Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-02-04
OLYMPIA, WASHINGTON TER.
FRIDAY EvEN'G, FEB. 4, 1881
How to Advertise.

acA"A - tNAs ~
of some of the large city papers, or
peruse the well.flled advertising
columns of the leading weeklies,
where all manner of tyade announce
ments ars serted, at fabulous
prices, to draw custom from possible
patrons thousands of miles away, it
is difficult to realzs that it is only
during the present century that the
utility of advertising has become
unive, sally recognized or its value
accurately estimated. The first ad-
vertisement of which we have any
authentic knowledge, was inserted
in the London hteiligencer, of Aug.
IL, 1913. The first successful Amer
lean Journal, the Boston Ncws- Letter,
established in 1704, frequently con-
tanned but two or three advertise
ments, and all the early colonial
papers were compelled to rely.al-
most entirely upon their subscrip-
ton rates for support, so little had
the people become accustomed to the
use of the press as q means OF COM
munication between dealer and Gus
toner. 1t was only after. the Rev.
oiution that the custom became so
popular rs to excite the surprise OF
our English cousins, and not till
the beginning of the present cen.
fury was it recognized as an indis-
pensable adjunct to success in bust
ness.
But now how changed is popular
/. sentiment! How universal has be-
come the use of this great aid, re-
gulating the fluctuations of trade with
Che precision that the ponderous fly
wheel controls the power of tho en-
CINE! The business man who does
not invoke its aid, is left behind in
the scramble for patronage. He
might just as we'll ignore the me-
cessity of sign. bond over the door,
or to display his wares in tempting
rray. ss to keep bis name and bust
ness out of the local newspaper.
This necessity being conceded,
the query arises, How to Advertise
to the Best Advantage, and here the
wisdom Of a sage might be invoked
il vain to give satisfactory answer.
II we lake the example of those who
have made il stepping-stone to for
tune for criterion, Originality
would seem to be the leading idea
which actuated them. Sometimes
this would be conspicuous in the
language used; sometimes in the ex-
fraordinary amount of space occu-
pied, and at ether times in exciting
pupular curiosity by vague, indirect
means, until the time came to spring
the mine, when the people would
be found in exactly the plastic con-
dition that would bring the best
reward. The famous razor-strop
man sold his wares not so much on
account of their superiority as that
they were introduced with bur-
lesque rhetorical flourish.
1t is a difficult task to write an
effective advertisement. One uf our
Oldest journalists, whose versatile
pen seemed equally well adapted to
portray the principles of finance or
the abstruse shades of moral ethics,
declared that tile most onerous task
assigned him was to write an adver-
tisement. We agree with him, and
SO will nine-t enths Of the readers,
who invariably turn first to the ad-
sertising pages of the large Eastern
weeklies, where the talent and en-
ferprise of live business men are
every year becoming more apparent.
The dealer in general merchandise
may, if be chooses announce him.
self as dealer in dry good, groceries,
provisions, hardware, boots and
shoes, and hats and caps, and stop
at that, for the same reason that he
puts his name over the door, to let
people know a simple fact, but the
same space might be used with a
anuch more positive effect, by select
ing some speciality, and presenting
1t as .he central idea, around which
he arrays his other wares in per-
spective. Suppose he takes some
article in general demand, and
praises its qualify louder than his
ueirhIOr on the oppcS;ta oornar tho