Burroughs 
 Adding Machine Company, has a circulation of 50,000 copies a 
 month and is considered an invaluable aid to the company's 
 business. 
 
 If a house organ is fortunate enough to attain any consider- 
 able measure of success, the publisher, when he sees the cost of pro- 
 duction mounting upward, is tempted to seek outside advertising 
 for its columns in order to reduce expenses. Such a course 
 would seem desirable but experience shows that it is not always 
 wise to solicit advertising for a house organ in competition with 
 the trade press. The house organ's principal object is to further 
 the interest of a single firm, while that of the trade paper is to 
 serve the interests of all who are engaged in the business it 
 represents. Hence, the trade paper has a stronger claim for 
 support from manufacturers and others in its field. When a
 
 USEFULNESS OF HOUSE ORGANS 231 
 
 national distributor is approached for an advertising contract 
 by solicitors representing these two mediums, nine times out of 
 ten he will choose the trade paper rather than the house organ, 
 on the ground that his chances for increasing his sales are greater 
 in a publication devoted to the entire industry rather than in 
 one whose principal purpose is to further the interests of a single 
 firm engaged in that industry. 
 
 The chief objection to the publication of advertisements of 
 other concerns in a house organ is not, however, the competition 
 of trade papers or the tendency of general advertisers to regard 
 requests for advertisements for a house organ as a "hold-up," 
 but rather that every outside advertisement printed in it ab- 
 sorbs a portion of the reader's attention and therefore lessens the 
 amount he would otherwise give to the firm's own message. 
 
 Therefore it would seem to be a good business proposition for 
 publishers to exclude from the pages of their house organs all 
 outside advertisements. Otherwise' they will soon find that 
 their house organs have lost their individuality and become trade 
 publications. The reason why you issue a house organ is that it 
 may serve as your personal messenger to those whom you desire 
 to influence favorably, those whose cooperation and support 
 you are anxious to enlist. When you open your columns to 
 other advertisers, even though they may not be competitors, 
 you proportionately weaken the strength of your own appeal. 
 
 The importance of placing a competent editor in charge of your 
 house organ cannot be overemphasized. Don't entrust the 
 work to an overburdened clerk or a busy executive and expect 
 it to succeed. If you have in your employ a man who you 
 think is competent to fill the position, give him all the time and 
 help he needs and let him alone. If he fails, get someone 
 else. Whoever he is, he should have a nose for news, possess a 
 sense of humor, and have a good knowledge of the house and 
 its business. 
 
 If you have no one in your employ who can edit your publica- 
 tion you can make arrangements with any one of several con- 
 cerns that make a specialty of issuing house organs for 
 manufacturers or other business concerns, to bring out the 
 magazine for you.
 
 232 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. For what purposes are house organs issued? 
 
 2. Name the oldest house organ and the one having the largest circu- 
 lation. 
 
 3. How are house organs classified? 
 
 4. What are the popular sizes? 
 
 6. Give a comprehensive definition of a house organ. 
 
 6. State the experience of several concerns that have been successful in 
 employing house organs. 
 
 7. Wherein does their value lie? 
 
 8. Name a house organ that sells for $1 a year. 
 
 8. What manufacturer issues five different house organs? 
 
 9. Why should the advertising of outside concerns, as a rule, be excluded ? 
 
 10. What would be an appropriate name for a house organ published by 
 a shoe manufacturer for circulation among retailers? 
 
 11. Prepare a dummy for a 16-page house organ devoted to the employees 
 of a large electric light company.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES 
 
 An advertising medium that is rarely ever discussed at ad- 
 vertising club meetings or advertising association conventions 
 but which, nevertheless, is extensively used by commercial con- 
 cerns, are those advertising specialties which may be described as 
 "articles of utility used to carry an advertising message." 
 
 The importance of this medium is indicated by the fact that 
 $30,000,000 a year are invested in specialties which include an 
 infinite variety of articles ranging from corkscrews to balloons 
 and from buttons to cut-out window displays. They are made 
 of wood, glass, paper, metal, leather, textiles and celluloid, and 
 range in price from a few cents to $5, and even $10 dollars each. 
 There are specialties for every kind of business under the sun. 
 They are used to advertise banks, locomotive works and life 
 insurance companies, as well as cigars, groceries and patent 
 medicines. 
 
 Specialties were first employed for advertising purposes in 
 1870, the earliest being a coin purse, a cigar case and a comb- 
 holder all made of leather. This material, because of its 
 adaptability to many purposes, has been one of the most popular 
 among advertisers. A list of articles made of leather that are 
 used for advertising purposes would fill a page of this book. 
 The number of specialty manufacturers in the United States is 
 between 500 and 600. Of these, 200 belong to the National 
 Association of Advertising Specialty Manufacturers which has 
 its headquarters in Chicago. Six of them individually do an 
 annual business of $1,000,000 or more. Three thousand sales- 
 men are employed, then- average pay being from $35 to $50 a 
 week. A few experts earn from $15,000 to $25,000 a year. Sell- 
 ing specialties is an attractive occupation and offers excellent 
 opportunities to ambitious young men who are good salesmen. 
 
 233
 
 234 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Among the questions that naturally suggest themselves in the 
 study of this medium are these: How does the appeal of special- 
 ties differ from that of the newspapers and magazines? In what 
 ways do they influence people? Are they instrumental in 
 making sales? 
 
 In Order to Know Why Advertising Specialties Are Effective 
 We Must Understand Human Nature. The fact that people 
 may be influenced by gifts was known in the earliest days of 
 civilization. The pages of history contain innumerable instances 
 in which presents were made to win the favor of those in authority 
 or to express gratitude for services rendered. People are so 
 constituted that gifts appeal to them. To get something for 
 nothing is the desire of a majority of the human race. While 
 presents of any kind are acceptable, provided they are appro- 
 priate in character and are given in a way that is void of offense, 
 those that have a utilitarian value are the more highly prized. 
 
 If You Want to Make a Favorable Impression upon the Average 
 Man, Bestow upon Him an Article that Will Contribute to His 
 Comfort, or Make His Work Easier, or That Will Add to His 
 Enjoyment of Life. It must not be cheap in appearance and 
 should be useful, otherwise after a few days it will be given to 
 the office boy or thrown in the waste basket. Business men will 
 not clutter up their desks with a lot of folderols. They would 
 never buy such things themselves and do not want them around. 
 Articles that serve a purpose are always acceptable. It may be 
 an ash receiver, a pocket cigar lighter, or a match safe; a pair of 
 shears, a ruler, a set of calendar blotters; or it may be a pocket 
 knife, a cigar holder, a bill fold, a coin purse or a pack of playing 
 cards. 
 
 When a manufacturer distributes an advertising specialty 
 among his friends or prospective customers he does not expect 
 that it will perform the same service as a display advertise- 
 ment in a newspaper or magazine, for the only reading matter 
 that can be printed upon it, unless it is a wall calendar or any 
 other article having a large blank surface, will be the name and 
 location of his firm and that of the product or line of goods he is 
 marketing. Even if there is room for other inscriptions they 
 are usually omitted, because if more are used the article would
 
 ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES 235 
 
 have too much the appearance of an advertisement. In special- 
 ties the advertising must usually be subordinated to the article 
 itself, otherwise the purpose for which it is intended will be 
 defeated, as the person receiving it will be unwilling to carry it 
 around in his pocket or have it seen on his desk. The more 
 unobtrusive the advertising message, the greater will be his 
 readiness to accept and make use of it. 
 
 // the Direct Object of the Advertising Specialty Is Not to Sett 
 Goods, What Valuable Service Does It Render? Perhaps the most 
 important of its several uses are to create good will and supple- 
 ment educational advertising in newspapers, magazines, catalogs 
 and other direct-by-mail mediums. When a dealer receives 
 from a manufacturer an advertising gift that is attractive in 
 appearance and that he can use he is grateful to the sender. 
 This mental attitude makes him predisposed to entertain favor- 
 ably any business proposition that may afterward be made to 
 him by the manufacturer through letters or salesmen. If he is 
 not at the time in the market for the article advertised, its name 
 and that of the producer become so impressed upon his mind that 
 when the need of it arises he will instinctively seek it from the 
 advertiser. 
 
 Specialties Are Helpful in Introducing Salesmen to Dealers. 
 When employed for this purpose they are sent to the dealer a 
 few days ahead of the salesman's call so that when the latter 
 arrives and presents his card the merchant will be much more 
 approachable and friendly than would ordinarily be the case 
 had the way not been prepared for him before he arrived. 
 Sometimes the salesman presents the specialty during his intro- 
 ductory call, which is usually devoted to making the acquaintance 
 of the dealer and not to securing an order from him. If the 
 advertising specialty and the salesman himself make a favorable 
 impression, the next time the latter makes the town he will have 
 a fair chance to interest the merchant in his goods. 
 
 Specialties Are Used to Express to the Dealer in an Unobtrusive 
 Way the Manufacturer's or Jobber's Appreciation of His Patronage. 
 Such articles are more expensive than those distributed by the 
 merchant among the patrons of his store. 
 
 When Possible the Specialty Should Be Appropriate to the Busi-
 
 236 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 ness of the Advertiser or to the Business or Occupation of the Recipi- 
 ent. For instance, Heinz, of the "57 Varieties" fame, adopted a 
 midget pickle as his trademark and gave away millions of them 
 to be worn by men as watch charms or as stick-pins. Procter & 
 Gamble have distributed countless numbers of toy miniature 
 bars of Ivory Soap made of white composition. Flour and baking 
 powder manufacturers present to housewives measuring cups, 
 biscuit cutters and rolling pins. The Curtis Publishing Com- 
 pany furnishes the newsboys who sell the Saturday Evening Post 
 all over the country well-made white cloth bags, upon which the 
 name of that publication is displayed in large black letters. 
 Tobacco manufacturers find that smokers are always glad to 
 receive cigar cases, cigar holders and pocket match boxes. 
 Clothing manufacturers and dealers give away coat hangers and 
 moth-proof bags in which to hang winter garments during the 
 summer months. Before prohibition went into effect the dis- 
 tillers of Gordon Gin presented metal cocktail shakers to their cus- 
 tomers. The Orange-Judd Company, publishers of agricultural 
 periodicals, for several years distributed canes at the Associated 
 Advertising Club conventions. 
 
 The International Harvester Company has given county and 
 state maps to farmers at county fairs to call attention to their gas 
 engines. When the Hartford Fire Insurance Campany cele- 
 brated its semi-centennial it presented to each of its 15,000 agents 
 a fine $4 gold pencil, suitably inscribed. Libby, McNeil & 
 Libby, the Chicago packers, have used enamelled stick-pins and 
 bronze metal watch fobs to advertise their products. The 
 Remington Typewriter Company has given three-color blotters 
 to buyers. Swift's Cottolene has been exploited by means of 
 enameled cuff buttons, fans and other specialties. 
 
 A manufacturer of food products consumed in the home selects 
 for distribution through the jobbers and grocers who handle them, 
 advertising specialties that will appeal to housewives because of 
 their usefulness. The list includes, among other articles, kitchen 
 reminders, egg-timers, wall match safes, calendars, wooden 
 spoons, lacquered trays, biscuit cutters, can and bottle openers, 
 cork screws, bottle stoppers, bundle handles, yard sticks, tape 
 measures, button hooks, pictures and novelty darners.
 
 ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES 237 
 
 Sometimes the appeal to parents is made by means of articles 
 that are for the amusement or instruction of the children, such 
 as alphabet blocks, Noah's Arks, ball bats, toys, games, books, 
 balloons, whistles, caps, book straps, bookmarks, foot rulers, 
 pencils, etc. 
 
 Advertising specialties may be employed to produce direct and 
 immediate sales, although, as we have already seen, they are 
 more frequently used to create good will and serve as reminders. 
 In selecting articles for this purpose they should be of such size 
 and shape as will permit the printing upon them of an advertising 
 message that will make people desire to buy the product. When, 
 a few years ago, Marshall Field & Company, of Chicago, estab- 
 lished an office furniture department in their store, they wanted, 
 as soon as possible, to bring it to the attention of 4,000 firms, 
 corporations and business men who might be interested in it. 
 The medium chosen was an artistic celluloid-backed blotter pad 
 containing three pieces of fine white blotting paper. The cellu- 
 loid back was beautifully decorated in lithographed colors and 
 bore a dignified announcement of the opening of the new depart- 
 ment. The letter with which it was enclosed contained an 
 invitation to the recipient to visit the store and inspect the office 
 furniture. The result of this direct form of advertising was 
 gratifying. Within a few weeks its new department was doing 
 a business that might ordinarily have taken months to develop. 
 
 Tom Murray, one of Chicago's best-known, because best- 
 advertised, outfitters for men, distributed thousands of celluloid 
 pocket mirrors, on the back of which his trademark a picture of 
 the back of his own head appeared. The inscriptions "Meet 
 Me Face to Face" and "The Other Side Not So Bad" made 
 people laugh. In commenting upon it Mr. Murray said, " When 
 they smile you have got their trade coming." 
 
 Banks and trust companies are among the largest users of 
 advertising specialties, their average investment being from 
 $3,000 to $5,000 a year each. A large part of their appropriation 
 for this medium is expended for calendars that are fine examples 
 of the lithographer's art. Other articles distributed by banks 
 are pocket diaries and memorandum books, desk calendar pads, 
 pencils, peoholders, pocket books, coin banks, and bill folds.
 
 238 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 How Specialties Are Distributed. Gifts employed for ad- 
 vertising purposes are distributed in various ways. They are 
 given out personally at business conventions, reunions, exposi- 
 tions, county fairs. They are sent by mail, by parcel post or 
 by express. They are sometimes packed with shipments of 
 goods. Salesmen deliver them when making the rounds of their 
 customers. It is not unusual for manufacturers or jobbers to 
 make a cooperative arrangement with the dealers under which 
 the expense of distribution is divided between them. Some- 
 times they are given as premiums for the return of a cer- 
 tain number of labels or coupons clipped from newspaper 
 advertisements. 
 
 The method of distribution should be selected with considerable 
 care in order to avoid unnecessary waste and expense. If the 
 article is to be sent by mail should it be under first- or third-class 
 postal rates? If the article is small and is to be accompanied by 
 a letter a sealed envelope bearing a 2-cent stamp is necessary. 
 Bulky articles should be sent by parcel post. Some concerns 
 send the specialties only upon receipt of a request from those 
 who have seen the offer made in periodical or newspaper ad- 
 vertisements. This method has much to recommend it from 
 an economical viewpoint although it is certain to be taken ad- 
 vantage of by persons who write out of curiosity rather than 
 because of any interest they may have in the advertised product. 
 Another way of effecting distribution is to ask people to call for 
 the specialty at the store where the merchandise is on sale. 
 
 It is not unusual for a manufacturer who is a national adver- 
 tiser to make a charge for his advertising specialty. The 
 makers of Pompeian Cream, Cleveland, have for several years 
 sold their advertising art calendar. This plan was adopted to 
 cut down the heavy cost of production and to ensure the preserva- 
 tion and display of the calendar by those who receive it. 
 
 Large and small advertisers use outdoor signs which are made 
 by manufacturers of specialties. They are made of metal, cloth, 
 fiber, glass, vitrolite, wood and enamel. The lithographed steel 
 art signs printed in colors will last four or five years. They are 
 extensively used by the makers of Coca-Cola, soda and other 
 beverages, and by baking powder, flour, hardware and numerous
 
 ADVERTISING SPECIALTIES 239 
 
 other manufacturers. One company's order for a single season 
 amounted to fifty carloads. Cloth signs are short-lived, six 
 months being about the limit. If the product to be advertised 
 is one the sale of which is confined to a few months in the year, 
 cloth signs might be used to advantage. It should be remem- 
 bered, however, that it costs just as much to put up a cloth as a 
 metal sign. Cloth is a much cheaper material to use than 
 metal, but it is, of course, far less durable. If the product is well 
 distributed and is sold the year round the metal sign is to be 
 preferred above all others. 
 
 A form of specialty advertising that always attracts attention 
 is the electric flashlight, transparent window or counter display 
 signs. They are usually operated mechanically by clockwork. 
 The more elaborate are loaned by the manufacturer to the dealer 
 for one or two weeks at a time. These signs present scenes or 
 pictures which are linked up to the product in some direct way 
 that will be suggestive and impressive. 
 
 Other specialties extensively employed for advertising pur- 
 poses are colored pictures stamped out of metal; decalcomania, 
 to be pasted upon dealer's windows; cut-outs, often arranged 
 like the scenery of a theater, that present pictures of articles or 
 persons so faithfully that they are mistaken for the moment for 
 the real thing; and kites, carrying advertising streamers or other 
 advertising displays, that are sent up in thickly populated or 
 congested business sections of a city. Decorative designs, 
 arranged to fill an entire window and serve as a frame or back- 
 ground for artistic displays of the merchandise that is being ad- 
 vertised, are furnished by a number of the larger manufacturers 
 of popular articles of consumption. For instance, the Loose- 
 Wiles 3jnd the National Biscuit Companies supply metal stands 
 to grocers for displaying their products. 
 
 Because of the wide variety of advertising specialties the 
 manufacturer or dealer should have no difficulty in selecting 
 one that is appropriate to his product and that will be reasonable 
 in cost. 
 
 A classified business directory will furnish you the names of 
 firms that make advertising specialties. If such a directory is 
 not available a list can be obtained on application to any one
 
 240 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 of the publications devoted to the advertising field or by writing 
 to the National Association of Advertising Specialty Manu- 
 facturers, Chicago. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What are advertising specialties? 
 
 2. Of what materials are they made? 
 
 3. How much money is invested in them annually? 
 
 4. How many manufacturers of specialties are there in the United 
 States? 
 
 5. What is the name of their national organization? 
 
 6. What is the psychological effect of a gift? 
 
 7. For what purposes are advertising specialties employed? 
 
 8. What principle should you observe in selecting a specialty? 
 
 9. What specialty has been exclusively employed by Heinz 57 Varieties? 
 By Procter & Gamble? By the Orange- Judd Company? By the Inter- 
 national Harvester Company? 
 
 10. What specialties would you recommend food manufacturers to use? 
 
 11. Give the experience of Marshall Field & Company in introducing a 
 new department in its Chicago store through the use of a specialty? 
 
 12. Enumerate the ways in which specialties are distributed? 
 
 13. What about the use of electric flashlight signs and window displays? 
 
 14. What specialty would you use in advertising a stationery store? A 
 millinery establishment? A hotel?
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 MOTION PICTURE ADVERTISING 
 
 The latest, and by many large distributors of merchandise 
 regarded as one of the most important advertising mediums, is 
 the motion picture. The popularity of motion pictures as a 
 form of entertainment or for educational purposes is attested 
 by the statement that there are 14,000 theaters in the United 
 States devoted to their presentation, with daily audiences 
 aggregating 14,000,000 persons, or over 5,000,000,000 a year. The 
 possibility of placing an advertisement of any kind before an 
 audience of this vast size strongly appeals to the imagination of 
 merchants and manufacturers with products to sell. It was only 
 a short time ago that the motion picture producers awoke to its 
 value as an advertising medium and introduced "industrial" 
 pictures, as distinguished from film plays and other forms of 
 screen entertainment. This term was doubtless given them 
 because the first advertising productions exploited industrial 
 enterprises. 
 
 The Appeal of the Motion Picture Is Universal. Young and 
 old, rich and poor, and the educated and uneducated, no matter 
 what their nationality may be, are susceptible to its charm 
 and influence. It speaks in all languages and, although a man 
 may not be able to read or write, if he possesses intelligence he 
 can interpret the message of the screen picture. Educated 
 people, however, have this advantage they see more because 
 they have developed the ability to reason things out and can 
 discover hidden beauties in the pictures that are not revealed 
 to the untrained mind. Many persons with plenty of money to 
 buy things, but who never read the magazines and therefore never 
 see the advertisements they contain, attend the moving picture 
 theaters. 
 
 Before the alphabet was invented the only way the ancients 
 16 241
 
 242 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 had of recording events was by means of crude pictures carved 
 or painted upon the walls of tombs, public buildings or upon clay 
 tablets or monuments. These hieroglyphics, as they are called, 
 are now read by language experts who have mastered the subject 
 almost as easily as by the men who made them thousands of years 
 ago. Pictures have been employed in all ages to express ideas. 
 With the development of art has come increased power of inter- 
 pretation. The invention of the motion picture has made 
 possible the presentation of action the endowing of objects 
 with life, so that the spectator sees them just as they are. 
 
 Lantern slides have been employed for years to present 
 advertising messages to audiences, but they possess no special 
 advantages over ordinary mediums except those derived from 
 the use of light and color. It is one thing, however, to see still 
 pictures showing the successive steps in the making of steel, for 
 instance, and quite another to see in a motion picture the work 
 carried on before your very eyes. The pouring of the molten 
 metal with its starlike, flying sparks, the heating and annealing 
 of the steel ingots, their passage through the great rolling ma- 
 chines and their shaping into steel rails, beams and hundreds of 
 other steel products, are shown almost as realistically as they 
 would appear to the person who actually visited the steel works 
 and saw the processes carried on before him. 
 
