The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-12-21
The Great Newspaper Mistake.

Tho recent remarks of the Row. DIR. CROSBY
about tho nnshy advertising cards which
have como into fashion among a certain class
OF dealers, once more call attention To sub
ject which is always interesting, and always
worthy OF careful study. II is the question OF
advertising, which is one Of the most per-
picking that come up for decision before q
man Of business.
Tho great success which has in so many
cases followed liberal, aud what may have
seemed cxtravagant, expenditures for advcr-
Using, sets men of business generally 10 think
ing whether they too may not reach fortune
by the same method. But thcy are likely to
find by inquiry tina: merchants are not ut all
agreed ns to what is tho best way of adver-
tising, OF which is the one whose superior
advantage is made most evident.
The very fact that shops Of various kinds
arc now disilgured by such morally offensive
or iesthetically hideous chromos us those to
which DR.. CROSBY Objects tends to increase
their pcrplcXity. They see, too, that other
houses advertise their wares by sending
through the mails great numbers OF SNOWY
and oddly-fashioned circulars which must
have cost a great deal OF money, to say moth
ing of the postage. Still other dealers they
find, have notion that there Is profit in hir.
Ing walking advertisements, mon in fantas-
tic garb, who arc plastercd over with an
nounccments of tho cheapness on merits of
their wares.
As they travel on tho cars they SEQ on tho
rocks and fences of the route the staring ad-
vertisements of articles Of different kinds,
and the men who hal them painted must
have thought them of great value, for evil
IDENTIFY their cost was large. In the horse
ears and the elevated cars they are confront
ed by ADVERTISING cards inserted in the pan
cls, of course Mt much cXpsnse At night
II they are mcditating over the theme, their
attention is attracted by another form of nd =
vertising, the stereoscopic, and those who
pay for it must rcgard IL rs profitable
In fact the ingenuity displayed in dovsng
new methods of advertising seems to be ex-
haustlesS, and the result is that the merchant
who thinks Of becoming a large advertiser is
more puzzled than ever, and the merchant
who is already one is bored by stream of
applicants for his patronage. IL the novice
socks to learn from the experienced, es-
pecally from those who try all forms of ad-
vertising--cars, rocks, dead walls, process
sons of tramps, hand bills, circulars provoc-
to conclude that there is no other way except
to go it blind and no sensible man likes such
uncertainty, particularly when it involves u
large expenditure of money.
And yet there ought to be little doubt as to
the method Of advertising which ia most
likely to produce the desired effect, and
alone is worth pursuing at considerable cost.
In tho first place, you must have something
to sell which is worth buying, which can be
had at q fair price, and which large num-
Der of people want, II you are going to spend
much money on advertising. Then put your
advertisements in tho way and where thcy
will be the most likely to attract public atten-
ton. and respectful attention. And keep them
up until what you have to sell, your name
and your place of business are fastened In
the public recollection.
We do not believe that there is case Of
man who has followed these rules and OBJ
served those conditions, at tho same time
conducting his affairs with prudence and
skill. without finding abundant profit in nd-
vertising, no matter how much money he
has spent on It. But where Is the advertising
to be put ? or course, the only place Is the
newspaper, provided it is one which tho pub
lie really read and respect. There man can
get daily bulletin upon which to afIlx his
announcements which comes before the peo-
ple so as to surely command their interest.
But it ought to be possible for every adver-
tiser to always know the exact amount of
publicity no will get when he inserts his adj
vertisement In paper. Unfortunately
however, there are at present few journals
besides The sun which give him such in
formation.
Some Of our contemporaries OF .the news
paper press have taken the ground that the
extent of their circulation Is a matter OF no
account to tho public, and that it Is as i'm
pertinent to BIO curious in regard to it as 1t is
to question merchant as to the sum of his
daily sales. So IT would be, were it not that
newspapers sell space to advertisers, and
that the value Of that space is governed by
the amount of the circulation, the actual
number of copies sold TO the public. 1t is,
therefore, not idle and impcrtincnt curiosity
in the advertiser when he demands to know
exactly in how many copies of the paper his
advertisement Is to be printed. Otherwise
he is paying money in tho dark, and the re-
fusal to satisfy his desire indicates that it Is
for the interest of tho publisher to keep him
in the dark.
When he buys anything else he knows
exactly what nc is paying for, and he has u
right to know nero also, Moreover, II news
papers generally followed the example OF
THE SUS in making known the exact number
or copies they sold, through all the muta-
lions of their circulation. we do not doubt
that the problem Of which is the most profit
able method OF advertising would be soon
settled, and tho dead wall and chrome adver-
Using would speedily fall into contempt.
We observe. by the way, that some ~ our