Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1872-04-16
lFrom the Brooklyn Eagle, Feb. 7thl
A Great Advertising House.

On Printing House Square, at the
junction of Park Row, Nassau streets,
facing the recently raised "Franklin"
Statre, and "vis-a-vers" to the Post
Office in process of erection, stands a
large five-story stone building, occu-
pied on the ground floor by the New
York Times In the first story is the
establishment of Geo. p. Rowell &
Co., advertising agents, visit to which
will repay the curious. Our country
has developed many remarkable phe-
nomena. Scarcely one hundred years
old, we have made such rapid progress
in arts, sciences, manufactures and ag-
riculture, that we can contend for
equality with most of the older ma
tions, and point with pride to many
branches in which we excel all others.
In no one department has such marked
superiority been displayed as in our
management of newspaper advertising.
There are within a fraction seven
thousand newspapers published in the
United States and Canada, printed in
many languages, to accommodate our
cosmopolitan population.
To reach all these, if it be desirable
to do so, is an immense work. Imag-
inc an advcrtiseM possessed of some
really mcritorious article, which he
desires to bring to the notice of these
100000 people, sitting down and
directing I 900 letters to them, the
postage alone on which would be S2l0,
merely to learn their various rates" of
charges. Then the printing Tor writing
would be worsc) of 1000 slips con-
tanning his advertisement; then the
payment (f credit should be granted
by the publishers) of the bills, necessi-
tating S2l0 more for postage stamps,
and $l40 dollars more for check
stamps; then, in the event of careless
ness on the part of the proprictors of
the various papers, the necessary cor
respondencc to strainghten up mat
ters; then the time lost in correspond
encc, and some idea may be formed of
the benefits conferred upon our mcr-
chants by the reliable advertising
agent. There was a time, and not
many years ago, when advertising was
regarded as an innovation upon sound
mercantile principles. The argument
was used, "That the father did busi-
ness without advertising, and why
should not the son? That he meant
to treat every customer just right, and
so build up sound business; that if
he got but one new customer each day,
he meant to keep him, and his friends
would be drawn into dealing with his
store, because the customers were hon
estly dealt by" 1t is true that the
basis Of all remunerative business
must be "honesty." In the long run,
"honesty" is the only paying princi-
pie. But why should not the NOR
chant treat two customers as well as
he treats one? IF, then, there be any
plan by which two customers can be
induced to deal with a merchant in
place of one, that plan is worth more
than the former one, by as much profit
as is realized by two over one. Be-
side, the influence Of two is greater
than that of one customer. We assert
that advertising judiciously is the bet
ter plan. Many instances can be
pointed out of direct and immediate
benefits resulting from newspaper pub
licity. There are many items to be
considered in advertising The most
important is, has the dealer any article
for sale which he could not reasonably
expect would be needed beyond his
immediate ncighborhood ? If so, he
should select the newspaper which cir
culates where he expects or hopes to
find customers. Has the manufactu or
an article for which he desires and
may reasonably expect a national sale,
it is his interest to give it as wide a
notoriety as his means will warrant
The moment he steps beyond bis i'm
mediate neighborhood, he becomes
lost in conjecturcs as to the best means
of reaching the public. Here, the
house of Geo. p. Rowell s. Co. comes
TO his assistance. BY their complete
organization, the most distant points
on this continent or abroad are reach
ed by mails or telegraph. Every in
formation is afforded to inquirers-
the lowest cash prices are charged be.
cause their commission comes from the
publishers, and not from the customers.
Publishers do not take discounts off
for advertisers. A widow some time
ago brought an advertisement of a
personal nature to this housc which