Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-09-20
Advertising and Its Costs.

Few business men, says the Utica Her
aid, advertise Systematically, liberally, anG
pers1stently. Those who pay most atten
ton to it either advertise ftfully, OF with q
degree of neglect which they would regard
cnlpable in any other department of THEN
| business. What wonid a merchant he
| thought of who only opens his store now
| and then to invite and serve customers p
Yet an advertisement in fourishing paper
IS more conspicuous than ones store, is
more observed and more spoken of, and tc
Withdraw it is like putting up the shutters
OF taking down the sign. The most enter.
prising merchants and traders in the interior
| think themselves liberal if they spend q
few hundred dollars year for advertising
They would deem the farmer blind to his
| own interests who should be stingy in plan
ting, and should fail to put in seed in pro-
| per quantity because it costs something
Advertising is the ed-planting of the busi
ness man, and the stinginess here must
make the harvest meagre
What shall be the sum appropriated tO
advertising ? It will vary with the charac
ter and extent Of business. But the small
est trade can be made more profitable, and
the largest can be extended, by liberal ad-
vertising. The rule is sometimes given,
that as much should be paid for advertising
as for rent. This may be too much in some
cases, too little in others. But every busi
ness should be kept constantly and promi
nently before the readers of the establish.
ed papers of the district from which trade
is sought. The readers of newspapers are
the most enterprising and the most intelli
gent of the population, and keep their at
tention and you create Il current which
others will follow.
The New York Tribune states that it is
true, as reported, that Boston druggist,
who has speciality before the public, is
paying that establishment $4,000 yea1
for advertising; he paid 81, 500 for the in
sertion of one mammoth advertisement
Tne Tribune adds: Bonner once paid us
So, 900 for one insertion of an advertisement
of the Ledger. He knew that by judicious
advertising he could insure q fortune -
This seems large, but in England such sums
are hardly exceptional. There advertising
is regular part of business It is reckon
ed as necessary as rent, and often, ten times
as much is spent for it. Advertising must
be done so as to reach the people whose
custom is sought. Aseparate sheet, hand
bill, or circular, is direct attack; and the
person who receives it either throws it aside
without reading it, or he puts himself on
the defensive against it. A notice in the
favOrite paper is flank movement; it catch
es their eye unawares; it attracts their at
tention at an idle or listless moment il be-
comes part of the current news. Then
it is like constant dropping. It may not be
read to-day. Tomorrow it will be glanced
at. The next week, it will be looked over
Finally, it will be read. When purchase
is to be made, when trade is to be transfer
red from the former dealer, when a new ar
ticle is needed, the notice will be hunted
up, and the Inducements offered subjected
to test. One such case will often pay for a
years advertising.
Sometimes men get along without adver-
tising. Instances are given of pilgrims
reaching Mecca on their knees. It is east
er, pleasanter, swifter to travel by cars
Liberal and discreet advertising puts bust
ness on wheels, and renders it active, be-
nefcent to the public, and remunerative to
the dealer.