 The advantages of motion picture advertising, as set forth by 
 its advocates, are as follows: 
 
 1. Through motion pictures the advertiser is able to show his 
 product in actual use under the most favorable conditions and thus 
 create in the minds of the spectators an earnest, compelling 
 desire to possess it. 
 
 2. The details of manufacturing processes that give to the article 
 special value can be set forth in such a way that the consumer can 
 understand their significance. 
 
 3. Motion picture advertising is presented under ideal conditions. 
 In the darkened theater the attention of the audience is centered 
 upon the brilliantly lighted screen upon which the pictures 
 appear, as it is the only thing that can be seen. The spectators 
 are in a receptive mood. They are there to be entertained or 
 instructed. When they enter the theater they leave business
 
 MOTION PICTURE ADVERTISING 243 
 
 and household cares behind and, with open minds, are ready to 
 receive impressions from the film productions. 
 
 4. Motion pictures may be employed to promote dealer coopera- 
 tion. The exploitation of any article the retailer has on sale in 
 his store appeals to his self-interest and to his pride. The 
 novelty of such advertising, the fact that a large number of his 
 customers will see it, and be favorably influenced by it, will 
 arouse in him a desire to take advantage of the publicity and 
 push the sales of the article. 
 
 5. The advertiser can use as many or as few theaters for the 
 display of his moving picture advertisement as he may desire. He 
 can select the class of people to whom his appeal is to be made by 
 choosing the theaters they patronize. 
 
 6. Motion pictures may be so constructed that they will contain 
 all the features of good advertising copy and at the same time give 
 a demonstration of the product. 
 
 7. Motion picture advertising can precede, accompany or follow 
 an intensive selling campaign in selected territory. Its adapta- 
 bility to the needs of the advertiser is one of its strongest features. 
 
 8. Motion pictures are effective in teaching salesmen the selling 
 methods and the business policies of the firm they represent, in 
 acquainting them with the distinguishing characteristics of the 
 products, and in showing the features of advertising campaigns 
 that are to be launched. 
 
 Copy-writers occasionally have difficulty in describing an 
 article or a process in language that will convey the same im- 
 pression to all readers. Some will "get" the intended message, 
 others will not. In motion picture advertising there is little 
 danger that anyone in the audience will fail to understand what 
 is meant, because the message is presented in picture form. 
 
 Valuable in Selling Goods in South America. J. B. Benson, 
 advertising manager of the Advance Rumely Thresher Com- 
 pany, who resided in South America for several years, in dis- 
 cussing the use of motion picture advertising in selling goods in 
 the Latin countries, says: 
 
 "Down in South America it takes a week or ten days before you 
 can begin to talk business to a merchant. He is not accustomed to
 
 244 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 the sudden-attack method of American salesmen and don't like it. 
 He wants to get acquainted with the salesman first, perhaps lunch 
 or dine with him, before he is ready to listen to his sales story. 
 Most of the merchants you approach may be unacquainted with 
 your house or its products. Hence they want a lot of information 
 about them. By the aid of motion pictures you can present this in- 
 formation more convincingly than in any other way. Pictures do 
 not lie about the size of your factory or the character of your product. 
 After about two weeks of calling, and lunching, and driving, you will 
 be permitted to bring your suit-case projection machine to a mer- 
 chant's office and show him a reel or two of films describing your 
 product and its manufacture. 
 
 "You can tell a man your story through the mail, but I would like to 
 see anybody write enough letters to transport an entire factory over the 
 sea to distant lands. With motion pictures you can unload the factory, 
 the executives at the head of it, the sales-force backing it up, the whole 
 works, in a buyer's office thousands of miles away." 
 
 How They Are Constructed. Motion picture advertising 
 films are constructed in the same way as the play feature produc- 
 tions. The plants of the principal companies engaged in the 
 business represent an investment of millions of dollars in scenery, 
 costumes and other accessories. Hundreds and sometimes a 
 thousand or more actors and supernumeraries are required in the 
 preparation of a film play. In making industrial films the entire 
 resources of these great organizations are available to the ad- 
 vertiser in presenting his selling story. 
 
 The method of procedure in the preparation of a motion 
 picture advertising campaign is as follows : When the advertiser 
 has decided upon its size and character, after several interviews 
 with the representative of the film manufacturing company, 
 and has signed a contract covering the period during which 
 the picture is to be shown, a careful study of the advertiser's 
 business is made by the company's experts to ascertain how its 
 important features can best be presented on the screen in picture 
 form. When this point has been satisfactorily settled experi- 
 enced writers are called upon to prepare the scenario, and when 
 that is completed to every body's satisfaction, then the actual 
 work of making the picture begins. This calls into service a
 
 MOTION PICTURE ADVERTISING 245 
 
 large production staff the assistance of as many skilled actors 
 and actresses as are needed to provide the personnel, and the 
 resources of a studio that is equipped with every conceivable 
 device and accessory for making the right kind of film pictures. 
 
 Advertisers who have used film productions assert that the 
 most effective are those presented in the form of a play. People 
 like stories, written or pictured, better than they do a series of 
 disconnected scenes in which the human element is lacking. 
 The presence of heart interest has much to do with the success 
 of a screen picture. 
 
 Must Be Entertaining. An advertising film must be entertain- 
 ing as well as interesting and should not in any way offend the 
 motion picture lover's sense of what is appropriate and what is 
 not. In other words, while it presents your business proposition 
 just as you want it to, it must do so in an unobtrusive but 
 suggestive way to secure the best results. This requires experi- 
 ence and skill, and the intimate knowledge of theater requirements 
 which those who are engaged in the production of motion pictures 
 possess. 
 
 A good example of an advertising film play is " Straight Goods," 
 which has been shown in many moving picture theaters in 
 different parts of the country. It tells the story of a young 
 husband who has presented his bride with a box of Holmes & 
 Edwards silver. When she finds that the tableware is not solid 
 silver she expresses her disappointment in a way that discon- 
 certs him. Later in the evening a burglar is caught in the act 
 of stealing it. The young wife asks him why he wanted to 
 carry away a box of silver that was not solid silver. His reply 
 was that inlaid silver is just as good as solid silver. He then 
 goes on to tell her how the Holmes & Edwards silver is made. 
 Simultaneously the audience is taken through the factory of the 
 manufacturers where the several processes in the production of 
 silverware are plainly shown. The principal selling point 
 brought out is that the parts upon which the heaviest wear comes 
 are inlaid with solid silver. The gentleman burglar finally 
 makes his escape. Throughout the picture the dramatic interest 
 is well sustained and the climax comes with a gratifying surprise 
 ending that pleases the spectators.
 
 246 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 "Careless America," made for the Firestone Tire & Rubber 
 Company, is a different type of a picture. Its object is to call 
 public attention to the evils of reckless automobile driving in 
 such a vivid way that after seeing the production people will 
 take greater care in the management of their cars. The lessons 
 taught by this cleverly constructed motion picture were so 
 impressive and so valuable that in many cities it was shown under 
 the auspices of Chambers of Commerce, Automobile Clubs, and 
 city officials. It is said to be the first advertising film for which 
 national distribution was attempted. It has never been shown, 
 however, in a city where there was no Firestone dealer. " Care- 
 less America" was exhibited in 430 Chicago theaters. Another 
 Firestone picture, "Over the Roads of War," a war film, was 
 shown in 1,973 towns in New England. 
 
 The International Correspondence Schools, of Scranton, Pa., 
 put out a story film entitled "Heads Win," designed to awaken 
 interest in its educational courses, which has attracted much 
 attention. 
 
 The White Company, of Cleveland, manufacturers of White 
 Trucks, found " The Open Road to Greater America " an excellent 
 medium through which to arouse a greater public interest in the 
 development of national highways and the promotion of high- 
 way transportation systems. 
 
 Other national advertisers that have employed motion pictures 
 in their advertising campaigns are the United States Rubber 
 Company, the National Cash Register Company, the Winchester 
 Repeating Arms Company, the B. F. Goodrich Company, the 
 Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, and the 
 H. Black Company, of Cleveland, manufacturers of Wooltex. 
 
 Paving the Way for the Film Pictures. In a motion picture 
 advertising campaign the film is not expected to do all of the 
 work. Thirty days before the date of its appearance at a theater 
 a letter is sent to all the dealers in town who handle the mer- 
 chandise notifying them that the play is to be presented, also 
 a booklet giving plans for the tie-up, and urging them to co- 
 operate in making this event a success. It is suggested that, if 
 they do not have sufficient stock on hand to make an adequate 
 display, they place an order at once. Two weeks before
 
 MOTION PICTURE ADVERTISING 247 
 
 the date of the play's presentation the dealer is given the name of 
 the theater or theaters in which it is to be shown. Advertising 
 matter consisting of window picture cards, illustrated circulars 
 for distribution among customers and electrotypes for newspaper 
 advertisements, are furnished at the same time. The theater 
 manager receives from the film company one-sheet lithograph 
 posters, a set of 8 lobby photographs, 8 X 10 hi. in size, and a 
 lantern slide announcing the coming of the play, which is to be 
 run at the exhibitor's expense for the week preceding the opening. 
 
 If the advertising aids are properly used public interest in the 
 forthcoming picture can be so thoroughly aroused that large 
 audiences will fill the theater during the period of its presenta- 
 tion. Sometimes the. local dealers buy blocks of tickets at a 
 reduced price and present them to their regular customers with 
 their compliments. In other cases the tickets are given as 
 premiums to those whose purchases amount to a certain sum. 
 
 In selecting the theaters it is desirable to choose those nearest 
 the stores in which the advertised article is on sale. The dealers, 
 who have also been supplied with their own advertising matter, 
 make special displays that people will see in going to and from 
 the theater while the play is on. In this way they are able to 
 cash in on any demand that may be created by the picture. 
 
 National advertisers who have given motion pictures a 
 thorough trial appear to be well satisfied with the results they 
 have secured through this new medium. One large distributor of 
 automobile tires was so much pleased with the first production 
 made for him that he afterward ordered eleven more. 
 
 Can Results in Motion Picture Advertising Be Traced? The 
 advertising manager of Holmes & Edwards states that when 
 letters were sent to dealers notifying them that the "Straight 
 Goods" film was to be shown in local theaters 19 per cent, placed 
 orders for silverware to take advantage of the demand that it 
 was expected the play would create, and 39 per cent, asked for 
 advertising matter to use in connection with its appearance. 
 The first month the film was shown the firm received $7,500 
 worth of orders that were directly traceable to it. " Considering 
 the cost of the campaign," says the advertising manager, "we 
 received in results $3 for every $1 we put into it."
 
 248 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Quite a number of the most important manufactures now 
 make a regular appropriation for motion picture advertising. 
 The film companies charge an average of $5 per day per 
 theater for this service. The number of reels employed in 
 covering the territory scheduled depends upon the time allowed 
 for the campaign. A single film cannot be shown in more than 
 four or five cities a week, owing to the distances they must travel 
 even when shipped from district exchanges. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. In what way does the motion picture differ in its appeal from other 
 forms of advertising? 
 
 2. Enumerate the principal advantages of this kind of advertising. 
 
 3. Why ia an advertising film certain to receive attention? 
 
 4. How can motion picture advertising be used to advantage in increas- 
 ing the efficiency of salesmen? 
 
 6. How can it be used in selling goods in foreign countries? 
 
 6. What method is pursued in the preparation of an industrial picture? 
 
 7. From the spectators' viewpoint what quality must the film play have? 
 
 8. Give the names of any advertising motion pictures you have seen. 
 
 9. Describe just what is done to arouse interest in a film production and 
 how the cooperation of local stores is secured. 
 
 10. Can direct results be traced ? Give an example.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 DUTIES OF THE ADVERTISING MANAGER 
 
 The person who has charge of the advertising of a retail or 
 wholesale business, or of a publication, is known as the advertis- 
 ing manager. His duties vary with the character and size of 
 the concern by which he is employed. 
 
 The advertising manger of the smaller retail store is usually 
 the owner, the manager, or a clerk who devotes only a part of his 
 time to the duties of the position. He prepares the advertise- 
 ments that appear in the local newspapers and the letters and 
 circulars that are mailed to customers calling their attention to 
 special sales, openings, anniversaries, etc. He also looks after 
 the dressing of the store windows, often doing the work 
 himself. 
 
 The advertising manager of a department store, which may be 
 described as a store in which a number of different lines of business 
 are grouped under one roof and a single ownership, occupies a 
 much more important position. He has from four to a dozen 
 assistants, including copy- writers, artists and stenographers. He 
 is clothed with greater authority than is given to the heads of 
 other departments. While he virtually has nothing to do with 
 the management of the store his advertising directs and reflects 
 its policies. He takes part in the conferences of the executives 
 that are held from tune to time to discuss important matters 
 connected with the business. In these store councils he repre- 
 sents the public, for it is his duty to keep informed as to its 
 attitude toward the store and its merchandise. 
 
 Upon his efforts depends, to a considerable extent, the success 
 of the business, and if, for any reason, the advertising produced 
 by his department does not bring the public to the store and sell 
 goods he will soon be looking for another position. 
 
 He must not only be an expert in all kinds of retail advertising 
 
 249
 
 250 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 but he must also possess an accurate knowledge of merchandise 
 and of salesmanship. It is his duty to keep watch of the sales 
 of every department. If the goods are not moving as fast as 
 they should he must devise ways and means for making them 
 move. In apportioning the space in the daily advertisements 
 of the store among the several departments he must exercise 
 tact and good judgment. The managers of all departments want 
 their goods exploited every day, an evident impossibility. In 
 their eagerness to get space they sometimes misrepresent the 
 quality of the merchandise they want advertised. If the ad- 
 vertising manager is not posted on values he will get into all 
 kinds of trouble. Should he give considerable space to a few 
 of the departments he will incur the enmity of the others, who see 
 in the act a deliberate attempt to boost the sales of those depart- 
 ments at their expense. 
 
 If, on the other hand, the advertising manager has had 
 merchandising experience he knows to what departments the 
 space should be allotted, after listening to their claims, and his 
 decisions are respected. 
 
 Moreover, one of his most important functions is to see that 
 the public is not deceived by the store's advertising. If values 
 are misrepresented and attempts are made to palm off "seconds" 
 as first-class goods, people will soon discover the fact and lose 
 confidence in the store. In every line of copy the right kind of 
 an advertising manager seeks to maintain and add to the firm's 
 reputation for reliability and square dealing. To him the good 
 will of the public is invaluable and must be won and retained at 
 any cost. 
 
 Besides keeping an eye on the sales barometer, studying public 
 taste in merchandise, making suggestions that will increase the 
 popularity of the establishment and move off the shelves goods 
 that have a slow sale, the department store advertising manager 
 furnishes pep and enthusiasm to the big staff of employees. If 
 the sales of a department fall off he evolves a plan to stimulate 
 them and gets the clerks to pitch in and score a success. If 
 the employees have a dance or an entertainment he takes good 
 care that the newspapers are told about it and that a report of 
 the affair is printed by them the next day.
 
 251 
 
 In preparing advertisements he puts into them the real news of 
 the store the things that the public likes to know about. In 
 collecting this news he resembles the city editor of a newspaper, 
 assigning to the several members of his staff, acting as reporters, 
 the subjects upon which they are to write and telling them where 
 they can get the material. In these great stores that sell many 
 different kinds of merchandise, brought together from all quarters 
 of the globe, there is to be found data for an endless number of 
 interesting stories that can be used to arouse public interest. 
 
 John Wanamaker's is a good example of live store news 
 advertising. It is full of variety, is never dull, and is worth 
 reading whether you want to buy anything or not. There is 
 always something worth while to talk about in every big store. 
 If you can get people so thoroughly interested in your advertise- 
 ments that they will look for them every day when they read 
 their favorite paper, just as they do for the news of the city or 
 country, you can bank upon the hearty support they will give 
 the store. 
 
 National Advertising Manager. If the business is large, 
 covering the country, he has a staff of assistants to prepare the 
 various kinds of copy that must be produced. In retail adver- 
 tising, as we have already seen, the mediums used are few in 
 number, and include daily and weekly newspapers, street 
 cars, electric light signs and occasionally letters and circulars. 
 National advertising calls for the employment not only of these 
 mediums, but also of magazines, trade and class publications, 
 posters, booklets, electric light displays, specialties and moving 
 pictures. Some of the large distributors of merchandise use 
 them all. To prepare effective advertisements for each of these 
 different mediums requires superior advertising ability. 
 
 The Duties of the Advertising Manager of a Wholesale Business 
 Are Numerous and Exacting. He plans and carries out national 
 advertising campaigns. He is responsible for the advertising 
 copy, selects the mediums, makes contracts with newspaper 
 and magazine publishers for advertising space, furnishes cuts 
 or mats of advertisements for the use of retail dealers, prepares 
 window displays, directs the activities of sampling crews and 
 demonstrators in various cities, gets up special articles for
 
 252 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 magazines and newspapers about the welfare work carried on 
 for the benefit of the employees in the mills and factories of the 
 company, conducts house organs, and produces booklets, folders, 
 letters and broadsides for direct advertising campaigns. 
 
 Because the work of the advertising manager and the sales 
 manager is directed toward the same end the sale of merchan- 
 dise and because of their close relationship to each other, there 
 has of late developed a tendency on the part of some concerns to 
 combine the duties of the two positions in one person, in which 
 case the advertising manager discharges the duties of a sales 
 manager, or vice versa. Although such an arrangement may 
 work satisfactorily in a small-sized business it is almost certain 
 to fail when applied to a large and important business. While it 
 is always desirable that the advertising manager should have a 
 practical knowledge of the principles of salesmanship and that 
 the sales manager should know something about advertising, 
 there are very few men who can handle both departments 
 successfully. 
 
 An expert knowledge of advertising or of salesmanship cannot 
 be acquired in a few months. In fact, it takes several years to 
 develop a first-class advertising or sales manager. Constant 
 changes are taking place in advertising methods and practice, 
 and to keep up with them the advertising manager must be 
 ever on the alert. If he is entrusted with the grave responsibility 
 of investing one or two million dollars a year in advertising, he has 
 no time to devote to other matters connected with the business. 
 On the other hand, the sales manager who has charge of from 
 forty to a hundred and fifty traveling salesmen is too busy to 
 plan advertising campaigns. 
 
 When a Manufacturer Places His Advertising Account in the 
 Hands of an Advertising Agent He Still Needs the Services of an 
 Advertising Manager. While the greater part of the work inci- 
 dental to an advertising campaign is taken over by the agent, 
 the advertising manager has a most important function to per- 
 form. To the public he represents the firm or company in all 
 its advertising activities. He knows more about its business, its 
 policies, its management and its goods than any agent that 
 could be employed.
 
 DUTIES OF THE ADVERTISING MANAGER 253 
 
 The agent recognizes his value and is more than anxious to 
 have his help in carrying out the firm's advertising plans. Some- 
 times a wholesale concern prepares its own advertising copy and 
 turns it over to the agent to place in a selected list of mediums, 
 in which case a well-organized advertising department must be 
 maintained. When, on the other hand, the copy is written and 
 most of the work of the campaign is done by the advertising agent, 
 a large advertising staff is unnecessary. 
 
 In order to do his best work the advertising manager must have 
 the cooperation of the sales manager, the production manager 
 and the owners of the business. Presumably he knows more 
 about advertising than anyone else in the concern. This fact 
 alone should place him beyond the criticism of any of the execu- 
 tives save that of his employer, and even then deference should 
 be paid to his experience. If the advertising he creates increases 
 the business he is working along the right lines and ought not to 
 be interfered with. 
 
 Qualifications of an Advertising Manager. Some of them are 
 these : 
 
 He Should Be Tactful. In conducting an advertising depart- 
 ment he deals with many kinds of men both inside and outside 
 the establishment. Unless he is careful he will say or do things 
 that will needlessly antagonize many who can be of service to 
 him. A little tact and a little diplomacy will do much toward 
 winning the good will and cooperation of his associates. 
 
 He Must Possess Energy and Perseverance. Sometimes he will 
 be overwhelmed with work and will have to put in nights and 
 occasionally a Sunday to get through with it, but if he tackles 
 the job with a determined spirit and sticks to it he will complete 
 it in a creditable manner. 
 
 He Must Have Administrative Ability. The advertising mana- 
 ger who conducts extensive advertising campaigns cannot carry 
 on the work alone and therefore must have competent assistants. 
 He must know how to manage these assistants in such a way 
 as to develop their best ability. He must be able to lay out 
 the work of his department to such advantage that there will 
 be no lost motion and that results will be achieved economically 
 and effectively.
 
