The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-07-13
The Uncertainty Of the Advertiser.

The great London advertiser who gave the
Pull Mall Gazette an account OF the methods
his house adopted to give publicity to their
wares said, very truly. that in advertising
"one casts ones bread upon tho waters" In
other departments OF his business q man Is
able to determine pretty exactly what will
come to him from his outlay. He knows
very accurately tho value OF tho commodities
he buys, and tho prices they command In
tho market But what is the worth OF n par
ticular advertisement or particular form Of
advertising no can usually only guess, no
matter how great his experience.
The consequence Is that the amount OF
money wasted in making experiments In adj
vertising Is always enormous. Not Boz
ing able to make up their minds what
method Of advertising 1t is BEST to pursue,
merchants will scatter their money In many
directions In their eager pursuit OF publicity.
They know very we'll that such publicity is
essential to great success. but few Of them
have any definite advertising system.
Undoubtedly, this vacillation Is largely
due to tho cause mentioned by the London
advertiser. They cannot find out how much
publicity they are paying for. They do not
they put their advertisements, and therefore
are unable to determine their relative value
Us means for securing publicity.
Hence advertisers will spend great sums Of
money In printing circulars, whose number
they know, and which thoy distribute them-
selves. But here they are In trouble again.
They cannot guess what is tho effect Of this
method OF advertising. All they know IL
what 1t costs them; and at present the cost
OF circulars Is very great, since. In order to
attract attention, they are got up In novel
and exceedingly expensive forms.
The most costly advertising Is that through
such circulars. II they are thrown about
they are almost worthless. II they are sent
by mail in considerable quantities the post
ago aggregates largo sum. Besides, there
arc 80 many circulars and 30 many varieties
Of them that people look upon them as a
nuisance, and give them no heed. We have
no doubt that nine-tenths Of the money put
into this form OF advertising Is utterly lost.
OF course the best medium for tho adver-
tlser is a newspaper OF large circulation. 1t
is not only tho BEST but also the cheapest
and tho most convenient. Nowhere else Is
one able to determine 80 surely the benefits
no is likely to receive provided he is Informed
as to what the exact circulation Of tho news
paper IL. Indeed. with that information 1t
Is hardly necessary for him to advertise
elsewhere. Tho enormous success OF many
retail dry goods dealers Of this city has been
duo to their liberal newspaper ADVERTISING
upon which they have concentrated their ex-
penditures for securing publicity.
IT. therefore, nll newspQpcrS should follow
the example OF The Sun in making known
their exact aud honest circulation, We do not
doubt that the result would be q great In
crease In the sum Of the advertising business
Of the whole. Such frankness would tend to
relieve advertisers from the uncertainty
which now disturbs them, and they would
be more likely to concentrate their advertis-
Ing expenditures upon newspapers.