Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1878-04-24
A Lecture on Advertising.
New York World.

ago, we classed under that general
head, though in different categories,
the announcements that merchant
makes Of his business in the news.
papers or through other mediums
and the efforts he makes to attract
customers by the location or decOfa.
ton of his store, or the characters.
ties of its service. We should then
have dwelt upon one or two points
connected with newspaper adver-
Using whereon too many advertisers
are ignorant or incrednlous. The
first is that no expenditure for ad.
vcrtising, however judicious or Law.
ish, will create or improve q trade
without the advertisers CO operation.
lie may fill columns with announce.
ments of the superior quality aud
chcapness of his goods, but unless
those goods are low.priced and ex.
cellent his money will BIO wasted.
To paraphrase DR.. johnson, the
newspaper brings customers to his
store, but cannot be expected to
make them buy goods. That is his
part of the business, and if he does
not discharge it faithfully he has
only been building q costly system
of water.works to he fed from an
arid rock. To this cause may be
attributed much of existing reluc.
lance of dealers to advertise their
wares n or b (whose goods never
answered his representations spent
thousands of dollars in advertising;
his store was crowded for while,
then it was deserted and lie failed
therefore there is nothing in adver
Using. The argument may be regard.
ed by some people rs plausible, but
1t does not require much intellectu-
al power to detect its tallacy~
Still another point to be mention
cd is the belief that because an adj
vertisement which appears to-day
is not followed tomorrow by IN
appreciablc increase of sales the
advertisement has done no good and
the theory Of advertising is false.
Though it is, perhaps, impossible to
insert a notice that shall not be
read-let any Didymus put three
line card, "Wanted-A Dog in the
obscurest corner of the obscurest
daily Of the city and be convinced
Of this-it is not to be expected that
the moment person casts his eye
upon an advertisers announcement
he sets out for the advertisers store.
He may not at the time need any
article in the merchants line, or he
may deal with another house.
But if the representation is attrac-
tive he will almost inevitably, when
ever he needs anything of the kind
announced, turn to the paper where
no saw the carl and give the adver-
tiser q trial. The merchant should
regard his outlay for advertising as
he would that for painting his build.
ing or putting up his signboard--as
q necessary charge upon the whole
years business, the effect Of which
, is not to be perceived Immediately,
, Men do not SOW wheat one day and
harvest it the next.
The fact just mentioned includes
, another The man who has begun
} to advertise must keep on advertis
ing if he desires continual increase
in the volume of his business. lie
may keep steady clientele of salts
| fed customers, but the chances are
Q. that some of these will be detached
by seeing the advantages of Othel
dealers persistently advocated. HI
| will certainly not attract new pat
3 rons. They will go elsewhere, jus
: as they would seek another stort
:, than his if, on coming to his door
!. they found it locked aud the shutter
: up.
We have already gone over thu
9 objections to the eateApeany illegit
Q innate mediums of advertising 8
y much affected hitherto by dealer
g who thought that cheapness Away
: meant economy, and that in the ad
u vertising department of any busi
T. ness the principles governing tn
II conduct of the other department
no longer obtained. Messrs. w
!. w. Sharpe & Go. have alread
IT published some striking testimOn
given BY the great merchants who's
names are familiar in the mouths {
a Americans as household word
" That of Messrs. Lord & Taylor
r herewith presented:
81 "Of all the methods open to th
70 merchant for advertising his bus
Vi ness, an experience of nearly half