 254 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 He Must Be Resourceful. In the practice of advertising there is 
 a constant need of new ideas. Advertisements cannot be run in 
 a mould like cement houses. They must have variety of form 
 and method of presentation. The advertising manager should 
 originate new ways of dressing up old facts and making them 
 interesting. In carrying on campaigns he must meet and over- 
 come the opposition of competitors through aggressive argument. 
 
 The advertising manager of a publication, unlike the advertising 
 manager of a retail or wholesale business, is a seller rather than a 
 buyer of advertising. Therefore his duties are entirely different. 
 He has little to do with the preparation of advertising copy, his 
 chief task being to get advertising for the magazine or newspaper 
 by which he is employed. He ranks next to the publisher or 
 business manager in importance. He is the producer of revenue 
 and unless he can induce the local merchants and the national 
 distributors of merchandise to advertise in his newspaper there 
 will be no money to pay bills or salaries when Saturday comes 
 around. 
 
 The advertising staff of an important city newspaper is com- 
 posed of an advertising manager, an assistant advertising mana- 
 ger, half a dozen or more solicitors, and a number of stenographers 
 and clerks. It is customary to divide the work in such a way 
 that each of the salesmen will handle the kind of business with 
 which he is most familiar or to which he is best adapted. The 
 local advertising is taken care of by one set of men and the foreign 
 (or national) by another. In soliciting local advertising one 
 salesman calls upon the department stores; another upon specialty 
 shops; a third upon the big grocery and drug stores; a fourth 
 upon the dealers in men's shoes and clothing; a fifth upon banks 
 trust companies and brokers; a sixth upon schools and colleges; 
 a seventh solicits theatrical and other amusement advertising; 
 and an eighth, with several young men assistants, looks after the 
 classified advertising. Others canvass the book publishers, 
 the summer and winter resort hotels, and the steamship and 
 railroad companies. 
 
 The term "foreign," as used in American advertising circles, 
 is applied to advertising that exploits products having general 
 distribution, such as Bull Durham Tobacco, Shredded Wheat,
 
 DUTIES OF THE ADVERTISING MANAGER 255 
 
 Keen Kutter Tools and Diamond Dyes. The foreign advertising 
 manager has a wide acquaintance among national advertisers 
 and the advertising agents who handle their campaigns. He 
 calls upon the most important of these himself, leaving the 
 others to his assistants. 
 
 The advertising manager of a newspaper or magazine is ever 
 on the alert for the appearance of new advertisers in the various 
 publications. He picks up advertising tips at his club, at 
 restaurants frequented at lunch time by friends and acquaint- 
 ances in business and advertising circles, and at the country 
 club when he plays an occasional game of golf. Tips come to 
 him over the telephone, by letter, and now and then by telegraph. 
 All of them receive his careful attention, those that appear worth 
 while being referred immediately to the various members of his 
 staff, who follow them up. 
 
 Every live advertising manager who desires to secure as much 
 national advertising as possible for his publication keeps on file 
 in his office a reliable list of all general advertisers in the country, 
 their advertising managers and their advertising agents. Such 
 lists are prepared and furnished by at least two bureaus at a fixed 
 price to whoever wants them. With this information in hand 
 the advertising manager knows to whom his letters of solicitation 
 should be sent or upon whom his salesman should call. He does 
 not attempt to work the entire list, for that, as he has learned 
 from past experience, is a waste of effort, but selects from it those 
 concerns whose products could be advantageously advertised in 
 his publication. Not every article can be profitably exploited 
 in newspapers or magazines. 
 
 A card index in which is recorded the results of interviews 
 salesmen have had with prospective advertisers is of great service 
 to the advertising manager in running his department. Such 
 an index will save the office time and money in following up 
 prospects later on. All information that will be of assistance to 
 the next salesman who calls on an advertiser should be kept on 
 file. 
 
 The advertising manager should not stick too closely to his 
 desk, but should get out and rub elbows with the leading business 
 men of the community. He ought to study their advertising
 
 256 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 problems and help them to arrive at their correct solution. He 
 should be able to suggest, now and then, a series of advertisements 
 that will, because of their timeliness or their special appeal, 
 boost a merchant's sales. If you can show a retailer how he can 
 increase his sales without spending more money than the addi- 
 tional sales would amount to, you will win his friendship and 
 support. 
 
 How Merchandising Service Departments Aid General Adver- 
 tisers. The recent introduction of merchandising service depart- 
 ments in the offices of several metropolitan dailies, and a few 
 weeklies and magazines, has added to the responsibilities of the 
 newspaper advertising manager. The object of this service is to 
 help the national distributor realize upon his advertising invest- 
 ment. Different methods are employed by different publications. 
 Information that will aid the advertiser in sizing up the market is 
 furnished free of expense by all of them. The New York Evening 
 Journal collects data regarding any product handled over the 
 retail counter. For instance, a packer of meat products asks 
 for information regarding the bacon market in New York. A 
 comprehensive questionnaire is prepared and submitted to repre- 
 sentative dealers throughout the city by members of the Journal's 
 service staff. 
 
 The answers are then carefully tabulated and the completed re- 
 port turned over to the concern making the inquiry. The report 
 shows what percentage of purchasers ask for a particular brand 
 and the name of that brand; whether the sale of "jar" bacon is 
 increasing or decreasing; what brands of ham or bacon they 
 prefer to handle, etc. With this information in hand the packer 
 can intelligently decide whether or not he should try to break 
 into the New York market, or, if his products are already being 
 sold, how they are regarded by the trade. The manufacturer of a 
 macaroni product wants to know his chances of success should 
 he advertise it. The Journals' merchandising department sup- 
 plies him with a survey of the market that tells him how much 
 money is spent for macaroni and spaghetti, the names of the three 
 leading brands, the most popular price and the size of the most 
 popular package, the average margin of profit on the goods, and 
 the amount of the jobber's discounts.
 
 DUTIES OF THE ADVERTISING MANAGER 257 
 
 The Journal publishes each month trade papers for four kinds 
 of dealers grocers, druggists, dealers in men's and women's 
 wear and shoes and dealers in automobiles and automobile 
 accessories. Prizes amounting to $200 are offered monthly for 
 the best window displays in each of these classes. 
 
 The New York World's merchandising service furnishes 
 accurate information regarding the buying habits of the people; 
 the number and character of the stores in each line of business; 
 the buying and selling habits of the retailers with whom the ad- 
 vertiser must deal. It offers advertisers a letter of introduction to 
 the dealers of New York if they use adequate space under a non- 
 cancellable contract. 
 
 It has prepared zone maps showing the location of 2,600 
 druggists and 16,000 grocers in the city, by the aid of which 
 the sales manager who has a product to market that can be sold 
 by either or both of these classes of retailers can so route his 
 salesmen that they will cover the entire trade in the shortest 
 possible time. The World also issues "The World Retailer," 
 a copy of which is placed in the hands of every grocer and drug- 
 gist in the city. This publication is designed to help retailers 
 sell more goods and improve their store service. 
 
 The idea that a newspaper should do something more for its 
 advertisers than print their announcements is favorably regarded 
 by the more progressive publishers. It is reasonable to believe 
 that the more goods a manufacturer or merchant sells through ad- 
 vertising, the more he will want to invest in it. If a newspaper 
 takes an active interest in making a selling campaign a success 
 the advertiser will appreciate the fact in a way that will please the 
 cashier. Merchandising service departments are expensive 
 but if they are rightly conducted they will undoubtedly be of 
 great value in attracting to the publication a large volume of 
 profitable advertising. 
 
 In his desire to make the department effective the advertising 
 manager will be tempted to undertake more than he should. 
 One thing he should not do; that is to take on any of the work 
 that properly belongs to the manufacturer's salesmen. It is 
 not the province of a newspaper or a magazine to send out the 
 members of its staff to personally take orders for merchandise. 
 
 17
 
 258 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What are the duties of a department store advertising manager? 
 
 2. Describe the work of the advertising manager of a manufacturer who 
 does a national business. 
 
 3. What are his qualifications? 
 
 4. What are the duties of a newspaper or magazine advertising manager? 
 6. How do merchandising service departments help the advertiser? 
 
 6. Give specific illustrations. 
 
 7. In what ways are the publications benefited by rendering this service?
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 WHAT THE ADVERTISING AGENT DOES FOR THE 
 NATIONAL ADVERTISER 
 
 Years ago, when the advertising business outgrew its swaddling 
 clothes and began to get its stride, a new figure appeared in the 
 advertising field. He was called an "advertising agent" and 
 the name has stuck to his successors ever since. At first he was 
 only a broker who bought space in bulk from the newspaper and 
 magazine publishers and retailed it in small quantities to mer- 
 chants and manufacturers at a large profit. He rendered no 
 special service to the advertiser, his sole concern being to collect 
 the money due him for the space sold. 
 
 But after awhile the agent found that if he was to establish a 
 permanent business on a sound foundation he would have to 
 make the advertiser's investment pay. This meant better copy, 
 better display, and better illustrations. He began by writing the 
 copy, then he selected the pictures to accompany it and, finally, 
 he told the printer how to display the advertisements in such a 
 way that they would attract the maximum amount of attention. 
 As his efficiency increased through experience he was able to 
 give better and still better service to his clients. 
 
 To-day the advertising agent occupies an impregnable position. 
 He is indispensable both to advertisers and to publishers. He 
 has done and is now doing more to develop business of all kinds 
 than anyone else. Ninety per cent, of all the national advertis- 
 ing appearing in the newspapers and magazines, representing an 
 investment of $200,000,000 a year, is placed by advertising 
 agents. There are fifteen or twenty agencies that handle from 
 $1,000,000 to $8,000,000 worth of advertising annually. Single 
 accounts, in at least three instances, run as high as $3,500,000. 
 Only a very small part of the money expended in advertising is 
 spent for materials plates, mats, paper, cardboard, stationery, 
 
 259
 
 260 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 etc. The bulk goes for the purchase of white space in popular 
 mediums, or rather, for the privilege of filling it with business 
 appeals, and for brains to originate plans, copy and illustrations 
 that will sell merchandise or anything else. 
 
 An advertising agent stands in much the same relationship to 
 the advertiser as a lawyer to his client. He is entrusted with his 
 business secrets, he gives him advice regarding the marketing of 
 merchandise, he prepares and carries on his advertising cam- 
 paigns, he makes trade investigations and, on occasion, dictates 
 the policies governing production and distribution. A general 
 agent specializes on national advertising but in the small cities 
 occasionally handles retail advertising. Some agents are experts 
 in financial, technical, electrical, textile, mechanical, educational, 
 or religious advertising. Others confine their activities to the 
 preparation of booklets, catalogs, folders and other forms of 
 direct mail advertising, or to the designing of illustrations. 
 
 The Agent's Equipment. No business commands the services 
 of a better type of men than advertising. In order to succeed in 
 the agency business a person must be well educated. He must 
 possess executive ability of a high order, must be able to analyze 
 markets, must understand the principles of salesmanship and 
 know how to influence people through the written word. A man 
 without these qualities, but having a glib tongue and an agreeable 
 presence may call himself an advertising agent and persuade some 
 people to trust him with their advertising, but his incompetency 
 and unreliability will soon prove that he is only a counterfeit 
 and not a real advertising agent. He who would win and keep the 
 confidence of business men must first qualify at the bar of advertis- 
 ing practice". 
 
 In order to secure recognition as an agent from the American 
 Newspaper Publishers' Association, which is composed of 600 
 leading dailies, and the Periodical Publishers' Association, repre- 
 senting the foremost weekly and monthly magazines, the appli- 
 cant must convince these organizations that he is a man of 
 character; that he is qualified to render valuable service to his 
 clients; that he possesses sufficient capital to finance his business; 
 and that he has several active accounts in hand at the time his 
 request for recognition is filed.
 
 WHAT THE ADVERTISING AGENT DOES 261 
 
 While it is true that no advertising agent is obliged to seek 
 recognition from these associations in order to do business with 
 the newspapers and magazines, nevertheless his path will be 
 made much smoother and his chances for building up a profitable 
 business much greater if he has it. Recognition entitles him, with- 
 out question or argument, to the agent's commission and a certain 
 amount of credit from all members of the American Newspaper 
 Publishers' Association and the Periodical Publishers' Association 
 with whom he may desire to do business. These privileges are, 
 of course, most important to a young agency that has a small 
 capital and great ambition. 
 
 How the Agent Helps the Advertiser. The first important 
 service the agent renders the prospect is in deciding whether he 
 is in a position to advertise. The agent will not, if he is honest, 
 and most agents are honest, advise a manufacturer to under- 
 take an advertising campaign unless he is confident that the 
 article to be exploited possesses real merit and that a profitable 
 demand for it can be created. In other words, the agent will not 
 induce a man to advertise solely for the sake of the commission he 
 may receive for handling the account. 
 
 A New York advertising agent was requested in a letter from a 
 manufacturer in a near-by city to invest for him $20,000 in an 
 advertising campaign. The agent did not respond to the invita- 
 tion to call upon the prospect for several days and when he 
 finally appeared the latter expressed surprise at his delay. 
 
 "What do you suppose I have been doing in the meantime?" 
 the agent quietly asked. " I have been visiting the plants of three 
 of your principal competitors. From information I picked up 
 I am convinced that you are in no position to advertise." 
 
 "Do you mean to tell me that I should not spend my $20,000 
 in advertising?" enquired the advertiser with a surprised look. 
 "Can't I do what I please with my own money?" 
 
 "Of course, you can throw it away if you like, " responded the 
 agent, "But if you put it into advertising it will be wasted. The 
 machinery in your factory is antiquated while the factories of 
 your rivals have new up-do-date equipment. They can manu- 
 facture the product at a lower cost and therefore can undersell 
 you hi the market. Until you put in new machinery you can-
 
 262 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 not possibly compete with them. Therefore, as I said before 
 you had better keep your $20,000 until you are ready to 
 advertise." 
 
 The manufacturer heeded the advice of the agent and two 
 years passed before he was prepared to meet competition. Then 
 he invested not only the $20,000 he had originally appropriated, 
 but $20,000 more, in an advertising campaign that helped him to 
 secure, later on, the lead in his field. 
 
 Trade Investigations. Before undertaking the work of plan- 
 ning a campaign or of getting up the advertising copy the agent 
 makes a thorough study of all the information available concern- 
 ing the product and the market. He visits the factory and notes 
 the quality of the materials and the workmanship entering into 
 its manufacture. He makes an analysis of the markets to find 
 out where the goods can be sold to best advantage and through 
 what mediums. He finds out what the channels of distribution 
 are and what competition must be met. It is only after he has 
 completed his investigation and has analyzed the facts he has 
 assembled that he is ready to intelligently advise his client upon 
 his advertising problems. 
 
 The advertiser himself is too close to his own business to see 
 its needs and its possibilities. The agent with his outside view 
 frequently discovers valuable facts about the product that the 
 manufacturer has entirely overlooked. Sometimes he makes 
 a single suggestion, perhaps about the package in which the 
 article is sold, or concerning the method of distribution, that 
 turns his client's business from a failure to a success. 
 
 Market investigations are now regarded of such great im- 
 portance and involve so much expense that a service charge is 
 made for them by most agencies. Sometimes half a dozen high 
 class representatives are employed for months at a time in 
 traveling over the country in search of information that will be 
 of value to the advertiser. Investigations are made to find out 
 what competitors are doing, why sales have fallen off, what 
 improvements in the product can be made as the result of inter- 
 views with consumers, why dealers object to handling the goods, 
 what can be done to cultivate good will, how advertising cam- 
 paigns are pulling, etc. It is not unusual for a big corporation
 
 WHAT THE ADVERTISING AGENT DOES 263 
 
 to spend through its advertising agency from $3,000 to $10,000 
 on one of these investigations. 
 
 Advertising agents are particularly well fitted to undertake 
 this work for the advertiser. Many of them were formerly news- 
 paper reporters or editors, and the training they received in 
 digging out news stories and in analyzing facts and information 
 qualifies them to conduct inquiries of this character. Moreover, 
 they bring to the work an unbiased mind one that is equally 
 receptive of favorable or unfavorable facts. If a manufacturer 
 undertakes to secure special trade information through his own 
 salesmen the results are unsatisfactory for the reason that the 
 merchants upon whom they call are usually acquainted with 
 the salesmen and tell them what they think they would like to 
 have them say, rather than what they ought to say. In other 
 words, the information is colored and therefore worthless. The 
 merchant usually does not know he is being interviewed by the 
 advertising agent and talks frankly to him upon the subject of 
 the inquiry. Facts obtained in this way are much more reliable 
 and therefore much more valuable to the advertiser. 
 
 Selecting the Mediums. In advertising, one of the most 
 important things is the selection of the mediums in which the 
 campaign is to run. There are 2,528 daily newspapers, 15,000 
 weeklies and 4,900 monthlies, quarterlies and other periodicals 
 published in the United States and Canada. How can an ad- 
 vertiser who has had little or no experience with these mediums 
 choose those that will best serve his purpose? How can he tell 
 whether the rates quoted him are the publisher's lowest? He 
 might pay 25 per cent, more than one of his competitors and not 
 be aware of it unless some disinterested friend told him. 
 
 It is the agent's business to know all there is to know about 
 mediums. He can tell you the circulation, politics and standing 
 of the leading newspapers of the United States and Canada. 
 He is posted on the character of populations, the chief industries 
 carried on, the kinds of goods that are in greatest demand. 
 He gets the lowest rates because he handles many accounts and 
 is in a position to know when they are rock-bottom. In every 
 city one newspaper dominates the field, not always in circulation, 
 but in influence and advertising patronage. If the advertiser can
 
 264 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 use but one newspaper in a town, the agent knows which paper 
 should be selected. This service alone is worth many thousands 
 of dollars to the client when a large number of mediums is 
 employed. 
 
 The Agency Organization. The agent who looked after the 
 advertising of several concerns having national distribution found 
 out long ago that he could not do all the work alone and so he 
 proceeded to organize a staff of assistants to help handle the 
 business. He engaged solicitors or, as the agents prefer to call 
 them, service men, to interview prospective clients, secure their 
 advertising and handle accounts; copy-writers and artists to 
 prepare the advertisements for the several publications in which 
 they were to appear; a space buyer to make contracts with 
 publishers for the space they were to occupy; clerks to look 
 after the correspondence and the files and to send out mats or 
 plates to the newspapers and magazines, and to check up the 
 advertisements as they were published, and attend to the other 
 office details; bookkeepers, stenographers, a cashier, an office 
 manager, market investigators, etc. According to the size of 
 the business the number of employees now engaged in an agency 
 vary from half a dozen to 212, the latter comprising the staff 
 of New York's largest advertising agency. In the smaller agen- 
 cies one man performs the duties of several of the above positions. 
 
 In organizing an agency oare is taken to secure men who have 
 had experience in handling accounts and are thoroughly ac- 
 quainted with advertising requirements. If any agency spec- 
 ializes on financial advertising it is most important that the chief 
 of the copy department or one of his assistants should possess 
 expert knowledge of banks, railroads, steamship companies, 
 industrial and mining corporations. If it confines its attention 
 to textiles, those who are responsible for its success must be 
 as well informed upon all phases of the business as the manufac- 
 turers themselves. Often they have had actual experience in 
 the production of textiles. In any event the executives must 
 be able to discuss the manufacturer's problems as experts and not 
 as amateurs. The same things may be said of those agencies 
 that specialize on other technical and professional lines of 
 advertising.
 
 WHAT THE ADVERTISING AGENT DOES 265 
 
 What the Agency Does. Let us summarize briefly the 
 service the modern advertising agency renders the client: 
 
 1. Makes market and trade investigations. 
 
 2. Plans advertising campaigns. 
 
 3. Prepares copy and illustrations. 
 
 4. Selects the mediums and makes contracts with the news- 
 papers and magazines for the space to be used. 
 
 5. Furnishes the publishers plates or mats of the advertise- 
 ments and a schedule of the dates upon which they are to be 
 printed. 
 
 6. Checks up the advertisements as they appear in order to see 
 that they are inserted upon the proper dates and in the position 
 called for by the contract. 
 
 7. Prepares dealer helps booklets, folders, leaflets, hangers, 
 counter cards, window displays, advertisements for local news- 
 papers, house organs, etc. 
 
 8. Pays the bills as they fall due and renders an account of 
 same to the advertiser. 
 
 9. Secures the cooperation of the manufacturers' and jobbers' 
 salesmen by showing them copies of the advertisements and a 
 list of the mediums in which they are to appear, and by pointing 
 out the several ways hi which the advertising will help them to 
 sell more goods with less effort. 
 
 The manufacturer or wholesaler who places his advertising 
 direct that is, who furnishes his own copy and makes contracts 
 with individual publishers must employ a staff of clerks and 
 bookkeepers at considerable expense to look after the advertising 
 in one or two hundred publications and mail checks for the 
 amount due once a month to each of them. All this bother and 
 expense is avoided when the advertising is placed in the hands 
 of an advertising agency. Every month the client is billed for 
 the month's advertising, which he pays by a single check. 
 
