Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-02-13
How to Advertise.

Mr.. ]. II. Bates Of No. Al Park row, New
York, is now a veteran among the advertising
agents of the country, and has won the re-
spect Of the business community for fair
dealing, enterprise and good judgment. AT.
ter his experience of nearly thirty years, first
Is clerk for Mr. NJ. s. Pettingill. then for
three years as his partner, and later OF the
firm of Bate. & Locke, and now alone, he is
we'll qualified to speak on the question OF
newspaper advertising, and he has lately
done 80 in .'Retrospection, from which we
quote. He says:
Regular, steady-going business houses, 80
wears ago, felt something like shame in adj
vertising their goods in the newspapers. This
feeling has pretty much worn away, although
some of it still fingers among old-fashioned
business men.
I should Judge that the people of this
country expend at least thirty times as much
money in newspaper advertising as they did
thirty years ago. The vast increase of popu-
lation and newspapers explains considerable
part of this, but it mostly comes from the
more general and freer use made of the adj
vertising columns by the general public. All
cIasse. have become more and more to be
lieve that the newspaper is the most imper-
sonal, selfrespecting and effective way of
getting before the public with what anyone
wants to say to it.
Thirty years ago a man who should spend
1925, 900 year in the newspaper, would at
tract attention as a large advertiser; now
there are houses expanding almost as much
monthly, right along through the year, with
out attracting attention. Mr.. Robert Bonner,
whose undertakings in all directions have
been characterized by breadth, boldness, pre-
cison and success. was the first to make the
public familiar with large advertising ap-
piled in the most original manner, to build
up the circulation of his Ledger to point
never attained before or since by any journal
in this country.
1t agrees with my experience that news
paper advertising is profitable. As l look
back over the very considerable number of
those whose advertising l have done. do
not now recall single one who judiciously,
perseveringly, and freely pushed good arti-
cles, of whatever kind. in the newspapers,
and did not make at least fair success, while
\ great many have gained ample fortunes.
will MT mention names in support of this
statement, as | could easily do, but the list is
a large one. Indeed, it has been my obser
VdLlOH IIidt IL Is chSlcE LUZ &c
to make money than to keep it. Often it
comes in so fast that the head gets turned,
and lavish, personal expenditures and I'M
profitable investments swallowed up the for
tunes which, had they been longer in making,
would likely have been more permanent.
When business men come to look on the
cost of steady newspaper advertising as an
investment, sure to pay as well as any other,
and not unlikely to be exceedingly profitable,
they will use 1t more systematically than
heretofore, anC regard it as a necessary item
of expense.
Twenty-Five years ago, large advertisers as
rule, contented themselves with well
written and displayed advertisement taking
its run on the advertising pages, or paid
something more and used Especial Notice
in position for long time the only pre-
ferred one in the general run of newspapers,
and having no other advanta ge over the or
binary advertisements than being nearer the
reading matter Now the struggle is to gel
preferred position with displayed advertise
ments, or to work in notices and reading ar
tices so that the readers of newspaper
will think them either written or selected by
it. editor Still do not know that adver-
tisers now make it pay them any better than
those did q quarter Of q century ago. who
uscu slNupleE anu CutdptI uttHOHs anu totu
their stories in plain way over their own
names, and used the same advertisements
year after year until the public came to look
on them not unkindly as old acquaintance
| Having seen success obtained by 80 many
different methods of advertising, l have
learned to be modest in urging on customers
this or that way as the only possible one of
succeeding, and content myself with suggest
ing what would seem to be way suited to
the particular case in hand, and this with a
feeling that other ways might possibly be as
good, if not better.
The large newspaper advertisers ~ my
time have been. and are as a rule, intelligent
men, comfortable to do business with, and
can certainly bear testimony to the honora
bic sense of obligation among them as bust
ness class, when | say that l habitually take
verbal orders amounting to many thousand.
of dollars, and do not now recall an instance
where the giving of such informal authort,
was disputed. | doubt whether many, ir
other lines of business, after thirty years ex
perience. can say this.