Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1912 — Advertising Talks [ARTICLE]

Advertising Talks

TALK ON RETAIL AD PROBLEMS Seek for Cheerfulness, Avoid Superlatives and Write Intelligent, j Careful Copy.

A practical talk on advertising was given at a noon luncheon of the Publicity Club of Springfield, Mass., the other day by Willard E. Freeland, assistant secretary of the Worcester board of trade and secretary of the Worcester Publicity Association. His subject was "A Plea for More Efficient Retail Advertising." i- “In my own mind,” said Mr. Freeland, “I have alvfays divided the advertiser’s problem into five grand divisions: Appropriation, media, copy and cuts, layout, cooperation. The appropriation, the first —and with many advertisers the last and the middle —is a real problem. I remember one big shoe manufacturing firm that was saved from failure by the insistence of one of the partners that all costs should be figured on the basis of the largest production not only when the factory was running at capacity but at all other seasons. I thoroughly believe that the retailer should absorb some of this idea and should plan his appropriation for the year on the business of his best sear son.

“When you see a cut or display line that is likely to be associated with the reader’s former experience,” said Mr. Freeland in discussing the question of copy, “you have established a bond that will make him read further. Why then waste time and money on pretty cuts and pretty sayings that are not in some way linked up to your story? W’hy make the mistake of placing an attractive and catchy cut below your legend so that the eye will jump down to it and then go on to the next fellow’s ad? Why not cater to that sense of pleasure in every human being by properly dividing the proportions of your advertisement instead of offending the eye and creating an unconscious state of rebellion in the reader’s mind?

“I decry the use of the superlative. There is something wrong with a man’s mental process when he thinks to Impress people with the use of such words as greatest, stupendous, extraordinary, gigantic and the host of other extravagant words that meet our eye in every newspaper of the land. I am not a believer in the use of comparative prices. Many of the strongest retail concerns have dropped the use of this feature of the usual retail copy and I have yet to hear of the concern which has gone back to such use.

“If you have occasion to make sweeping reductions be sure and Include in your copy a full statement of the reason for such reduction, couched in such truthful and sensible terms that the reader will be able to -see a logical reason therefor. If your buyer has made an error of judgment and overloaded some department, say so; .it won’t hurt you. People will be impressed with the fact that you are frank and truthful and that you are only human like themselves. Be sure and state prices always. Give adequate description of the goods you offer. Do not by direct statement or by innuendo mention your competitors or competing lines. It serves only to distract attention. the one thing that you are most desirous of retaining. Study the wonderful power of habit. Make all use possible of this universal habit Keep your business always before the people by continuity in advertising Haye some one thing in your advertisements, some special name cut, some rbecial face or type, some general arrangement of copy that will bring you and business to the reader’s mind at even a cursory glance. \

“A word about cooperation. Note the methci of national and technical magazines and endeavor to get on the same page with your competitors, that you may all share in the assured result of cumulative advertising. When you boost your competi tors’ game you are boosting your own. Be honest in your copy and be honest in your goods and selling methods. Make sure that every clerk knows precisely what you are advertising for the day. Change your windows to agree with your ads.' Employ cheerful ads and cheerful clerks. Use every means to create an air of confidence and good will and optimism. Thus will you create trade for yourself and your community, strengthen the faith of the public in the printed word and make of advertising what it should be—your most successful salesman”' '

“The first commandment of advertising is: Thou shaft deliver the goods”—Hannum,

Find Newspaper Advertising Pays. Newspaper advertising was used to boost the Corydon (la.) Poultry show recently instead of the catalogue and booklet method of former years. As the result the show was the best In the history of the association. More birds were shown and greater interest exhibited than ever befpre'- - '