 What Agency Service Costs. In conducting newspaper and 
 magazine campaigns the agency charges the client for all art 
 work, cuts and mats furnished the publications in which the 
 advertisements are to appear, and for special trade investigations. 
 Its renumeration for services rendered in planning and carrying 
 on the campaign, however, comes from the publications in which
 
 2C6 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 the advertising appears. The standard commission paid by the 
 large daily newspapers and magazines is 15 per cent, of the 
 amount charged for the space used. The smaller dailies and 
 weeklies pay 25 per cent. There are several agencies that 
 credit the advertiser's account with all commissions and dis- 
 counts received from publishers and charge a fee of 15 per cent. 
 on the net cost. A few make a service charge to the client in 
 addition to the commission, but the most of the agencies 
 receive no other remuneration than that paid by the publishers. 
 
 Why the Publisher Pays the Agency a Commission. A majority 
 of the manufacturers who become national advertisers owe their 
 start to the missionary work of the agents rather than to their 
 own initiative. One of the most important functions of the agent 
 is the development of new advertisers. He patiently and persist- 
 ently labors with prospects, of ten for months, sometimes for years, 
 before he induces them to take the plunge that perhaps leads to 
 fortune. Every new advertiser he brings into the fold means 
 more money for the publisher, but the expense involved is borne 
 solely by the agent. The publisher is indeed glad to have the 
 agent develop for his periodical new business that has cost him 
 nothing, and it is in recognition of this service that he pays the 
 agent a commission on the space he buys for his client. 
 
 Whom Does the Agent Represent the Advertiser or the Pub- 
 lisher? This is a question often discussed at advertising club 
 meetings and other conferences of advertising men. As the 
 agent's remuneration comes from the publisher it would seem, 
 at the first glance, that he represents the publisher. At the 
 same time it should be remembered that the agent is not governed 
 in his selection of mediums for a client's campaign by the amount 
 of the commission paid him upon the quantity of space purchased, 
 as the rate is practically the same on all publications of the same 
 class, but upon the service the publications can give the advertiser. 
 
 As a matter of fact the agency really represents the advertiser 
 although not paid by him. If the latter should place his advertis- 
 ing direct with the publisher he would not be allowed the com- 
 mission usually paid the agent and therefore would gain nothing 
 by the transaction. The advertiser engages the services of the 
 agent because he wants the assistance and advice of an advertis-
 
 WHAT THE ADVERTISING AGENT DOES 267 
 
 ing expert who has made a study of merchandising problems and 
 knows just what to do to get the best results. He takes the 
 agent into his confidence and tells him things about his business 
 which, if revealed to his competitors, might be used by them to 
 his disadvantage. That his confidence is rarely ever betrayed is a 
 fact well known in the advertising world. 
 
 The advertiser places his entire appropriation, sometimes 
 amounting to a million dollars, in the hands of his agent to be 
 spent according to an approved plan. In all disputes that may 
 arise over advertising contracts made with publishers the agent 
 always looks after and protects the client's interests rather than 
 those of the publisher. He advances money to pay the adver- 
 tising bills before he has received the amount due from the 
 advertiser. If, through any cause, the client fails to meet his 
 obligations, the loss falls on the agent and not upon the publisher. 
 
 It is the agent's business to make advertising pay the advertiser. 
 If he succeeds he is not always certain that the account will 
 remain in his hands indefinitely, although it not infrequently 
 does; and if he fails he knows that his client will either become 
 discouraged and drop out of the advertising ranks or seek another 
 agent who may invest his appropriation to better advantage. 
 
 The agent's hardest task is not the preparation of copy, or the 
 placing of contracts for advertising space, but finding the big 
 selling idea upon which the advertising campaign can be prof- 
 itably based. Every article to be marketed must have at least 
 one advantage over others of the same class if it is to achieve 
 much of a success through advertising. When an agency takes 
 on an account about the first thing it does is to try to discover the 
 quality or characteristic of the product that differentiates it 
 from its competitors and which can be used as a lever to get 
 business. 
 
 An advertising agent who had taken on a hosiery account tried 
 to originate a new idea for advertising the product. He studied 
 the problem from every possible angle but for a long time made 
 no progress. The hosiery apparently differed in no way from 
 the hosiery manufactured by half a dozen leading concerns. In 
 talking one day with one of the factory foremen the latter told 
 him that in the process of manufacture the yarn was given an
 
 268 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 extra twist in order to improve its wearing qualities. This was 
 the big idea he had been looking for. He made it the basis of 
 the advertising campaign which was launched shortly afterward 
 and which proved to be wonderfully successful. 
 
 A New York agency was called upon to market a new brand of 
 grapefruit. It sent a representative to Porto Rico where the 
 orchards were located to dig up important facts that would help 
 the agency create a market for it. The representative, after 
 spending several days in studying the methods employed in 
 cultivating the grapefruit, in picking it from the trees, and in 
 packing it for transportation, was unable to discover anything 
 that gave it distinction over other grapefruit. He was really 
 discouraged when he chanced to ask one of the workmen em- 
 ployed by the owner in what way the Porto Rico product differed 
 from that grown elsewhere. "Why," he exclaimed, "They are 
 regular balls of juice." That phrase, "balls of juice," furnished 
 the keynote of the advertising campaign that followed, which 
 resulted in creating an extensive demand for the grapefruit. 
 
 The advertising agents have made great progress in recent 
 years in standardizing the business through their several asso- 
 ciations. The American Association of Advertising Agencies, 
 their national organization, has a membership of 132, which in- 
 cludes the representative agencies of the United States. Local 
 chapters have been established in several of the larger cities. 
 Many of the agents also belong to the Agent's Division of the 
 Associated Advertising Clubs of the World and attend its annual 
 meetings. Constant improvement is being made in advertising 
 practice as a result of the earnest work that is being done by these 
 associations. One of their greatest accomplishments has been the 
 securing of the enactment of laws in thirty-six states providing 
 for the punishment of persons who deceive the public through 
 lying advertisements. Twenty-one of the states have adopted 
 the Printers' Ink Model Statute. 
 
 The Special Agency. Newspaper advertising, as we have 
 already learned, is classified under two heads local and national. 
 While the bulk of it is of necessity local in character, a consider- 
 able part of a newspaper's income is derived from national 
 advertising, which publishers consider desirable because it is 
 high-class and possesses a certain news value that interests the
 
 WHAT THE ADVERTISING AGENT DOES 269 
 
 general reader. Moreover, it often pays a better rate than local 
 advertising. The most of the national advertising originates in 
 the metropolitan cities and is not easily secured by newspapers 
 issued in smaller cities. 
 
 There are only two ways of getting this business by cor- 
 respondence and by personal solicitation. The first method is 
 slow, uncertain and unsatisfactory; the second is expensive and 
 can only be used by large and prosperous newspapers, for the 
 publisher of the average daily cannot afford to open offices and 
 employ salesmen to solicit business in the principal cities where 
 national advertisers have their headquarters. 
 
 How to obtain national advertising on a profitable basis was a 
 problem that the smaller newspaper publishers tried in vain to 
 solve for a number of years. Finally several New York adver- 
 tising salesmen came to their aid by proposing to establish in 
 that city special agencies which, for a reasonable fee, would repre- 
 sent them in the national field. While the amount to be paid by 
 each publisher was relatively small the total amount paid by half 
 a dozen or more publishers would give an agency an attractive 
 income. The proposition appealed to the newspaper publishers, 
 who were glad to sign contracts for their services. The special 
 agents were so successful in getting advertising for their clients 
 that they soon earned for themselves a permanent place in the 
 advertising field. To-day these special representatives, as they 
 prefer to be called, are to be found in New York, Philadelphia, 
 Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco 
 and Boston. 
 
 A special agency has a number of publications on its list whose 
 advertising interests it looks after in the national field. Several 
 agencies in New York, where many of the largest are located, 
 represent thirty or more out-of-town newspapers. The size of 
 the territory covered by an agency depends upon the importance 
 of the publications. Sometimes an agency's activities are con- 
 fined to a single city like New York; sometimes to a group of 
 States like New England, the Atlantic Seaboard, the Middle 
 West or the Pacific Coast; and sometimes they cover the entire 
 country. 
 
 Publishers' representatives are paid in three ways a straight
 
 270 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 salary, a straight commission or a combination of salary and 
 commission. The more important agencies work on a commis- 
 sion basis, the smaller ones on a salary basis. When an agency 
 is paid a commission any business originating in its territory, 
 whether obtained by its solicitors or sent direct to the publications 
 by the advertiser himself, is credited to its account. 
 
 The special agencies not only secure national advertising for 
 their several publications, but they also attend to the billing and 
 collecting on such business. These organizations employ a 
 corps of expert salesmen who have a wide acquaintance among 
 general advertisers in each of the cities where they have offices. 
 In order that they may efficiently represent the newspapers of 
 their clients the agencies send their solicitors once or twice a 
 year to the cities where they are published, to obtain at first 
 hand a knowledge of local conditions, and their advantages as a 
 market; to get in touch with the jobbers and retailers and find 
 out the nature of their business and the kind of goods they handle. 
 This personal contact enables the salesmen to give the manu- 
 facturer they approach in the national field accurate information 
 concerning the local market and, frequently, to put him in 
 immediate contact with a live dealer who will be glad to handle 
 his line of goods. 
 
 A special representative of the first class is a developer of 
 business. His solicitors scour the country and call upon every 
 prospect, however remote, from whom there is the slightest 
 chance of securing an advertising contract. It is not infrequently 
 the case that a special agency places a newspaper on the national 
 advertising map as the result of its constant solicitation of 
 manufacturers or of the general advertising agents who handle 
 their accounts. 
 
 The special agency does not in any way encroach upon the 
 field occupied by the general agency. It writes no copy, fur- 
 nishes no illustrations or art work, performs no other services 
 that are usually rendered by the advertising agent. Its service 
 to the advertiser, after the contract has been signed, begins with 
 the receipt of the advertisements that are to appear in the 
 mediums it represents. It forwards the advertisements to the 
 publishers, sees that they are given correct position and that
 
 WHAT THE ADVERTISING AGENT DOES 271 
 
 they appear on the dates called for in the schedule. In due time 
 it bills the advertiser for the space used and collects the money. 
 The special agency at all times represents the publisher; the 
 general agency, the advertiser. 
 
 The advertising agent finds the special representative of 
 great assistance in preparing a list of mediums for an advertiser 
 to use, as the latter always keeps on file accurate information 
 concerning the publications he represents and the cities in which 
 they are located. The general agent does not have to write 
 or wire for the data he may need; all he has to do is to tele- 
 phone the special representative. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What proportion of all general advertising carried by newspapers and 
 magazines is placed by advertising agents? 
 
 2. How many agencies handle a million dollars' worth of business a year? 
 
 3. What are the qualifications of an advertising agent? 
 
 4. What is his relationship to the advertiser? 
 
 5. Why is recognition by the American Newspaper Publishers' Associa- 
 tion desirable? 
 
 6. What is the first important service the agent renders the advertiser? 
 Give an illustration. 
 
 7. What are the purposes of trade investigations as conducted by agencies ? 
 
 8. What services are rendered by the agency in the selection of mediums? 
 
 9. Outline an agency organization. 
 
 10. Give a summary of the things an agency does for a client. 
 
 11. How is the agency paid for its services and by whom? 
 
 12. Who does the agency represent the publisher or the advertiser? 
 
 13. What should be the agent's chief aim? 
 
 14. What is his hardest task? Give an illustration. 
 
 16. What is the name of the general agents' national organization? 
 
 16. What are special representatives? 
 
 17. In what cities are they located? 
 
 18. What service do they render the advertiser? 
 
 19. How are they paid and by whom? 
 
 20. In what ways do they differ from general agents? 
 
 21. Name three nationally known advertising agencies.
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 
 
 While the principles involved in selling advertising are the same 
 as those governing the sale of merchandise, it does not follow 
 that a man who has been successful in the latter occupation will 
 be equally successful in the marketing of advertising. The reason 
 is easily apparent. The dry-goods salesman disposes of manu- 
 factured products, something tangible, something that can be 
 delivered in bulk to the dealer. The advertising salesman, on 
 the other hand, sells space, perhaps in a newspaper or magazine, 
 in street cars, on the side or top of a building, or on a billboard. 
 Now white space in a newspaper or any other medium is intrinsi- 
 cally worthless, but when it is used to present an important 
 business message it becomes valuable. 
 
 The advertising solicitor therefore sells the advertiser some- 
 thing more than space. He sells opportunity, a chance to place 
 before thousands of possible buyers the merits of his goods. 
 Opportunity is real, but it is intangible. It cannot be measured 
 by a yard stick or weighed on scales. 
 
 When a salesman who has been selling merchandise switches 
 over to advertising he is at first disconcerted by the new condi- 
 tions he encounters. He feels that in selling space he is disposing 
 of something that is unsubstantial and visionary. How can a 
 man, he asks himself, work up much enthusiasm over a thing 
 so characterless and inane as white space? Moreover, the 
 circumstances under which he works are so different from those 
 to which he has been accustomed, and he finds so much difficulty 
 in adjusting himself to them, that he often becomes discouraged 
 and returns to the merchandising field. 
 
 To succeed as an advertising salesman a man must have 
 imagination, the ability to visualize the future and to point out 
 convincingly to the advertiser the possibilities that may be 
 
 272
 
 THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 273 
 
 realized through the aid of advertising. Otherwise, how can he 
 expect to convince a manufacturer that it would be a good in- 
 vestment for him to buy a page in a popular magazine at $5,000 
 or $6,000 several months from now, especially when results cannot 
 be guaranteed and the only thing he gets for his money is a 
 place to post his business appeal where many people can see it? 
 
 Qualifications of a Good Advertising Salesman. This leads 
 us to the consideration of the question, " What are the essential 
 qualifications of a successful salesman of advertising?" One 
 of the most important is that he shall possess the knack of sales- 
 manship. It is not acquired; he was born with it. Thousands 
 of men who win distinction in business and professional life do 
 not have it. We have known many of them. They couldn't sell 
 gold dollars at 50 cents apiece. The real salesman can take 
 the blank dummy of the first issue of a (new publication and go 
 out and get advertising for it not always, perhaps, but 
 frequently. He has the ability to convince and win over the 
 advertiser. If a man lacks this qualification he cannot acquire 
 it through study or training. If he at first possesses it only to a 
 limited degree it can be cultivated and developed through practice 
 until he becomes a successful salesman. 
 
 He Should Be Well-educated. The solicitor of advertising 
 need not necessarily be a college graduate, although many 
 of them are, but the wider his range of knowledge, the better 
 are his chances of success, for the reason that he comes in 
 contact with the highest grade of business men and must be able 
 to talk intelligently, not only about advertising but upon the 
 live topics of the day. The national advertisers or the prospects 
 with whom he will deal, either directly, or indirectly through 
 their principal assistants, are the owners or chief executives of 
 the businesses represented. He must meet them upon their own 
 level and submit the proposition he has to offer in grammatical 
 form and in a manner that carries conviction and commands 
 respect. 
 
 He Should Possess a Pleasing Personality. The salesman 
 should dress well but not extravagantly. The man who wears 
 "loud" clothes and showy jewelry is sometimes a good salesman 
 but more frequently he is not. He relies too much upon his 
 
 18
 
 274 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 apparel to make an impression upon the advertiser and too little 
 upon the presentation of logical arguments and convincing facts. 
 His flashy appearance is likely to arouse suspicion and distrust. 
 The salesman who commands the attention of busy executives 
 dresses neatly and in good taste, is clean-shaven and has the 
 bearing of a gentleman. 
 
 A finely cultivated, well-modulated voice, a graceful manner, 
 and good health, are considered valuable aids in the effective 
 presentation of any line of goods. In the early days of civiliza- 
 tion it was the eloquence of the vendor and his ability to charm 
 humanity that led to successful selling despite the quality of 
 the merchandise offered. 
 
 The modern salesman is alert in his manner, looks "like ready 
 money," and brings good cheer along with him when he makes a 
 call. There is no place in the sales field for a pessimist. Business 
 men have troubles enough of their own to think about without 
 listening to the gloomy statements and prophecies of animated 
 crape-hangers. The salesman should always be the bearer of 
 good tidings. If he takes proper care of himself, lives a tem- 
 perate life and cultivates a cheerful disposition, he cannot 
 help being an optimist. If he has a friendly, sunshiny smile 
 one that warms and cheers those upon whom it is bestowed he 
 has an asset that is worth a million dollars even though he may 
 never be able to cash in upon it to that extent. 
 
 He Must Have Enthusiasm. Without enthusiasm the adver- 
 tising salesman will make slow progress. If he is in poor health, 
 does not love his work, or has little or no confidence in his medium 
 as a producer of results, he cannot arouse enthusiasm in others. 
 In order to impress people with the worth of your publication you 
 must believe in it yourself not in a half-hearted manner, but 
 with your entire being. It may not be the best or the most 
 popular medium, but if it possesses real merit and the men behind 
 it have your confidence because of their character and ability, 
 you can go out and fight for business with an enthusiasm that 
 will kindle the interest of advertisers and produce contracts for 
 space. Enthusiasm that is born of conviction is the kind that 
 moves men to action. The salesman who has it finds it invalu- 
 able in winning the attention of prospects. It helps him to
 
 THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 275 
 
 overcome their apathy, their indifference, and sometimes even 
 their open hostility. But be sure that your enthusiasm is 
 genuine and not counterfeit, as the advertiser is quick to detect 
 insincerity and bluff. 
 
 The advertising salesman should have as complete a knowl- 
 edge of his publication as possible not alone, as to what it 
 prints but where and among whom it circulates and what re- 
 sults it gets for advertisers. Failure to get results is more often 
 due to defects in the plan of campaign than to the medium, 
 once the medium is intelligently selected. Consequently the 
 advertising salesman should know how and why advertisers 
 who have secured good results achieved their success, so that 
 they may give prospective customers the benefit of that ex- 
 perience. He must be able to visualize the tangible out of the 
 seemingly intangible. 
 
 Perseverance a Necessary Qualification. The selling of ad- 
 vertising is not by any means a lazy man's job. It is hard work 
 and calls for the continuous exercise of every faculty you possess. 
 In no business or profession is there greater need of persistency 
 and perseverance. Prospects are not easily persuaded to become 
 advertisers. Contracts are rarely signed as the result of the 
 first interview. It is only after they have been called upon many 
 times that manufacturers or merchants are won over to your 
 proposition. 
 
 William C. Freeman, formerly advertising manager of the 
 Evening Mail and of the New York American, in telling of his 
 experiences as an advertising solicitor, says: 
 
 "In my earlier career, I called on a man once a week for seventy- 
 eight weeks, each time taking less than five minutes, but I tried to say 
 something interesting in one minute, giving the other four minutes to 
 the man himself. 
 
 "On the seventy-eighth call he gave me a 25-line advertisement, 
 which cost him $5.00. He gave me $5.00 ads for three weeks; then he 
 increased them to $10.00, $15.00, and so on. At the end of eighteen 
 months he had spent $35,000. He is an advertiser to-day." 
 
 Mr. Freeman's experience is not unusual. A dozen instances 
 might be cited in which publishers' representatives have
 
 276 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 regularly called upon prospective advertisers from one to three 
 years before they secured a single order for space. It requires 
 great patience to keep up this kind of work, especially when the 
 solicitor has no means of knowing whether he will ever be able 
 to secure a contract. Of course, after he is convinced that it 
 would be a waste of time to continue his calls he drops the 
 prospect from his list and finds a more promising one to take 
 his place. 
 
 There are many reasons why it sometimes takes so long to 
 land an advertiser. If the solicitor represents an advertising 
 agency and he is endeavoring to secure the account of a manu- 
 facturer who has never advertised before, he must, before pre- 
 senting the advantages of the agency's service, convince him 
 that advertising is an economic force through the employment 
 of which it is possible to market his product to better advan- 
 tage than is possible in any other way. This takes time, owing to 
 the difficulty he experiences in securing interviews with the pros- 
 pect and the latter 's reluctance to discuss the subject of advertis- 
 ing, concerning which he may have some uncomplimentary 
 opinions. When the salesman has at length "sold" him on the 
 advantages of advertising, his next important problem is to prove 
 to him that the agency he represents can give him superior 
 service in handling his advertising interests. And, finally, the 
 solicitor must get the prospect to sign a contract authorizing 
 the agency to plan and carry out a well-defined advertising 
 campaign. 
 
