Daily Republican., 1879-12-18
Iptudicious AdvertisinK.


We have referred in an article to-da,
to the injudicious manner OF advertis
ing Sherift's sales, but there is anothe
manner by which many Of our business
men are imposed upon by various
schemes got up to make little money
even though no benefit should result
from it to our merchants. We refer Il
the system Of advertising in little specu
lativs, dimiuutive hand-bills called pa.
psrs that are issued only semi-occasion-
ally. The prices charged by such pa.
psrs are 60 small as should at once ex-
cite q suspicion that everything is
not exactly square. 1t is true that a
wordy guarantee is made that certain
number Of papers will be published,
and that they will be thrown broadcast
over the city and sent to every railroad
station and post Office throughout the
State, but in the most Of cases it is only
guarantee after all, and if it is disre-
garied how can the merchants know
it? Five thousand is often promised
when five hundred is meant, and tho
merchant is almost deliberately cheated
out Of his money. Christmas is coming
on and we are informed that business
is not yet very brisk, not as good even
as it was las. year on the approach of
the holidays, and yet some of our mer-
chants say that they have advertis-
ed more than they ever did before.
This latter may be- true, and it will
be no hard matter to throw away a
small fortune II advertisements are
given to everybody who asks for them
outside Of the regular newspapers. As
some of our merchants complain of the
dulluess of the times so near Christmas,
it may not be amiss to say that the
regular newspaper men also feel the
same thing, because the advertisements
with which they used to be favored are
FILTERED and thrown away Oh little
speculative advertising sheets that have
no regular circulation, and are not
sought after and bought for the news
they contain. Real live business men
fully understand that the regular daily
newspaper is the best paying adverts-
ing medium. They ere looked for
every day by the people, and the peo-
pie ar. Of the opinion that real enter
prising merchants always advertise in
the paper that comes to their door, and
is eagerly read by all the members of
the household and in that paper they
look to see who advertises the articles
they are in need Of, and in nine cases
out Of ten their minds are made up
where to go before they start out on
their purchasing rounds. Should two,
three or more stores advertise the same
goods, very likely they will be led to
visit all the stores and dispense share
of patronage to each, just to see
which is the best. For the
sake Of illustration suppose merchant
pays SO for a card in one of those now
and-then little advertising hand. bills,
with a circulation of five hundred and
even thousand, the circulation stops
right there. Itappears no more for no
more papers are issued. Insert the
same card in the REPUBLICAN at the
same price to cover moderate space
and let it run for a week and it would
appear in thirty thousand papers and
be read by that time by everybody that
could read in the city. There is hard
ly any branch Of business in which |
merchants make more mistakes than
they do in the matter of advertising |
their goods, and if they err in judg-
ment in that respect, and throw away
their money in every little advertising
hand bill that comes along, they should
not complain of dull times.