The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-04-09
ADVERTISING.
The Way Money Can be Spent to the Best Advan
tage.
Af6dnU Tis,es1

[ABany Times1
An immense amount of money is spent In
advertising; and more than half of it is thrown
away. There are various ways in which ad-
vertising is attempted Many Of them are
foolish. and it is through these injudicious
methods that the money is wasted. One of
them, which is frequently brought to our no.
tice, is that of sending circulars through the
mails. No doubt, in some cases, and in some
kinds of business, this is effective, especially
where the desired customers can be reached in
no other way; but city tradesmen who attempt
to reach their city customers by circular, in
stead of through the local papers, simply bene-
tit the Post Office Department at their own
expense. Before letter postage was reduced to
two cents, most of this advertising matter was
sent in unsealed envelopes at the one cent rate;
but the result was that this discrimination
merely slfted the letters from the circulars;
and while the former were opened and read,
the others, Ill many cases, were tossed con-
temptuously into the waste basket, or given to
the servant to light the fire, without second
glance. Since the rate On letters has been re-
duced, however, some would-be advertisers
have been willing to pay the two cents re-
CURED for written communications, and send
their circulars sealed, thinking that they will
certainly be opened. No doubt they are opened,
but are they read Every commercial traveller,
at least, knows the Importance, when he wishes
to sell his goods, Of approaching his prospective
customer when he is in pleasant frame of
mind andsthat nothing will so surely prevent
a sale as to irritate him in advance. Now,
nothing more vexes person who is looking for
letter, or who is called away from other duties
to answer the carriers bell, than to find the
carefully sealed missive nothing but an adyer-
tisement of somebody's tin shop or meat mar
ket or dry goods store. The impulse is almost
inevitable to throw down the bogus letter IN
digust, and if the name or address of the sender
is observed at all, it is with prejudice not to
buy anything of him if it can be bought else
where. Thus it is that the circular letter in
stead of being a good advertisement is an
argument why trade should 60 in another
direction. How different is well displayed
advertisement in a largely circulated and well
liked newspaper? 1t is in its proper place. it is
not looked upon as an intruder; it is here to be
read at the proper time; it is actually in the
hands and under the eyes of the reader; if it is
about anything in which he or she is interested,
he or she will see it. If the lady of the house
is going the next day to buy carpet, or stoves,
or dry goods, or baking powder, she looks for
such advertisements and reads them, every
word; if the man of the house must renew his
insurance the next day, or buy suit of clothes.
he studies the announcements accordingly.
The paper passes from hand to hand; the
little folks interested in the theater and roller
rink quickly learn what and when their
favorite entertainments are to be. Wherever
the paper goes it carries this advertisement;
it is constant in work as the dew or the sun
shine; its influence canot be fully estimated.
Once thing is printed in newspaper, no one
can tell where or by whom it will not be read.
No other advertising compares with it; $50 so
spent is worth 800 paid to the United States
for postage stamps; and experience will prove
the truth of what we say.