 From the foregoing it will be easy to see why patience and 
 persistency are so vitally necessary in soliciting advertising. If 
 the salesman fails to keep after the prospect when he has once 
 gained his attention, if he allows his enthusiasm to peter out, 
 or if he neglects to supply the information asked for, he is likely 
 to lose all chances of landing him as a client. The number of 
 calls a solicitor can make in a day depends upon the distance he 
 travels, the success he has in finding the advertiser in and willing 
 to see him, the length of the interviews, etc. Twelve or fifteen 
 in the larger cities is about the limit. 
 
 Four Elements Necessary to a Sale. The elements entering 
 into a sale, whether of advertising or of merchandise, are: (1) the
 
 THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 277 
 
 article to be sold; (2) the buyer; (3) the salesman, and (4) the 
 profit. Unless there is a profit the transaction is not a sale, 
 but merely an exchange. "Successful selling is the art of apply- 
 ing to a prospective customer at the proper time and place the 
 intimate knowledge held by a competent person upon the sub- 
 ject of the goods he is handling." This definition,' given by 
 Eugene L. Markey, for many years sales manager of the Duplex 
 Printing Press Company, is worth remembering. It does not re- 
 quire much skill to sell goods at less than cost or their real worth 
 to the purchaser. Any fool can give them away. Such a sales- 
 man would not last long on the payroll of his employer. The 
 advertising salesman whose services are in demand is the one 
 who can sell space in a publication at regular rates and therefore 
 does not need to cut them to get business. 
 
 Salesmen are employed by advertising agencies, by newspaper 
 and periodical publishers, by manufacturers of advertising 
 specialties, by firms or companies engaged in selling street car, 
 poster, electric light and window display advertising. Because 
 of the wide variety of mediums the solicitor can find at least one 
 among them that specially appeals to him. Some salesman are 
 most successful in selling newspaper and magazine advertising, 
 while others score heaviest in selling street car or outdoor ad- 
 vertising. The best advice that can be given to the beginner is: 
 Select the medium that you will most enjoy working for and 
 which promises you a good return for your services. When 
 you have made your choice stick to it no matter what happens, 
 unless, after a thorough tryout, you become convinced that you 
 are not adapted to the work. It is better to discover your in- 
 capacity early in your career and take up another medium than 
 it is to go on for two or three years knowing that you can do 
 better at something else, and that you are thoroughly dissatisfied 
 with your lot. That man is happiest and does his best who is 
 engaged in an occupation that he likes. 
 
 Problems of the Salesman. Lack of preparation before 
 interviewing a prospective advertiser is often the cause of the 
 salesman's failure to land a contract. Assuming that he knows 
 all there is to know about his medium and other mediums in its 
 field, and about the results that have been secured through the
 
 278 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 use of its columns, he is not in a position to make the most out 
 of his first interview. Before calling upon the prospect he 
 should find out all he can about him and his business. He should 
 know something about his product if he is a national advertiser, 
 how the product is regarded by the trade, how it is distributed, 
 and how and to what extent it has been advertised. 
 
 With this information in hand the salesman should decide in 
 what way his medium or agency can be of service to the prospect, 
 so that when he makes his first call he will have something definite 
 to suggest. The salesman who bases his appeal for a contract 
 on the argument that because the manufacturer's advertising 
 is appearing in a rival publication it ought also to appear in his, 
 is making the weakest kind of a canvass. On the other hand, if 
 he can present a single practical suggestion of value to the 
 advertiser he will secure at once the latter's attention and in- 
 terest, and in the end may obtain an order from him. 
 
 Be of Service to the Advertiser. It is well to remember that 
 in selling advertising the salesman should continually keep in 
 mind the idea of being helpful to the advertiser. The appeal 
 should never be, "We need your support because we are publish- 
 ing a newspaper or periodical that is of benefit to the public," 
 but rather, "We can be of service to you by introducing your 
 product to thousands of our readers who have the money to buy 
 it." It is this idea of service to the advertiser that ought to be 
 emphasized in all soliciting interviews. Manufacturers want 
 to increase their sales and widen their influence in their own field. 
 How to achieve these results at a minimum of cost is their ever- 
 present problem. If a salesman can throw any light upon the 
 subject he is rendering a service to the prospect that he will not 
 soon forget. If you show him that you are posted upon condi- 
 tions existing in his line of business and know what you are talking 
 about, he will listen to what you have to say with keen interest. 
 There is nothing that will more quickly exasperate a merchant 
 than the misstatements and ignorance of a salesman who under- 
 takes to enlighten him about his own business. 
 
 Some Practical Suggestions. It would be impossible within 
 the limits of this chapter to present all of the helpful suggestions 
 that might be given to a young salesman. Those listed below
 
 THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 279 
 
 have been crystallized out of the experiences of many successful 
 advertising men and are therefore worth remembering. 
 
 Don't Misrepresent Your Medium. In presenting the advan- 
 tages of your medium do not exaggerate or misrepresent its 
 merit. Give the facts about its circulation, the class of readers 
 it reaches and its standing in its field. If the advertiser finds 
 that you have lied to him on any one of these points he will lose 
 confidence in other statements you may make. If your publica- 
 tion is not suited to a man's business don't solicit his advertising. 
 You will lose a commission but you will keep your self-respect. 
 The solicitor who induces an advertiser to take space in a publica- 
 tion that cannot serve his interests is little better than the 
 dealer in gold bricks. 
 
 A magazine solicitor who, while interviewing an advertiser, 
 was asked how many inquiries he would guarantee from one 
 insertion of an advertisement in his publication, replied, "Not a 
 single inquiry, but the best possible publicity." His frankness 
 had its own reward, for the prospect in giving him an order for 
 six pages said, "I wouldn't have bought a line in your magazine 
 had you guaranteed results/* 
 
 It is not as difficult for an advertiser to find out the circulation 
 of a periodical as it was a few years ago, when publishers either 
 refused to quote circulation figures or exaggerated them. It was 
 not unusual in those days to claim several thousand more readers 
 or subscribers than it had. George P. Rowell did what he could 
 to induce publications listed in his American Newspaper Direc- 
 tory to tell the truth about their circulations. He went so far 
 as to offer $100 to anyone who would prove that a publisher 
 had made a false statement in his directory. He paid out quite 
 a lot of money in this way but the effect upon circulation state- 
 ments was beneficial. 
 
 The Audit Bureau of Circulations, to which a large number of 
 the most important publications now belong, has done more to 
 make circulation statements believable than any other organiza- 
 tion. It has the full confidence of advertisers and it goes a 
 long way when a salesman, in soliciting business, says that his 
 newspaper is a member of the A. B. C. and has a circulation of 
 so many thousand copies. There is, therefore, no sense in mis-
 
 280 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 representing the figures. It is not always the size of a circulation 
 that determines its desirability as an advertising medium, but its 
 quality. Lord Northcliffe, London's greatest newspaper and 
 periodical publisher, when he was known as Sir Alfred Harms- 
 worth, in discussing with Manley M. Gillam, of the New York 
 Herald, the European edition of that newspaper, said: 
 
 "The Paris Herald, with its circulation of 15,000 or 20,000 
 copies, is more valuable than the 750,000 or 800,000 of the London 
 Mail. My papers go to the Continent to people who are abroad 
 to make money, while your papers go to people who are abroad to 
 spend money. I don't hesitate to say that, for such advertising, 
 your paper is more valuable than mine." 
 
 In presenting to an advertiser the advantages to be derived 
 from the use of his publication the solicitor is justified in making 
 them as attractive as possible, but he should make no statements 
 that he cannot prove. 
 
 Don't Knock Your Competitors. It is not good business to 
 attack other mediums in your field in an effort to make your own 
 appear to better advantage in the eyes of the prospect. The 
 man to whom you are talking may know some one connected 
 with the publication that you are saying uncomplimentary 
 things about and resent your remarks, although he may not 
 open his mouth. Moreover, it is human nature to take the side 
 of any one who is being attacked. A salesman had made fine 
 progress toward securing a contract from a large manufacturer, 
 when, in order to strengthen the position of the newspaper he 
 represented, he began to knock his chief competitor. The ad- 
 vertiser, after listening to him for a few moments, with an 
 impatience that he made no effort to conceal, exclaimed, 
 
 "After what you have said about the I wouldn't give you 
 
 an order for space under any consideration. You evidently 
 thought that I had no knowledge concerning it and therefore 
 would believe anything you might say to its discredit. I happen 
 to be a small stockholder in that paper and know that the state- 
 ments you have made are untrue. I don't want to have anything 
 further to do with you." 
 
 Know When to Stop Talking. If you have been given an 
 opportunity to present your medium say what you have to say
 
 THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 281 
 
 briefly and to the point. You should have your arguments so 
 well thought out and arranged beforehand that you waste no 
 words. Your line of talk is suggested by the questions of the 
 prospect or the circumstances under which you are addressing 
 him. A good salesman doesn't prepare a set speech which he 
 delivers as soon as he finds himself alone with the prospect. A 
 parrot-like canvass is a bore. No business man wants to listen 
 to it. Let what you have to say be spontaneous and expressed 
 in the language of the moment. If you know your medium, 
 as you should, and are full of facts about it that are of interest 
 and value to advertisers, you will have no difficulty in putting 
 your message across. You should know when you are through, 
 when it is time to ask the prospect to put his name on the dotted 
 line. We have heard of instances in which salesmen, after hav- 
 ing sold the advertiser on their proposition, have kept on talking 
 untO they have unsold him. If the prospect wants more time to 
 consider the matter, or if, for some reason, his mind is preoccupied 
 and he does not give your statements the attention they deserve, 
 don't argue with him further. Wait until another time to 
 complete the canvass. Whether your reception has been cordial 
 or not always leave the door open behind you, figuratively speak- 
 ing, so that you can return. 
 
 Closing the Sale. dowry Chapman, author of "The Law of 
 Advertising and Sales," in an address before the advertising staff 
 of the New York Times, said: 
 
 "Cold and abstract logic never closed a sale unless accompanied 
 by some suggestion that created a mental image of the prospect's con- 
 dition and needs, and converted an impression into an impulse. It is 
 not always possible to create these mental images during an interview. 
 Sometimes they precede and sometimes they follow an interview. 
 Sometimes they are not created by the spoken word at all but by some 
 visible impression." 
 
 If the mental image created through suggestion is strong and 
 appealing, the impulse naturally, but not always, follows. A 
 single valuable idea presented to a prospect by a solicitor will, 
 in almost an instant, produce a favorable reaction. In selling 
 advertising for a publication devoted to the newspaper industry 
 the writer interviewed the owner of a daily that had led all
 
 282 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 others in the volume of advertising printed during the year. 
 The advertising manager said that his chief was a hard man to 
 get any advertising out of and doubted very much whether he 
 could be landed. The interview with the owner did not last ten 
 minutes but it resulted in an order for advertising. What 
 won him over was the argument that having carried more ad- 
 vertising in his newspaper than any one of the great dailies of 
 New York and Chicago, he ought to tell newspaper publishers, 
 as well as national advertisers, about it and thus add to his 
 paper's prestige and at the same time call attention to its stand- 
 ing as an advertising medium. In other words, the appeal was 
 to his pride and his business acumen. The mental image created 
 by the suggestion was so attractive and convincing that he was 
 impelled to respond. 
 
 For years the salesmen of the National Cash Register Company 
 tried to secure a hearing from George Gould when he was 
 actively engaged in the railroad business, but failed. Finally, 
 they prepared and sent him a catalog printed on Japan paper and 
 bound in vellum, with his crest inscribed in gold on the cover. 
 This was enclosed in a leather case and securely locked. From 
 the number of orders sent in by Mr. Gould's railroads shortly 
 after he had received it, it was evident that the catalog with 
 its attractive illustrations and typography had won him over. 
 
 Some solicitors have trouble in closing the sale. They are 
 able to present their proposition in such a way as to interest the 
 prospect, but when it comes to getting his signature to a contract 
 they have great difficulty. The Western representative of a 
 New York magazine had a particularly hard case to deal with. 
 He couldn't seem to bring the advertiser to the sticking-point and 
 so when the New York manager came to Chicago on business he 
 asked him to call with him on the prospect. The interview 
 lasted perhaps half an hour, the manager leading the conversation 
 and confining his remarks to general topics. Several times the 
 prospect tried to open up the subject of advertising but each 
 time the manager parried, much to the amazement of the Western 
 representative who, when they left, asked him why he had not 
 allowed the man to talk about advertising. 
 
 "Bet you a gold watch," the manager answered, "the next
 
 THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 283 
 
 time you call on him you'll get an order." And sure enough 
 his prophecy came true. What the manager had done was to 
 create desire without seemingly making an attempt to do so. 
 
 Don't afford the advertiser a chance to give you a flat refusal to 
 buy what you have to sell. Assume that he will eventually give 
 you an order and that the delay is due to reasons that will shortly 
 be overcome. It takes some men a long time to make up their 
 minds. If you force them to an early decision it is likely to be 
 unfavorable. Be patient, keep your temper however exasperat- 
 ing the delay or how cavalierly you are treated. Make the 
 prospect feel that you are more anxious to serve him than you 
 are to earn a commission. If you personally make a good 
 impression upon him through your unfailing courtesy and your 
 consideration of his interests, the turn-down of to-day may be- 
 come a contract to-morrow. 
 
 Advantage of Knowing How to Prepare Copy. The solicitor 
 who understands advertisement layout and copy construction 
 has a distinct advantage over the one who does not. Through 
 his close contact with the prospect or the client and the business 
 he represents he can make suggestions and submit plans that 
 would not occur, perhaps, to the solicitor who has had no practical 
 experience in the preparation of copy. He not only strengthens 
 his hold on the advertiser but he enhances his own value to the 
 periodical or the agency he represents. A working knowledge of 
 copy-writing can be acquired through study in the courses of 
 advertising provided by the Y.M.C.A., by schools, colleges and 
 universities. As instruction is given in evening classes in most 
 of these institutions when they are located in large cities, it is 
 possible for the young solicitor to attend them without interfering 
 with his daily occupation. When instruction of this kind is not 
 available the correspondence school courses will be found exceed- 
 ingly helpful. 
 
 Best Time for Interviews. Salesmen who have been long 
 in the advertising field do not agree as to when the first calls of 
 the day should be made. Business men do not usually fix 
 appointments much earlier than 10 or 11 o'clock, unless their 
 offices are open at 8 o'clock. They devote the first hour of 
 the day to looking over the morning's mail, dictating letters
 
 284 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 and giving instructions to their assistants. If conferences with 
 department heads or associates are scheduled they may take 
 up the entire forenoon. When salemen's calls are made before 
 the luncheon hour the time chosen should be between 10 and 
 12 : 30 o'clock. Several salesmen have told me that they are 
 much more liable to find advertisers in and willing to see them 
 after lunch than before, as they are then through with the most 
 strenuous work of the day, and having had something to eat and 
 smoked a good cigar, they are more approachable and in a more 
 receptive frame of mind. Most business men are at their offices 
 until 5 o'clock and make appointments up to that hour. 
 
 If possible it is advisable to secure an appointment with the 
 prospect by letter or by telephone in advance of your call. It 
 saves time and enables you to arrange your day's work to the 
 best advantage. When you arrive at your office in the morning 
 you should spend the first hour in arranging the day's schedule 
 and in preparing for the interviews you expect to have. Don't 
 waste time sitting around the office. Get out on your rounds as 
 soon as you can and make a definite number of calls every day. 
 If you keep a memorandum of the results of these calls the 
 information will help you in future interviews. Don't be super- 
 stitious. Friday is just as good a day for doing business as 
 Monday or Wednesday. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What does the advertising solicitor sell besides white space? 
 
 2. Why is it desirable that he possess a good education? 
 
 3. In what way does a pleasing personality contribute to his success? 
 
 4. Why are enthusiasm and perseverance necessary qualifications? 
 
 6. Why does it sometimes take months to get a contract from an ad- 
 vertiser? 
 
 6. What four elements enter into a sale? 
 
 7. What are some of the things to be considered by a young man in 
 selecting the medium he is to represent? 
 
 8. What preparation should a solicitor make before calling upon a 
 prospect for the first time? 
 
 9. How can a solicitor be of service to the advertiser? 
 
 10. Why is truth-telling essential in selling advertising? 
 
 11. What should be the salesman's attitude toward competitors?
 
 THE ADVERTISING SALESMAN 285 
 
 12. Give several practical suggestions concerning the canvass of a 
 prospect. 
 
 13. What are some of the things that help in closing a contract? 
 
 14. Give Clowry Chapman's views on the subject. 
 
 16. Is a knowledge of copy-writing helpful to a solicitor? In what ways? 
 16. What are the best times in the day to interview an advertiser or a 
 prospect?
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 HOW TRADE-MARKS HELP THE ADVERTISER 
 
 Andrew Carnegie, in addressing the graduating class at 
 Stevens Institute, on one occasion said: "Young man, make 
 your name worth something. If you can sell a hat for $1 you 
 can sell it for $2 if you stamp it with your name and make the 
 public feel that your name stands for something." Mr. Carnegie 
 probably did not know that in these few words he embodied the 
 philosophy of the trade-mark. 
 
 Roy W. Johnson, an expert authority, says: "A trade-mark is 
 a symbol attached to the goods which indicates their origin." 
 Another writer has defined it as "a symbol or device used to 
 identify goods or service." 
 
 A trade-mark, however, does something more than identify the 
 product or service: 
 
 1. It safeguards the consumer against substitution and imita- 
 tions. The buyer who knows and likes the merchandise, and is 
 familiar with its trade-mark, is not to be put off with another 
 brand that is "just as good." He insists on getting what he 
 calls for and if he cannot get it in one store he will go to another, 
 and so on until he finds what he wants. 
 
 2. It protects the manufacturer's sales. The dealer who 
 handles his goods knows it is for his interest to sell them because 
 they are so well advertised that he needs spend but little time or 
 effort in trying to interest his own customers in them. Virtually 
 the goods are already sold when he puts them on his shelves. 
 
 3. Trade-marked goods, intelligently advertised, yield the manu- 
 facturer a larger return for his labor, and are usually purchased 
 by the consumer at a lower price. The greater the volume of sales 
 the lower the unit cost of production. This means that the 
 public gets a better article at a less price. 
 
 4. The trade-mark fixes responsibility and assures the consumer 
 that the manufacturer will maintain the standard he has adopted 
 
 286
 
 HOW TRADEMARKS HELP THE ADVERTISER 287 
 
 for his product. It is, of course, possible for a manufacturer, 
 after he has established his market, to substitute cheaper ma- 
 terials and cheaper workmanship; and while, for a few weeks, 
 the demand would continue just as strong as before, the public 
 would soon learn of the deception, the trade-mark would become 
 discredited and the sales would fall to an unprofitable level. 
 Any deterioration in the product means a corresponding decline 
 in the value of the trade-mark. 
 
 But whatever other missions the trade-mark may have, its 
 primary and most important function is to identify the goods. 1 1 
 enables the buyer to pick out of a dozen articles of the same kind, 
 the products of as many manufacturers, the one that he knows, 
 from experience or through advertising, to be the article he wants. 
 They may be exactly alike in physical appearance and yet the 
 one bearing the familiar trade-mark is preferred by him above all 
 the others. He takes greater personal enjoyment out of its 
 possession because of the prominence given it in the advertising 
 columns of the newspapers, and because he has been led to appre- 
 ciate its qualities through the same medium. A woman when 
 out shopping may forget the brand name of an article she desires 
 to purchase, but if she knows the trade-mark it bears she will 
 have no trouble in identifying it at the store. A little girl who 
 had been sent to the druggist for talcum powder asked for the 
 kind "with a face on it." The druggist gave her a box with 
 the picture of a baby on the front. "That ain't the one," 
 said the child impatiently, "I want the one with a man's 
 face on it" (Mennen's) and she got it. 
 
 On account of its importance, much thought and study should 
 be devoted to the selection of a trade-mark, because when it has 
 once been adopted and registered it cannot be altered or changed 
 without imperiling whatever' good will or other value it may have 
 acquired through advertising and the satisfactory service the 
 article has rendered the consumer. There are certain principles 
 which, if kept in mind when you are deciding upon a trade-mark, 
 will save considerable expense and annoyance in the future. 
 
 A trade-mark may be a word, a symbol, or a picture; or it may consist 
 of a combination of any two or all three of these elements. On 
 another page may be seen a number of trade-marks that have
 
 288 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 (YALE-) 
 
 A group of trade-marks that have been made famous through advertising.
 
 HOW TRADE-MARKS HELP THE ADVERTISER 289 
 
 been made nationally famous through advertising. Most of 
 them are extremely simple in design and are easily identified. 
 
 Pictorial Trade -marks. The pictorial trade-mark makes the 
 most vivid and lasting impression. The quaint picture of the 
 Dutch housewife chasing dirt, which appears on every can of 
 Old Dutch Cleanser, has been considered by many advertising 
 experts one of the best trade-marks in use at the present time. 
 When you have once seen it and understand its symbolism you 
 can never forget it. It has a strong individuality. The uplif ted 
 stick, the hurrying feet and the pose of the woman's body all 
 indicate aggressive action. You feel that if there is any dirt 
 concealed in the kitchen she is going to find it and chase it away 
 with Old Dutch Cleanser. 
 
 Another conspicuous example of the pictorial trade-mark is 
 that of the Victor Talking Machine, showing a dog listening at 
 the mouth of the reproduction horn of a phonograph to "His 
 Master's Voice." There is not probably in the United States a 
 town or city in which a majority of those who read the newspapers 
 or magazines are not familiar with the Victor trade-mark. 
 Equally well known, perhaps, is the picture of the Chocolate 
 Girl which, for nearly half a century, has appeared on every 
 package of chocolate and cocoa made by Walter Baker & Com- 
 pany. The Gold Dust Twins, of the N. K. Fairbank Company, 
 is another distinguished example of the pictorial trade-mark. 
 
 Symbol Trade -marks. The best known symbol trade-mark is 
 probably that of the National Biscuit Company. When it was 
 first adopted in 1900 there was much speculation as to its origin. 
 Some thought it was an adaptation of Plimsol's mark used on the 
 hulls of English ships to indicate the loading limit. W. W. Green, 
 who was then president of the Company, finally ended the dis- 
 cussion by stating that it was the symbol employed by a Venetian 
 printer several hundred years ago to mark the products of his 
 shop. 
 
 Two trade-marks consisting of words only are those of the Yale 
 and Towne Manufacturing Company and Postum Cereal. 
 The word "YALE" is stamped upon every lock produced by the 
 former company. Postum Cereal is not only the brand name 
 of the product indicated, but it is also its trade-mark. As it 
 
 19
 
 290 
 
 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 THIS tit He root-lettered" word b 
 the biggest possible cuurfntee you 
 can have of quality, security and fitness 
 in Locks, Padlocks, Ni'ghl-l.tclies. 
 Oir Closers, or Builders' Hardnnre. 
 Back of this guarantee stands an 
 enviable record of successful achieve- 
 ment, built upon better goods, made 
 in a belter plant, and by better 
 workmen. 
 
 To Uantmtn <Wm 
 
 . 
 ffoodt or M//IM? kilpi, irriti 
 
 The Yale & Towne Mfg. Co. 
 
 tlikrn of TALE ProducU: Locks, ritllocki. 
 Oattmt Ofatt > East 40tb Su New York, U. S. A. 
 
 An ingenious way of impressing a trade-mark upon the mind of the reader.
 
 HOW TRADE-MARKS HELP THE ADVERTISER 291 
 
 has been advertised to the extent of over a million and a half 
 dollars annually for the past fifteen years, Postum has become 
 the best-known substitute for coffee in the world. 
 
 The trade-mark or catch phrase should be in some way associated 
 with the name or some particular characteristic of the goods. A 
 good example is the Prudential Life Insurance Company's Rock 
 of Gibraltar, which conveys the impression of solidity and 
 strength. When the Eastman Kodak Company adopted the 
 phrase, "You press the button, we do the rest," and advertised 
 it extensively, no other camera was being exploited in the news- 
 papers and magazines. There was no danger, therefore, that 
 the public would associate the slogan with any other make than 
 the Kodak, itself a coined word. 
 
 Avoid the Use of Descriptive Words. "Premier, " "De Luxe, " 
 "Exclusive" and "Quality" sound well and look well in print, 
 especially when the lettering is distinctive, but as trade-marks 
 they are a delusion and a snare, for the reason that other manu- 
 facturers cannot be prevented from employing them as descriptive 
 adjectives. If you cannot be protected in the exclusive use of 
 a word of this kind, except under extraordinary conditions, why 
 use it as a part of your trade-mark? 
 
 Use of Geographical Terms and Family Names Should Be 
 Avoided. If you were a manufacturer of furniture at Grand 
 Rapids, Michigan, it would look like a good advertising propo- 
 sition to use as a distinctive feature of your trade-mark the 
 words "Made in Grand Rapids" or just "Grand Rapids" and 
 thus identify your products with the leading furniture manu- 
 facturing center of the country. And so it would, but every 
 manufacturer in Grand Rapids has a right to say that his goods 
 are made there and mark the name upon them. In other words, 
 there can be no exclusive use of the name of the furniture city. 
 Therefore, you can see why it is inadvisable to use it in your 
 trade-mark. The same thing might be said about other cities 
 that are identified with certain industries. 
 
 Family names are identified with some very well-known lines 
 of merchandise. But that does not make them good trade- 
 marks. The fact that they are well-known leads to constant 
 attempts at infringement, and a family name is extremely dim-
 
 292 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 cult to protect against others who have a right to use the same 
 name. The courts will not prevent a man from using his own 
 family name, and it is a source of constant expense and vexa- 
 tion to attempt to maintain exclusive rights to the use of such 
 a name as a trade-mark. And always bear in mind that a 
 trade-mark is not a good trade-mark unless you can maintain 
 an exclusive right to its use as a trade-mark. 
 
 The right to exclude all others from its use is the very 
 essence of a trade-mark. 
 
 In marketing a new product, however, the use of the manu- 
 facturer s name as a part of a trade-mark should be avoided. 
 You cannot prevent other manufacturers from tying their names 
 to their own products. If their names happened to be the same 
 as yours you would have no advantage over them, as consumers 
 would be unable to distinguish between them. Moreover, in 
 most cases, other words can be found that will convey an idea of 
 quality or of utility or some other characteristic of the article 
 that will help sales. Educator is a better name for a shoe than 
 Douglas or Hanan because it implies, in children's shoes, the 
 training of children's feet in the way they should walk. 
 
 Coined Words. Some of the most successful trade-marks and 
 brand names have been coined words. Uneeda, O-Cedar, 
 Sapolio, Pianola, Kodak, Nabisco and Socony belong to this 
 class. The origin of some of these coined names is interesting. 
 Nabisco is a word formed by combining the first letters of the 
 words, "National Biscuit Company." In the same way Socony is 
 formed of the first letters in the name of the Standard Oil 
 Company of New York. 
 
 The brand or trade-mark name should be short, easy to pro- 
 nounce and not hard to remember. Long words are cumbersome, 
 difficult to fix in the mind and take up too much space. If a 
 name is difficult to pronounce people will hesitate to ask for it 
 at the stores for fear they will betray their ignorance through 
 its mispronunciation. It has been stated that the manufac- 
 turers of Bon Ami, an extensively advertised kitchen cleanser, 
 have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales because the 
 women who would like to buy it did not know how to pronounce 
 the name.
 
 HOW TRADE-MARKS HELP THE ADVERTISER 293 
 
 Words from foreign languages, unless they have become 
 familiar through constant use in advertisements and in news- 
 paper articles, should be avoided. Only a small proportion of 
 our population can read or speak French, Italian, Spanish, or 
 German. Therefore, why adopt words from those languages 
 when 80 or 90 per cent, of your audience would not know what 
 they mean? 
 
 Select a Name That Will Be Original and Distinctive. Com- 
 monplace names like Star, Diamond, Arrow and Shield have been 
 worn threadbare through constant use during the past half 
 century and therefore should not be adopted. Choose one that 
 is simple and contains but one concept or idea. If it contains 
 two or more it is apt to be confusing. Better by far one strong 
 forceful point than several weak ones. 
 
 When you have finally decided upon your trade-mark the next 
 thing to do is to find out whether it has already been adopted by 
 someone else. It not unusually happens that the trade-mark 
 upon which you have expended much thought, and which you 
 felt confident was a distinct departure from the conventional 
 trade-mark, was designed and registered years ago. The govern- 
 ment at Washington has a record of every trade-mark that has 
 been registered. By consulting this record you can ascertain 
 whether any trade-mark similar to yours has previously been 
 registered. 
 
 How to Proceed. The person who wishes to register a trade- 
 mark makes application to the Patent Office according to 
 required form. The application and the name and symbol are 
 printed in the Patent Office Gazette, and if, at the end of a month, 
 no one has entered an opposition the trade-mark is confirmed. 
 If you value your trade-mark you should watch carefully the new 
 applications that are published in the Gazette from month to 
 month. Should anyone attempt to register an infringement on 
 your trade-mark you will have a chance to stop it and save your- 
 self endless trouble and expense later on. The Patent Office 
 Gazette carries no advertisements and is sent to any address for 
 $5 a year. 
 
 Term of Registration. A trade-mark is considered by many 
 manufacturers better than a patent which runs only seventeen
 
 294 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 years and then becomes public property. Moreover, while a 
 patent protects the article itself it affords no protection to the de- 
 mand for that article. On the other hand, a trade-mark protects 
 both and there is practically no limit to its life, and its value in- 
 creases from year to year. The public is not specially interested 
 in a patent but it is interested in a trade-mark because it is the 
 means of identifying an article which has won its favor. The 
 trade-mark protects and promotes the demand as well as the com- 
 modity itself. The trade-marking of goods is therefore of prime 
 importance to the manufacturer if they are to be exploited 
 through advertising. 
 
 Cost of Registration. The cost of registering a trade-mark in the 
 United States, including the lawyer's fees, is $25, and the term, 
 twenty years; in France, $25, and the period, ten years; in 
 England, $35, and the term, fourteen years; in Germany, $40 to 
 $45, and the period, ten years; in Cuba, $45, for fifteen years; 
 and in Japan $75, for twenty years. In most of the countries 
 represented it is possible to get a renewal of the registration 
 period by the payment of the regular fee. 
 
 If you intend to do an export business it is extremely important 
 that you register your trade-mark in all countries in which you 
 hope to establish a demand for your products. The necessity of 
 doing this may be apparent when it is known that in South 
 America it is possible for a native to register your trade-mark as 
 his own, if you have not already registered it. You have no re- 
 dress. The only thing you can do is to make an arrangement 
 with the thief under which he will allow you to do business. 
 
 In the United States the law protects the public by protecting 
 the owner of the mark. The consumer has a right to depend 
 upon the trade-mark in identifying the goods which won his favor 
 by reason of their quality. Anyone who imitates a registered 
 trade-mark can be prosecuted. The National Biscuit Company 
 has brought action against dozens of manufacturers who repro- 
 duced the Uneeda Biscuit package so closely that many people 
 did not know they were being deceived. The object of these imi- 
 tations was, of course, to profit from the demand created by the 
 extensive advertising of the National Biscuit Company. 
 
 If a firm adopts a trade-mark and fails to have it registered,
 
 HOW TRADE-MARKS HELP THE ADVERTISER 295 
 
 and another concern in another state adopts the same symbol or 
 device, priority of use would determine its ownership. Under 
 the court's decision the losing firm would be compelled to abandon 
 the use of the trade-mark and devise another to take its place. 
 This, of course, involves considerable expense. 
 
 Manufacturers who have invested large amounts of money in 
 advertising a brand name or trade-marked product are careful 
 to avoid doing anything that will lessen the good will that the ad- 
 vertising has created. For this reason they will not try to palm 
 off on their dealers " seconds " as " firsts. " Instead, they remove 
 the trade-mark or other identifying marks and sell the goods to a 
 cheaper grade of stores. 
 
 The government issues a pamphlet on the registration of 
 trade-marks which can be had free on application If prospective 
 advertisers will study the pamphlet they will obtain from it many 
 helpful suggestions on the subject. When you have an article 
 for which a demand can be created, and an appropriate trade- 
 mark by which it can be identified, you have the materials for 
 the foundation of a good business. 
 
 What May Not Be Registered. The following are not proper 
 subjects for trade-mark registration: 
 
 1. The flag, coat-of-arms, or other insignia of the United 
 States, or any other municipality, or of any foreign country. 
 
 2. Trade-marks so closely resembling trade-marks already in 
 use that the public is liable to be deceived by them. 
 
 3. Names of persons, firms, or corporations not written on or 
 affixed to the goods in some distinctive manner. 
 
 4. Descriptive terms. 
 
 5. Geographical and descriptive terms, family names, insignia, 
 etc., unless in use since February 21, 1895, under the act of 
 1905. 
 
 6. Portraits of living people without first obtaining their 
 written consent. 
 
 How the Dealer Is Benefited in Handling Trade -marked 
 Merchandise. From the retailer's viewpoint the question as to 
 whether to sell goods under his own or the manufacturer's trade- 
 mark is important. Is it better to exploit someone else's name 
 than your own? Why should you help build up a reputation
 
 296 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 and demand for a branded article that is controlled by a big 
 manufacturer? 
 
 If you wish to carry the entire burden of advertising and do 
 not want to avail yourself of any help the manufacturer can give 
 you to promote your sales of his product, there is, of course, only 
 one answer. But if, on the other hand, you desire to receive 
 benefits to be derived from the extensive advertising campaigns 
 carried on by national distributors who employ experts to prepare 
 copy that will send people to your store to purchase their 
 products, without a single cent of expense to you, then you 
 will find that it pays to handle nationally advertised trade- 
 marked goods. 
 
 A merchant who owned two stores in different cities had for 
 several years sold well-advertised and well-known trade-marked 
 men's hats, clothes, shoes and underwear. The stores had been 
 established a long time and were deservedly popular with the 
 people hi the cities where they were located. There had been 
 a question in his mind whether he would not be better off finan- 
 cially had he sold, during the years he had been in business, goods 
 bearing his own name and trade-mark. He had a good reputation 
 and his customers could rely upon any statement made about 
 the merchandise he handled. 
 
 When he opened a third store he concluded to put the matter 
 to the test by stocking it with identically the same kind of goods 
 sold in the other stores, but bearing his own brand names instead 
 of those of the manufacturers. He hired the best advertising 
 manager he could find to write the advertisements of the new 
 store, liberal space being taken in the local newspapers. 
 
 At the end of sixteen months the merchant went to the manu- 
 facturers and told them frankly that his policy had been a mis- 
 taken one as business at the end of the third selling season had 
 not been at all satisfactory. He ordered his next season's stock 
 made up with the manufacturers' own labels attached, and when 
 the goods were delivered he devoted his advertising to talks about 
 their well-known brands. 
 
 The adoption of the new policy had an immediate effect upon 
 the business of the store. More people responded to the adver- 
 tising and the volume of sales showed a marked improvement.
 
 HOW TRADE-MARKS HELP THE ADVERTISER 297 
 
 At the end of three seasons (eighteen months) the receipts were 
 several times greater than they were at the beginning. 
 
 The experience of this merchant shows conclusively that in 
 his case, at least, advertised trade-marked goods were more profit- 
 able for him to handle than those bearing his own brand names. 
 Other retailers have had a similar experience. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. What is a trade-mark? 
 
 2. What four things does it do? 
 
 3. What is its primary function? 
 
 4. Of what may a trade-mark consist? Give examples of each. 
 
 6. What general principle should govern the selection of a trade-mark? 
 
 6. Why should descriptive words be avoided? 
 
 7. Why are geographical names objectionable? 
 
 8. Should proper names be used? Give the reasons. 
 
 9. What are the characteristics of a good trade-mark? 
 
 10. How do you register a trade-mark? 
 
 11. What does it cost and what is the period of registration? 
 
 12. If you are engaged in the export business why is it necessary to 
 register your trade-mark in foreign countries? 
 
 13. How can infringement be prevented in the United States? 
 
 14. What service does the U. S. Patent Office Gazette render? 
 16. What are not proper subjects for registration? 
 
 16. Of what benefit is it to the dealer to handle trade-marked merchandise? 
 
 17. Prepare a list of trade-marks with which you are familiar. 
 
 18. Design a trade-mark for the Mayflower Brand of Ginger Ale.
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 THE ECONOMICS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 It is self-evident that no business will show a profit at the end 
 of the year unless its receipts have exceeded its expenditures. 
 The manufacturer, for instance, must get back what he has paid 
 out before he can realize upon his investment. Hence the price 
 at which he sells his products must not only include the cost of 
 raw materials, their fabrication into the finished article, and the 
 marketing, but also a reasonable profit. Advertising, as we 
 have already seen, is a selling expense and hence is one of the 
 items upon which the price to the purchaser is based. The 
 answer to the old question, "Who pays for the advertising?" is, 
 therefore, "The consumer." No matter how ingenious the 
 arguments advanced by those who undertake to prove that the 
 non-advertiser or someone else bears the burden, the fact remains 
 that the consumer, and he alone, foots the bill. 
 
 Admitting, then, that the price paid by the purchaser covers 
 the cost of advertising, the next important question to be con- 
 sidered is, "Does the consumer pay more for the merchandise 
 than he would if no money were spent for advertising?" One 
 of the chief arguments advanced in behalf of unadvertised pro- 
 ducts is that the buyer gets as good, if not a better article at a 
 lower price than when advertised merchandise is purchased. 
 
 If advertising only benefited the manufacturer this would be a 
 sound argument, but it so happens that advertising by increasing 
 the demand reduces the cost of production, thus enabling the 
 consumer to buy a better article at the same price, or as good an 
 article at a lower price than is charged for unadvertised goods. 
 Let us consider the evidence in proof of this statement. 
 
 Advertising Standardizes Quality. Advertising standardizes 
 the quality of manufactured products. L. D. H. Weld, of the 
 Commercial Research Department of Swift & Company, Chicago, 
 
 298
 
 THE ECONOMICS OF ADVERTISING 299 
 
 and formerly professor of Business Administration at Yale 
 University, in discussing this subject in Printers' Ink, says; 
 
 "The standardization of quality in itself is a benefit to con- 
 sumers. The buyer of an advertised article knows what he is 
 getting ; he can be sure that it is as nearly like his previous purchase 
 of the same brand as it is humanly possible to make it. There 
 may be and undoubtedly are unadvertised goods that are equal 
 in quality to the advertised brands, but the chances are that the 
 high standard of quality of such unadvertised articles has been 
 attained in an effort to reach or to surpass the standard set by 
 the advertised articles." 
 
 In 1914 Fruiters' Ink conducted an inquiry to ascertain what 
 effect advertising had upon the quality and price of merchandise. 
 Of twenty-nine firms that submitted answers, five reported 
 reduced prices, the quality remaining the same; sixteen reported 
 prices the same, but quality improved or being improved, and 
 eight firms reported prices and quality the same. 
 
 Reduces the Cost of Marketing. The most valuable service 
 advertising renders the manufacturer, next to increasing the 
 volume of his sales, is in reducing the cost of selling his 
 goods. This was clearly shown in the Printers' Ink article just 
 mentioned. 
 
 E. A. Mallory & Sons, hat manufacturers, stated that since 
 starting to advertise in 1906 their selling cost had been reduced 
 by 17 per cent, or at the rate of 7 cents a hat, which more than 
 covered the amount paid for advertising. 
 
 Hart, Schaffner & Marx wrote that the cost of selling had 
 been cut in half the past fifteen years, a result largely brought 
 about through advertising. 
 
 The California Fruit Exchange in one year marketed 33,082 
 carloads of fruit which yielded $54,600,000, at an advertising 
 cost of H cent a dozen. 
 
 When the Oneida Community began to advertise in a modest 
 way in 1904 its total sales were $500,000. At the end of twelve 
 years the sales had been increased by the aid of advertising to 
 $4,000,000 in the face of a nation-wide competition that amounted 
 almost to a monopoly. In 1915 the selling expense was 3 per 
 cent, lower than the average during the four previous years.
 
 300 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 An officer of the Community is authority for the statement that 
 "during this whole period of rapid expansion production cost 
 rapidly declined, the result of increased turn-over due to efficient 
 advertising coordinated with efficient trade salesmanship." 
 
 A Pittsburgh preserving concern before it began to advertise 
 had a marketing cost of 20 per cent. At the end of the first 
 year's advertising, which involved an investment of $50,000, the 
 selling expense had dropped to 16 per cent. Although the 
 amount spent for advertising the second year was $100,000, or 
 twice as much as the first year, the marketing cost fell to 12 per 
 cent. Because of the saving thus effected and economies in- 
 troduced in the plant the price of its products to the con- 
 sumer was lowered while the quality was greatly improved. 
 
 Advertising Reduces Production Costs. Advertising, by in- 
 creasing the demand, speeds up the factory output. In order 
 to keep pace with the sales more and more goods must be manu- 
 factured. Most plants do not work to full capacity and need 
 the stimulus of heavy orders to reach that point. Under such 
 pressure production, with precisely the same equipment, has in 
 numerous instances been increased from 30 to 50 per cent. The 
 effect of such an increase when overhead expenses remain the 
 same is to reduce materially the unit cost of production. 
 
 Again, when the volume of sales is greatly increased the manu- 
 facturer can buy his raw material in large quantities and at lower 
 prices than he could when his sales were restricted. By taking 
 advantage of favorable market conditions he can purchase them 
 at a cost considerably below what his smaller competitors would 
 have to pay. 
 
 A large watch manufacturer in discussing the effect of advertis- 
 ing upon the selling price of his goods said: "As a result of our 
 advertising which has been carried on for over 40 years, we have 
 been able to so increase our sales and our production capacity 
 that to-day the price of some of our movements is $18.50 as 
 compared to $67.50 about four years ago." 
 
 The Genesee Pure Food Company for a number of years in- 
 vested $500,000 annually in advertising Jell-O. If advertising in- 
 creases the cost of the goods to the consumer then the price at which 
 they are sold must be greater than it was before the advertising
 
 THE ECONOMICS OF ADVERTISING 301 
 
 started. Such, however, was not the fact in this case, as the 
 price remained the same. 
 
 Advertising Expenditure. The public has an exaggerated idea 
 regarding the relative cost of advertising. To pay $6,000 or 
 $8,000 for a single-page advertisement in one issue of a weekly or 
 monthly magazine seems extravagant. You hear people say, 
 " How can the advertiser ever hope to get his money back unless 
 he charges more for his goods than they are really worth?" 
 Those who take this view of the matter know very little about 
 advertising. If they were aware that the payment of $6,000 
 gave the advertiser a chance to lay his business message before 
 millions of readers, and that sales amounting to $100,000 and 
 even $200,000 sometimes follow the appearance of an advertise- 
 ment in the magazines, they might change their minds. 
 
 Alan C. Reiley, when president of the Association of National 
 Advertisers, in speaking about the results of an inquiry made by 
 the association into the amounts paid for advertising by leading 
 concerns, said: 
 
 "The advertising of one of the leading paint manufacturers of the 
 country averages 3K per cent, of his total sales. In other words, for 
 every dollar's worth of paint he sells he spends 3K cents in advertis- 
 ing. This is about equivalent to the price of a postage stamp and a 
 cent's worth of paper for every dollar's worth of goods sold. 
 
 "Of two of the biggest clothing manufacturers in the country one 
 spends IK per cent, and the other 2 per cent. An equally prominent 
 shoe manufacturer spends IK per cent. Of two of the most famous 
 automobile builders one spends 2 per cent., and the other, 3 per cent. 
 Figures in the office of the Association of National Advertisers show that 
 the average department store's advertising does not cost more than 3 
 per cent, of its total business. 
 
 "The fact is that the great majority of all nationally advertised 
 articles those that are familiarly known in every home in the country 
 and are famous for their quality and wide distribution belong in the 5 
 per cent, or under class. Even if the advertising represented a direct 
 advance on what the buyer would otherwise have to pay, this would 
 make little difference in the price of the goods. But it does not, be- 
 cause advertising is the most efficient method of marketing ever de- 
 veloped by business enterprise therefore its effect is to decrease and 
 npt to increase the sum total of selling costs."
 
 302 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 In an article that appeared in Printers' Ink, October 19, 
 1916, the writer stated that an investigation made that year 
 showed that the average expenditure of fifty-one national adver- 
 tisers was 5.2 per cent. 
 
 While the advertising investment varies in different businesses 
 you will notice from the foregoing that the maximum and the 
 minimum percentages are not far apart. Advertising, as we 
 have already seen, is generally employed to sell merchandise, 
 although it has other uses. If this fact is constantly kept in 
 mind it will help us better to understand the part it plays in busi- 
 ness economics. 
 
 It is an established fact that goods can be sold at far less 
 expense through advertising than through salesmen. Manu- 
 facturers have admitted time and again that if advertising did 
 not materially cut down the cost of selling, the price of all com- 
 modities would have to be raised to much more than it is at 
 present. There should, therefore, be no doubt in your mind as 
 to the truth of the contention that the tendency of advertising 
 is to lower the cost of goods to the consumer, not to raise it. 
 
 Advertising Stabilizes Demand. One of the difficult problems 
 of the manufacturer is to forecast the volume of sales from one 
 to three years ahead. If he accumulates too large a reserve stock 
 of his product he loses the use of the capital represented for a 
 longer period than he has expected, and, if pressed for money, 
 may be compelled to sell his surplus at a sacrifice. On the other 
 hand, if he does not make up enough goods to take care of any 
 reasonably large demand that may develop during the selling 
 season he will lose that much business. Moreover, unless he 
 can estimate the probable volume of sales fairly accurately he 
 cannot gauge the quantity of raw materials that should be pur- 
 chased for future production. Prices are constantly fluctuating. 
 If they happen to be high the manufacturer will buy as small a 
 supply as possible, hoping, of course, that later lower prices 
 will prevail and that he can then secure all the raw material he 
 may need. 
 
 The manufacturer who has been an advertiser for any length 
 of time has little trouble in solving these problems because of 
 the stabilizing influence advertising has upon demand. The
 
 THE ECONOMICS OF ADVERTISING 303 
 
 fluctuations in sales from season to season are rarely violent. 
 He can tell within reasonable limits how much goods the market 
 will absorb next year and the year after. His estimate will be 
 based upon the sales records of several previous years. He 
 knows about how much goods will be sold as the result of a 
 certain expenditure for advertising. Because the public likes and 
 buys his product he can absolutely bank upon the extent of its 
 support. Therefore he makes up only enough stock to fill a 
 definite number of orders that he knows will be received and 
 leave a sufficient surplus to take care of any unexpected demand 
 that may be developed. 
 
 Effect Upon Competition. The advertiser who has become 
 entrenched in public favor through well-planned advertising 
 campaigns has little to fear from competition, providing, of 
 course, he maintains the same quality in his product and adheres 
 to the same business standards. 
 
 When people have used an article for years in their homes and 
 it has given genuine satisfaction they will go on buying it no 
 matter how many others of a similar kind may be placed on the 
 market by rival manufacturers, especially if their interest is 
 stimulated now and then by advertising. A certain kind of 
 loyalty is developed toward the product a loyalty that keeps the 
 consumer so thoroughly sold that he cannot easily be induced to 
 desert it for a newcomer. 
 
 In order that his merchandise shall continue worthy of the 
 place it holds, the manufacturer must be on the job every minute. 
 He must keep his equipment up-to-date; must see that there is no 
 letting down in quality of material or workmanship, and must 
 carefully watch his market. If he falls down in any one of these 
 particulars advertising won't save him from bankruptcy. If, 
 on the other hand, he is alive to his opportunities and does not 
 depend too much upon past reputation, he will, when supported 
 by the kind of advertising that begets confidence, occupy an 
 impregnable position from which he cannot easily be dislodged. 
 
 Ivory Soap, Royal Baking Powder, Singer Sewing Machines 
 and Gold Medal Flour have been advertised for more than 
 two generations and have been used in many families during 
 that entire period. There is little probability that any one of
 
 304 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 these articles will lose its popularity through the competition of 
 new products so long as its quality remains unchanged and its 
 prestige is maintained through advertising. 
 
 Questions 
 
 1. Who finally pays for the advertising? 
 
 2. Does it increase the cost of the goods to the consumer? 
 
 3. How does advertising standardize quality? 
 
 4. What effect does it have upon the cost of marketing? Give examples. 
 
 5. Show how advertising reduces the unit cost of production. 
 
 6. What is the average advertising investment made by department 
 stores? 
 
 7. How does advertising stabilize demand? 
 
 8. What is its effect upon competition?
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 ON CORRECTING PROOFS 
 
 That all printed matter when it appears in final form should be 
 grammatically and typographically correct and without errors 
 of any kind is self-evident. In advertisements accuracy is 
 indispensable. A mistake in the listing of a price may cause the 
 loss of several hundreds and perhaps thousands of dollars to the 
 advertiser. 
 
 A few years ago a New York department store sent to a morn- 
 ing newspaper an advertisement announcing a special sale of 
 women's cloaks, which had formerly been sold at $35, at $19. 
 Through a compositor's uncorrected mistake the price appeared 
 in the paper the next day as $9. As a result the store was 
 beseiged by women who wanted to take advantage of the extra- 
 ordinary bargain. With the appearance of the first day's shoppers 
 the store managers discovered the error in the advertisement, 
 but knowing that any statement they might make would be 
 regarded with suspicion by some people, and that to refuse to sell 
 the garment at the published price would injure the store's 
 reputation, they directed the clerks to dispose of the cloaks at 
 $9, although each one sold represented a loss of $10. 
 
 In all printing offices proof-readers are employed to correct the 
 mistakes made by the compositor in setting up the copy. After 
 an article has been put into type in a newspaper office a galley 
 proof is pulled which is sent to the proof-reader. A galley is a 
 long, narrow tray made of brass and wood, which is used to hold 
 the type that has been set hi column form. A proof is taken 
 by pressing a strip of paper down upon the inked surface of the type 
 either by means of a piece of padded hardwood called "a plane, " 
 which is struck by a mallet, or by the pressure of the roller of a 
 printing press. All printing-offices are equipped with a galley- 
 proof press which consists of a heavy padded iron cylinder 
 20 305
 
 306 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 resting upon the outer edges of a long narrow metal bed in 
 which the galley and type are placed. After the type has been 
 inked a strip of paper is placed upon its surface and the iron 
 cylinder is rolled over it. When the paper is pulled from the 
 type it bears an impression of it. Proofs of small advertisements 
 are made in the same way. 
 
 In the case of large advertisements such as newspaper pages, 
 half pages and quarter pages, and magazine pages, the proofs are 
 pulled from the type as it stands on the composing stone, which 
 is a heavy stone with a perfectly flat surface, the plane and mallet 
 being employed for the purpose. This is the quickest way of 
 making the proof, but stone proofs, as they are called, are not 
 always satisfactory, especially when the advertisements contain 
 halftones or other illustrations, because they do not show up 
 well. For this reason it is better to submit to the advertiser 
 press proofs that show type, borders and cuts with great clearness. 
 Press proofs are clear, perfect proofs made on a good quality 
 of coated or enameled paper and are usually taken after the 
 corrections and changes indicated on the stone proofs have been 
 made. 
 
 When a proof is received by the proof-reader he goes over it 
 very carefully, marking on the type and the margin the corrections 
 that are to be made. He compares the copy with the proof to 
 see whether the compositor has omitted any words or phrases, 
 or has misspelled words, or has set the matter in the wrong kind 
 or size of type, etc. Frequently he finds mistakes in the copy that 
 have eluded the watchful eye of the editor or of the advertiser. 
 
 A first-class proof-reader is worth his weight in gold to any 
 representative newspaper or magazine. He possesses an expert 
 knowledge of the printing business, knows the names of City, 
 State and National officials, is posted on politics, science, religion, 
 commerce, law, and a dozen other subjects in fact, he is an 
 encyclopedia, a dictionary, a city directory and a reference library 
 all in one. 
 
 After the proofs have been read and the corrections made a 
 second proof is taken. It is this proof that is sent to the adver- 
 tiser. The latter goes over it carefully for any mistakes that 
 may have been overlooked by the proof-reader. Sometimes he
 
 ON CORRECTING PROOFS 
 
 307 
 
 finds it necessary to make changes in the advertisement itself. 
 If there are no errors or changes he writes "O. K." on the proof 
 and signs his name or initials. If there are any mistakes or 
 changes he marks the proof "O. K. with corrections." The 
 printer can then go ahead with the job. 
 
 (MARKED P.ROOF) 
 
 are 
 One of the 
 
 ^ Inland Prinjgr prints an 
 omusing letter from Mr. T. B. 
 Aldrich to Prof. E. S. Morse, ex- 
 president of t/fe American Academy 
 for tho Advancement of Science. 
 ProfTMorse^it*should ^ be w stated, 
 has a handwriting quite indescrib- 
 able. yjMy dear Morse: It $# very 
 pleasant for me to get a. letter from 
 you<ptheilth<3day. PerhapsJ should 
 found it pleasanter u I had 
 been able to decipher ijf~I donT 
 thinkl mastered anytlng beyond 
 the date (which I knew), and the 
 sty/feature (which I guessed at). * 
 There's a singujfar and perpetual % 
 charm in a letter of yours/ it never 
 grows old; it never losesits novelty, 
 f"5ne cansay to oneVself ever? 
 morning /""""There's that letter of 
 ^torse's; I haven't read It yet./- 1 
 think ril(sh^anotb.er(takat it to- 
 day and maybe I shjvll be able, in 
 rse of a few ye/rs, ttf make 
 \{Jat he means by those Vff that 
 like w's. and those ig tiiat 
 ' t any (fy ebrov >*) Other 
 are read^and forgotten, bu 
 kpt_ forever unread, 
 m/will last a reasonable 
 ine) Admiringly yours. 
 
 ( CORRECTED PROOF) 
 
 THE INLAND PRINTER prints an 
 amusing letter from Mr. T. B. 
 Aldrich to Prof. E. S. Morse, ex- 
 president of the American Academy 
 for the Advancement of Science. 
 Prof. Morse, it should be stated, 
 has a handwriting quite indescrib- 
 able. "My dear Morse: It was very 
 pleasant for me to get a letter from 
 you the other day. Perhaps I should 
 have found it pleasanter if I had 
 been able to decipher it. I don't 
 think I mastered anything beyond 
 the date (which I knew), and the 
 signature (which I guessed at). 
 There's a singular and perpetual 
 charm in a letter of yours; it never 
 grows old; it never loses its novelty. 
 One can say to one's self every 
 morning: 'There's that letter of 
 Morse's ; I haven't read it yet. I 
 think I'll take another shy at it to* 
 day and maybe I shall be able, in 
 the course of a few years, to make 
 out what he means by those t's that 
 look like w's, and those 1's that 
 haven't any eyebrows!' Other let- 
 ters are read and thrown away and 
 forgotten, but yours are kept for- 
 ever unread. One of them will 
 last a reasonable man a lifetime. 
 Admiringly yours, T. B. Aldrich." 
 
 Proof-readers' marks are divided into two classes: those 
 marked in the body of the type to show the exact location of errors, 
 and those written on the margins to show the nature of the cor- 
 rections or changes that are to be made. Every mark made in 
 the type must have a corresponding mark on the margin to 
 catch the eye of the compositor. When a proof contains a large
 
 308 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 number of errors, necessitating the use of many marks, it is well to 
 draw lines from the marks in the type to those in the margin to 
 avoid confusion. 
 
 The proof-readers' marks are a great convenience and save a 
 lot of time which otherwise would have to be devoted to writing 
 out in detail the instructions for the compositor. It is important 
 that the advertising man should know how to use these marks in 
 correcting proofs. 
 
 In order to reduce to a minimum the number of mistakes that 
 may be made by the printer you should furnish him plainly 
 written copy. If possible have it typewritten. Sometimes the 
 compositors are obliged to work under a poor light, in which 
 case they have trouble in making out what the advertising man 
 has written. Handwriting is more difficult to read even when 
 plainly written than typewritten copy. Cut and chop and re- 
 write your copy to your heart's content before sending it to the 
 printer, but when it is finally in his hands let it be as nearly 
 right as you can possibly make it. It is the printer's business to 
 follow copy. Hence if you make mistakes and they are repro- 
 duced in type he cannot be held responsible for them. In 
 most instances, however, when the printer discovers the errors 
 he will correct them on the proof and place a question mark 
 opposite them on the margin. If you approve of the corrections 
 you simply cross out the question marks. 
 
 All changes made in proofs by the advertiser that are not due to 
 the printer's carelessness are known as author's corrections, and 
 involve an extra charge to the advertiser, the amount depending 
 upon the length of time involved in making them. 
 
 If there are many alterations in the text or the arrangement, 
 the expense involved is considerable. If the changes are not 
 made until just before the newspaper or magazine goes to press 
 the incidental delay they occasion may prevent the appearance 
 of the advertisement in the next issue of the publication. If 
 care is taken in making the changes some of the expense can be 
 saved. For instance, if a word is to be eliminated, try if you 
 can to add another word containing the same number of letters 
 to the same line or to the line above or below, so as to avoid 
 over-running long paragraphs. Unless this is done it may take
 
 ON CORRECTING PROOFS 309 
 
 the compositor half an hour to reset a long paragraph in order 
 to insert or take out a single word. 
 
 If the proof-reading has been well done by the printer you 
 will find very few, if any, typographical errors hi the proof 
 furnished you. The one thing you should be particular about 
 is to see that all proper names are correctly spelled and that 
 figures are correct. When you have any instructions to give 
 the printer do not trust them to a messenger boy but write 
 them out. 
 
 The marks used by printers in correcting proofs are shown 
 in the following pages (pp. 310-312).
 
 310 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 PROOF MARKS 
 
 f* j 
 
 **&4(d tTr -i. Set all in capital letters 
 
 O. C., 0*f* -1 Set in small capitals. 
 
 Set i** capitals and small capitals. 
 Set in bold-faced type. 
 
 Set in italic. 
 
 t - Set in bold-faced capitals. 
 
 W.T Cafej, ^:jrv^. In all the foregoing examples, the Unes should 
 appear under the words to be capitalized, itali- 
 cized, etc. 
 Bring the line to this point. 
 
 Square up the Unes at this margin. 
 Straighten the line or lines. 
 
 f* cized, etc. 
 
 7\ Bring matter to this point. 
 
 Carry over to where arrow points. 
 
 Spell out matter hi this circle. (This mark is 
 used frequently around abbreviations.) 
 
 Period circled to prevent being mistaken for 
 
 comma. 
 Colon encircled to prevent being mistaken for 
 
 semicolon. 
 
 The dele mark, meaning to "take it out." 
 Make a paragraph here. 
 
 Don't let this be a new paragraph. 
 Take out the loading. 
 Reduce the spacing
 
 ON CORRECTING PROOFS 31 1 
 
 Set this a size smaller. 
 
 Fix this broken letter. 
 
 Isn't this from a wrong font? 
 
 Take out the thing marked and close up. 
 
 Put a space in here. 
 
 Put a lead in here. 
 
 Make it a part of body matter (more often used 
 to indicate the running of two paragraphs 
 together as one paragraph). 
 
 Turn this type over; it is upside down. 
 
 Transpose the position of the matter marked. 
 
 Transpose the marked matter to the other point 
 where the star occurs. 
 
 Use Roman letter here instead of the kind you 
 
 have. 
 
 Correct the poor spacing at the points marked. 
 Means reset some of the type so that the matter, 
 
 through respacing, will run a little longer and 
 
 thus make a better end to a paragraph. 
 Means run the syllable, word, or line back to 
 
 preceding line or page. 
 
 Means end of manuscript or copy. 
 Give this cut a half circle turn. 
 
 Capital letters so marked are to be reset in lower- 
 case letters. 
 
 A marginal instruction to restore the words under 
 which the dots appear. 
 
 Means set or reset the words in the order indi- 
 cated by the figures, the figures being placed 
 in copy over the words in question. 
 
 Means that the printer missed something and is 
 referred back to copy.
 
 312 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 >/% f Means "is this right?" or "is this arrangement satis- 
 
 U^U. Iff * factory?" 
 
 /y-^ ^ Another way of questioning correctness. If the ques- 
 *% A ^ tioned item or the suggestion is correct, run a line 
 
 % through the question mark, but don't erase it. 
 
 V Insert apostrophe. 
 
 A- vf Insert quotation marks. 
 
 ^^ Join the letters in a logotype or close up the space 
 
 /^ left between two words. 
 
 ' (J Transpose the two letters or words marked. 
 
 J/ Insert comma. 
 
 Insert semicolon. 
 Insert hyphen. 
 
 Insert dash. 
 
 Insert narrow or n dash. 
 
 Insert interrogation mark. 
 
 Insert exclamation mark. 
 
 Raise or push matter up to here. 
 
 J Lower matter to here. 
 
 Indent line one quad of size of type used. 
 
 L. Push down lead or space showing on proof. 
 
 *\. . (?* Reset in lower-case letters.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 BOOKS ON ADVERTISING AND SALESMANSHIP 
 
 The following books on advertising and salesmanship will 
 be found helpful to both teacher and student. They do not 
 include all that have been published on these subjects, and doubt- 
 less some have been omitted that deserve a place among them, 
 but, in any event, the books named have received the approval 
 of representative advertising men. Some are text books used in 
 teaching advertising; some are records of advertising experiences; 
 some are books of reference and some deal with the problems of 
 distribution. 
 
 Students who intend to prepare themselves for the advertising 
 business should begin as soon as possible the accumulation of 
 worth-while books on advertising and allied topics. If all the 
 different books on advertising that have been published good, 
 bad and indifferent should be brought together in one place 
 the number would not be large or impressive. Out of them it is 
 possible to select a comparatively small number that will ade- 
 quately cover the field. 
 
 ADVERTISING 
 
 Advertise! By E. Sampson. (D. C. Heath & Company, New York.) 
 
 Ads & Sales. By Herbert N. Casson. (McClurg.) 
 
 Advertising by Motion Pictures. By Ernest A. Dinch. (Standard 
 Publishing Company.) 
 
 Advertising Selling the Consumer. By John Lee Mahin. (Doubleday, 
 Page & Company, New York.) 
 
 Advertising as a Business Force. By Paul T. Cherrington. (Doubleday, 
 Page & Company, New York.) 
 
 Advertising: Its Principles, Practice & Technique. By Daniel Starch. 
 (Scott, Foresman & Company, New York.) 
 
 Advertising the Technical Product. By Clifford A. Sloan and James D. 
 Mooney. (McGraw Hill Book Company, Inc., New York.) 
 
 Advertising: Its Principles & Practice. By Harry Tipper, Harry L. 
 
 313
 
 314 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Hollingworth, George Burton Hotchkiss and Frank Alvah Parsons. (The 
 Ronald Press Company, New York.) 
 
 Advertising & Selling. By H. L. Hollingworth. (D. Appleton & 
 Company, New York.) 
 
 Advertising. The Social and Economic Problem. By George French. 
 (The Ronald Press Company, New York.) 
 
 Advertiser's Hand Book. By A. M. Stryker. (Trade Journal Ad- 
 vertiser, Chicago.) 
 
 Advertiser's Handbook. By S. Roland Hall. (International Text Book 
 Company, Scranton, Pa.) 
 
 Advertising and Mental Laws. By H. F. Adams. (MacMillan Com- 
 pany, New York.) 
 
 Advertising as a Vocation. By Frederick J. Allen. (MacMillan Com- 
 pany, New York.) 
 
 Analytical Advertising. By W. A. Shryer. (Business Service Cor- 
 poration, Detroit.) 
 
 Art and Literature of Business. By Charles Austin Bates. 
 
 Bank Advertising Plans. By T. D. MacGregor. (Bankers' Publishing 
 Company.) 
 
 Building Your Business by Mail. By W. G. Clifford. (Business Re- 
 search Publicity Company, Chicago.) 
 
 Business of Advertising. By Earnest Elmo Calkins. (D. Appleton & 
 Company, New York.) 
 
 Business Correspondence Library. (A. W. Shaw Company, Chicago.) 
 
 Church Publicity. By Christian F. Reisner. (Methodist Book Concern, 
 New York.) 
 
 Elementary Laws of Advertising and How to Use Them. By Henry S. 
 Bunting. (Novelty News Company, Chicago.) 
 
 Effective House Organs. By Robert E. Ramsay. (D. Appleton & 
 Company, New York.) 
 
 Forty Years an Advertising Agent. By George P. Rowell. (Printers' 
 Ink Publishing Company, New York.) 
 
 Getting the Most Out of Business. By E. St. Elmo Lewis. (The Ronald 
 Press Company, New York.) 
 
 Good Will, Trade Marks and Unfair Trading. By E. S. Rogers. (A. W. 
 Shaw Company, Chicago.) 
 
 How to Advertise. By George French. (Doubleday, Page & Company, 
 New York.) 
 
 How to Advertise Printing. By Harry M. Bassford. (Oswald Publish- 
 ing Company, New York.) 
 
 How to Advertise a Retail Store. By A. E. Edgar. (Advertising World, 
 Columbus, Ohio.) 
 
 How to Write Letters that Win. (A. W. Shaw Company, Chicago.) 
 
 Law of Advertising and Sales. 2 Volumes. By Clowry Chapman. 
 (Published by the author.)
 
 BOOKS ON ADVERTISING AND SALESMANSHIP 315 
 
 Library of Sales and Advertising. 4 Volumes. By Editorial Staff of 
 System. (A. W. Shaw Company, Chicago and New York.) 
 
 Library of Advertising. 6 Volumes. By A. P. Johnson. (Cree Publish- 
 ing Company, Chicago.) 
 
 Making Advertisements. By Roy S. Durstine. (Charles Scribner's Sons, 
 New York.) 
 
 Making Type Work. By Benjamin Sherbow. (Century Company, 
 New York.) 
 
 Making Letters Pay System. (Making It Pay Corporation, New York.) 
 
 Newspaper Advertising. By G. H. E. Hawkins. (Advertising Pub- 
 lishing Company, Chicago.) 
 
 One Hundred Advertising Talks. By William C. Freeman. (Published 
 by the author.) 
 
 Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks. By W. H. Elfreth. (Baker 
 Voorhis & Company, New York.) 
 
 Posters. By Charles Matlock Price. (George W. Bricka, New York.) 
 
 Publicity. An Encyclopedia of Advertising and Printing by N. C. 
 Fowler, Jr. 
 
 Principles and Practice of Advertising. By Gerald B. Wadsworth. 
 (Gerald B. Wadsworth, New York.) 
 
 Principles of Practical Publicity. By Truman A. DeWeese. (George W. 
 Jacobs & Company.) 
 
 Principles of Advertising Arrangement. By Frank A. Parsons. (Prang 
 Educational Company, New York.) 
 
 Productive Advertising. By Herbert W. Hess. (J. B. Lippincott Com- 
 pany, Philadelphia.) 
 
 Psychology of Advertising. By Walter Dill Scott. (Small Maynard & 
 Company, Boston.) 
 
 Publicity and Progress. By Herbert Heebner Smith. (George H. 
 Doran Company, New York.) 
 
 Specialty Advertising. By Henry S. Bunting. (Novelty News Com- 
 pany, Chicago.) 
 
 Sherbow's Type Charts. 4 Volumes. By Benjamin Sherbow. (Pub- 
 lished by the author.) 
 
 Success in Letter Writing. By Sherman Cody. 
 
 Successful Retail Advertising. By J. A. MacDonald. (The Drygoods 
 Reporter Company, Chicago.) 
 
 The House Organ. How to Make it Produce Results. By George 
 Frederick Wilson. (Washington Park Publishing Company, Milwaukee.) 
 
 The New Business. By Harry Tipper. (Doubleday, Page & Company, 
 New York.) 
 
 Theory and Practice of Advertising. By G. W. Wagenseller. (Pub- 
 lished by the author.) 
 
 Typography of Advertisements that Pay. By Gilbert P. Farrar. (D. 
 Appleton & Company, New York.)
 
 316 ESSENTIALS OF ADVERTISING 
 
 Typography of Advertising. By F. J. Trezise. (Inland Printer Com- 
 pany, Chicago.) 
 
 What an Advertiser Should Know. By Henry C. Taylor. (Browne & 
 Ho well Company, Chicago.) 
 
 Writing an Advertisement. By S. Roland Hall. (Houghton Mifflin 
 Company, Boston.) 
 
 SALESMANSHIP 
 
 Business Profits and Human Nature. By Fred C. Kelly. (G. P. 
 Putnam's Sons, New York.) 
 
 Manual of Successful Storekeeping. By W. R. Hotchkin. (Doubleday, 
 Page & Company, New York.) 
 
 Modern Sales Management. By J. George Frederick. (D. Appleton & 
 Company, New York.) 
 
 Psychology of Salesmanship. By William W. Atkinson. (Elizabeth 
 Towne & Company.) 
 
 Psychology of Salesmanship. By George R. Eastman. (Service 
 Publishing Company.) 
 
 Retail Selling and Store Management. By Paul H. Nystrom. (D. 
 Appleton & Company, New York.) 
 
 Sales Promotion by Mail. By Burdock, Wallen, Eytinge, Adams and 
 Others. (G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York.) 
 
 Selling Advertising Space. By Joseph E. Chasnoff . (The Ronald Press, 
 New York.) 
 
 Scientific Sales Management. By Charles Wilson Hoyt. (George B. 
 Woolson & Company, New Haven, Conn.) 
 
 Scientific Distribution. By Charles Frederick Higham. (Nesbit & 
 Company, Ltd., London.)
 
 INDEX 
 
 Advertising, ancient use of, 1 
 ancient specimens of, 2 
 an intensive form of salesman- 
 ship, 6 
 
 books on, 313, 314, 315 
 classification of, 8 
 cost of (examples), 301 
 definition of, 1 
 direct by mail, 187-194 
 does it increase cost of mer- 
 chandise to consumer?, 299 
 effects of, upon competition, 303 
 examples of successful adver- 
 tising, 5, 6 
 foreign, defined, 254 
 how expressed, 1 
 how it has helped humanity, 4 
 local, defined, 8 
 magazine, 3, 144-155 
 mediums employed, 3 
 national, defined, 9 
 newspaper, 132-143 
 outdoor, 165-177 
 principal objects of, 6, 7 
 reduces cost of marketing, 299 
 reduces production cost, 300 
 stabilizes demand, 302 
 standardizes quality, 298-299 
 three essentials of good, 105 
 value of color in, 77 
 who pays for, 298 
 Advertising agent, his hardest task, 
 
 267 
 
 his relation to the client, 260 
 how he serves the advertiser, 
 
 261, 265 
 how paid, 265 
 qualifications of, 260 
 represents the advertiser, 266 
 
 Advertising agencies, amount of 
 
 business handled by, 259 
 associations of, 268 
 organization of, 264 
 trade investigations made by, 
 
 262 
 value of recognition of, by the 
 
 A. N. P. A., 260 
 Advertising campaigns, analyzing 
 
 results of, 105 
 buying space for, 93, 94 
 classification of, 90 
 copy suggestions concerning, 95, 
 
 96 
 
 how planned, 90, 91 
 how to handle inquiries, 109-110 
 mediums employed, 102 
 Manly M. Gillam's experience 
 
 in, 105 
 
 persistency in, a necessity, 106 
 selecting the mediums, 92, 93, 
 
 94, 101, 102 
 should they precede or follow 
 
 distribution?, 98 
 size of appropriations, 113 
 use of coupons, 109 
 what some advertisers invest in, 
 
 100 
 
 when to advertise, 94 
 Advertising manager, duties of the, 
 
 249-257 
 how a card index helps the, 
 
 255 
 
 of a department store, 249 
 of a manufacturer, 250, 251 
 of a newspaper, 254-256 
 of a publication, 254 
 qualifications of, 253 
 Advertisement, the, advantage of 
 
 rectangular space, 15 
 
 317
 
 318 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Advertisement, Brisbane's experi- 
 ence in writing an, 8 
 construction of, 22 
 first in America, 2 
 first one printed, 2 
 four parts of, 23 
 layout of an, 13, 14 
 preparation for writing an, 8-12 
 size of, how determined, 14 
 the golden proportion, 15 
 
 Advertising salesman, by whom em- 
 ployed, 277 
 
 best time for interviews, 284 
 his use of mailing cards, 191 
 how color helps him, 80 
 knowledge of copy writing help- 
 ful to, 283 
 practical suggestions to, 279, 
 
 280 
 
 problems of, 277-278 
 qualifications of, 272-275 
 W. C. Freeman's experience, 275 
 what he sells, 272 
 
 Appropriation, size of, 113 
 
 Association of National Advertisers, 
 114 
 
 Balance, in advertisement construc- 
 tion, 15 
 
 Booklets, cost of, 219 
 description of, 218 
 hints on preparing, 218 
 illustrations for, 222 
 selecting the paper for, 220 
 sizes of, 219 
 
 type arrangement of, 220 
 value of in advertising, 191 
 
 Borders, purposes they serve, 22, 69 
 ornamental, 71 
 sizes and styles of, 70 
 
 Broadsides, use of, 191 
 
 Bulletins, advantages of painted, 173 
 cost of painted, 172 
 painted, distribution of, 172 
 
 Bulletins, paper, 191 
 size of painted, 173 
 
 Card index, how it helps the adver- 
 tising manager, 255 
 Catalogs, as silent salesmen, 209 
 
 best type faces for, 213 
 
 binding of, 214 
 
 built on a plan, 210 
 
 cover papers for, 212 
 
 cuts and illustrations for, 214, 
 216 
 
 distribution of, 215 
 
 export, preparation of, 215, 216 
 
 importance of, 208 
 
 should reflect character of 
 house, 208 
 
 standard sizes of, 211 
 
 the introduction, 210, 211 
 
 three kinds of, 209 
 Circulations, Audit Bureau of, 279 
 
 analysis of magazine, 151 
 
 how determined, 279 
 Color, as an aid to salesmen, 80 
 
 Calkins on the use of, 79 
 
 different kinds of, 88 
 
 effectiveness of, 78, 79 
 
 effect upon women, 87 
 
 experience of mail order houses 
 with, 78 
 
 helps the manufacturer, 87 
 
 processes employed in printing, 
 89 
 
 technical detail on, 87 
 
 the three fundamental colors, 87 
 
 uses of, 77, 80 
 Colored inserts, 78 
 Comparative prices, objections to, 
 
 34 
 Copy, adapted to audience, 108 
 
 characteristics of successful re- 
 tail, 118, 119 
 
 directions for preparing, 31-34 
 
 educational, 28
 
 INDEX 
 
 319 
 
 Copy, four kinds of, 27 
 
 good will, 28 
 
 human interest, 32 
 
 importance of truth in, 33 
 
 institutional, 28 
 
 letter writing, 195, 199, 201 
 
 news element in, 251 
 
 preparation of street car, 180- 
 182 
 
 relative value of large and small 
 space, 114 
 
 selling, 27 
 
 story of Scott's Emulsion, 108 
 
 variety essential in, 106 
 
 why quote prices in, 32 
 Coupons. Use of in campaigns, 109 
 
 Direct advertising, advantages of, 
 
 187, 188 
 
 amount invested in, 187 
 confidential character of, 187 
 definition of, 187 
 economical value of, 188 
 mailing list, 189 
 mediums employed in, 188 
 results obtained from, 188, 189 
 should produce re-orders, 194 
 suggestions regarding, 193 
 value of follow-up, 192 
 
 Display, contrast in, 68 
 definition of, 68 
 elements of, 67 
 kinds of type used in, 55 
 value of white space, 68 
 
 Distribution, analysis of, 11 
 
 E 
 
 Electrical displays, copy suggestions, 
 
 177 
 
 cost of, 176 
 locations for, 177 
 notable examples of, 174, 175 
 popularity of, 173 
 
 Electrical displays, slogan signs, 176 
 Wrigley's $90,000 display, 176 
 
 F 
 
 Folders, advantages of, 222 
 results obtained from, 223 
 
 G 
 
 Golden proportion, the, 15 
 
 Headlines, different kinds of, 25 
 
 news interest in, 26 
 
 sometimes omitted, 23 
 
 why used, 22, 23, 25 
 House organs, as advertising medi- 
 ums, 228 
 
 by whom published, 226 
 
 classification of, 225 
 
 definition of, 225 
 
 number issued, 225 
 
 outside advertising in, 230 
 
 popular sizes, 226 
 
 purpose of, 226 
 
 results from use of, 228 
 
 Illustrations for booklets, 222 
 general use of, 36 
 good art work essential, 43, 44 
 half tones, 51 
 humorous, 44 
 line engravings, 52 
 making cuts for, 48, 53 
 Omega oil's experience with, 48 
 pretty girl pictures, 43 
 Rock of Gibraltar, 47 
 use of advertiser's portraits, 47 
 use of photography in making, 
 
 48 
 
 vignettes, 53 
 wash drawings, 52 
 why employed, 36, 37, 38
 
 320 
 
 INDEX 
 
 Layout, the, an advertiser's experi- 
 ence with, 17 
 
 arrangement of, 17 
 
 how to prepare, 15, 16, 17 
 
 purposes of, 13 
 
 specimen of, 18 
 
 type and borders, 16 
 
 what it shows, 13 
 Letters, business getting, 195-207 
 
 enclosures in, 206 
 
 follow up, 203 
 
 form, how to prepare, 204 
 
 length of, 196, 198 
 
 postage on, 204, 205 
 
 reproduction processes, 195 
 
 Schulze's plan for, 199 
 
 signatures, 206 
 
 specimens of, 195, 203 
 
 suggestions about writing, 195, 
 199, 201 
 
 M 
 
 Magazines, buying space in, 93, 94 
 
 circulation analysis of, 151 
 
 function of, 145 
 
 furnish a stable market, 146 
 
 help the dealer, 150 
 
 place in the home, 145 
 
 protect readers, 146 
 
 selection of for campaigns, 93 
 
 service departments of, 150 
 
 three classes of, 144 
 Magazine advertising, advantages 
 of, 92, 145-149 
 
 life of, 151 
 
 physical advantages of, 149 
 
 reader confidence in, 146 
 
 results obtained from, 151 
 Mailing cards, description of, 191, 192 
 
 as aids to salesmen, 191 
 Mail order advertising, definition of, 
 188 
 
 mailing list, 189 
 
 Mail order advertising, mediums 
 employed in, 188 
 
 principal object of, 192 
 
 users of, 189 
 Market, analysis of, 10 
 Mediums, lists of, 3 
 
 classes of, 3 
 
 selection of, 92 
 
 Merchandising service of news- 
 papers, 257 
 
 of magazines, 150 
 
 Motion picture advertising, advan- 
 tages of, 242, 243 
 
 campaigns, how handled, 246, 
 247 
 
 characteristics of, 245 
 
 construction of, 244 
 
 cost of, 248 
 
 examples of, 245 
 
 general appeal of, 241 
 
 sells goods in South America, 243 
 
 tracing results, 247 
 
 N 
 
 National advertiser, problems of, 
 
 100-115 
 
 should help the dealer, 96 
 Newspapers, cost of, 132, 133 
 distribution of, 92 
 first American, 2 
 first English, 2 
 first printed, 2 
 how to determine worth of, 
 
 142, 143 
 
 Lawson's investment in, 141 
 preparing a list of, 93, 142 
 responsiveness of readers of, 142 
 Newspaper advertising, advantages 
 
 of, 92, 132, 142 
 Douglas' tribute to, 138 
 flexibility of, 141 
 increases profits, 140 
 influence of on legislation, 134 
 Postum results from, 136 
 produces quick action, 133, 134, 
 
 136
 
 INDEX 
 
 321 
 
 Newspaper advertising, promptness 
 
 of reader response, 142 
 Red Cross' experience with, 141 
 timeliness of, 133 
 
 O 
 
 Outdoor advertising, ancient ex- 
 amples of, 165 
 
 three most popular forms of, 166 
 Outdoor signs, materials employed, 
 
 238 
 
 by whom used, 238 
 electrical, 176-177 
 
 Posters, advantages of, 169 
 by whom employed, 169 
 character of, 169 
 cost of posting, 171 
 cost of printing, 171 
 earliest users of, 166 
 mechanical details of, 170 
 popular with circuses, 166 
 
 Product, analysis of, 9 
 
 R 
 
 Retail advertising, adapting copy to 
 
 audience, 121 
 bringing people to the store, 
 
 116, 117, 118 
 card index helps in, 130 
 copy that pulls, 118, 119, 120 
 definition of, 116 
 interesting clerks in, 125 
 magazines in, 150 
 preparation for writing, 11, 12 
 size of territory, 116 
 what to avoid, 120, 124 
 window displays, 127 
 
 3 
 
 Sale, four elements of a, 276 
 closing a, 281-282 
 21 
 
 Salesmanship, definition of, 277 
 
 list of books on, 316 
 Special agent, duties of, 270 
 
 how paid, 269, 270 
 
 origin of, 269 
 
 represents newspapers, 269 
 
 represents the publisher, 271 
 Specialties, annual investment in, 
 233 
 
 as sales producers, 237 
 
 banks use of, 237 
 
 character of their appeal, 234 
 
 create good will, 235 
 
 how distributed, 238 
 
 list of, 236, 237, 239 
 
 National Association of Manu- 
 facturers of, 233 
 
 psychology of, 234 
 
 should be useful, 234 
 
 sold by advertisers, 238 
 Street car advertising, advantages 
 of, 179, 180 
 
 advertisers' experience with, 
 185 
 
 compels attention, 178 
 
 cost of, 183, 184 
 
 cost of car cards, 183 
 
 Dobb's tribute to, 185 
 
 making contracts for, 184 
 
 size of cards used in, 180 
 
 when to change cards, 183 
 
 Trade and class publications, agri- 
 cultural press, 159 
 
 advantages of, 157 
 
 advertising revenue from, 156 
 
 appeal of religious papers, 162 
 
 buying power of farmers, 160, 
 161 
 
 selective character of, 156 
 
 when to use, 102 
 
 why they produce results, 157 
 Trade marks, benefit the dealer, 296 
 
 coined words in, 292
 
 322 INDEX 
 
 Trade marks, composition of, 287 Type, kinds used in advertising, 55 
 cost of registration, 294 leaded or solid, 69 
 
 definition of, 286 measurement of, 64 
 
 names to avoid, 291 point system of measurement, 64 
 
 pictorial, 290 sizes, how indicated, 63 
 
 registration of, 292 what it expresses, 62 
 
 registration of abroad, 294 words to square inch, 76 
 
 suggestions regarding, 292 
 symbol, 290 
 
 unregisterable, 295 Window displays, advantages of, 
 uses of, 286, 287 127 
 
 well known, 288 electric light, 239 
 
 Truth in advertising, importance of, in retail advertising, 129 
 
 33, 34 mechanical devices, 239 
 
 how promoted by the A. A. C. Window envelopes, economy of, 
 W., 35 205 
 
 Type, colors, 69 when to use, 205
 
 THE 
 
 tfNTVERSITY OF 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 A 000 058 657 8