Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1888-03-01

it is manifestly unfair to base the price for
advertising on circulation alone. Yet this is
what most advertisers do and the advertising
agents have educated them up to it. They
apply their rigid rule without considering
the circumstances connected with the publi-
| cation of many papers. For instance, it
costs more to place an advertisement in far
western paper than in one in the eastern or
central States with the same circulation, for
the reason that everything entering into the
making of paper in the West is done at an
increased expense. Hence if the publisher
has been wise his rate will be high compared
with the eastern paper; and to the advertiser,
who looks into one of the many books got
ten out by the philanthropic agents to guide
his inexperienced feet in the rocky paths that
lead to publishers Offices it will appear as if
he were asked too much for his work by the
man in the West, who doesn't believe in
making his rates conform to the theory of
the agents who have wrought out rate per
line, or inch, per thousand, for the purpose
Of using it as q club to knock down the
prices of advertising. But he doubtless
would have gotten the worth of his money
more fully if he had spent it with the west
ern publisher and not taken the advice of the
man who is circulation crazy, and pat his
work in some paper without any other valu-
able quality but a circulation.
ADVERTISING AGENTS.
The members of this association, singly
and as body, can do much to counteract
this influence, which is the principal stock in
trade of most advertising agents; and adver-
tisers and agents can be taught that papers
reputable and strong, and old enough to be-
long to this association, have business sense
sufficient to establish fair rates of adverti-
ain. considering all their good features, in
o1.-S; 3D., 0'slation, and that they have the
courage to adhere ~ tnem.
Having fixed rate sStelieve in sticking to
it. Let it be known that paPe Is lnne1le
BILE on this matter and one-half the YORK OF
attending to its business is done away with.
Not dollar of loss will follow. Advertisers
respect a paper that respects itself, and will
gladly pay more to such paper than to one
known to take whatever it can get for its
space. 1t will stop all jewing and the weari-
some propositions from agents; and unless
they change their methods of business 1
think ultimately it will do away with them
entirely. For 1 confess I have no respect for
advertising agents as a class. Personally I
have friends among them whom I regard
highly; but as class they are not helpful to
a newspaper, inasmuch as they are continu-
ally at work to beat down its prices. A rep
reseRtative agency in New York boldly says:
''The real strength of the advertising bureau
lies in its ability to obtain the greatest con-
eessions from the publishers rates" And
again: ''The advertisers interests are the
only ones We have at heart. x x We
are the agents of the advertiser" =" This
ayowed spirit is the reason for my dislike of
agents as class, and for my hope that be-
cause the papers in this organization stick to
rates, they eventually will be compelled to
retire from the field where they have so long
labored assiduously for the advertiser, and
have been paid fer it handsomely in commits
sions by the newspapers. Often they have
stood between the two, with grasping hand
extended each way, and have gathered in
tribute from the advertiser and the paper.
The great advertisers of the country have
seen this and are getting away from agencies
as fast possible and doing their business
direct with the papers. The agents are no
longer the mighty men they once were, and
their field is constantly growing smaller in
stead Of larger. There are less than dozen
with whom any newspaper wants to keep an
account.
BOGUS AGENCIES.
Many of the employees of the city agen-
cies, hungry for a slice of the advertising
cake, and remembering that their employers
once waXed fat at the business, have started
up agencies of their own. Every one of
these misguided persons thinks his particular
agency is bound to be a success. He buys
seven eight dollars worth of stationery,
with lots of red in the letter head, makes a
| first payment on the installment plan, on a
| secondhand type writer, and sits down and
grinds out to the various publishers letter,
| which he says at the top was s'Diotated by
| A. B. NJ to Stenographer No T." and states
| that he has opened the Universal Advert
| sing Bureau and Printers Supply depot for
| the transaction of e general advertising busi-
| ness. After requesting several copies of adj
vertising rates for his rate-books he proceeds:
'sTo extend my lines OF business [ pre-
pairing the Universal Advertising Bureaus
ready reference list, which I wish to issue at
| an early date: To bring your paper promi-
| nsntly before the advertiser I will give you
| space for fifteen to fifty lines of reading mat
| ter directly under the name of your paper
| in the list, for you to set forth the special
merits of your paper. This reading matter
I will put in red bound to have it red and
will charge you one dollar per line and take
pay for same in space in your paper on fu-
| ture order" He also has some display adj
| vertising which he will dispose of at fifty
| dollars per page; intimates that if you
haven't the ability to prepare the copy for
the advertisement one of his intelligent hire
| lings will do it for you; and in a postscript
offers to sell you printers ink at fifteen cents
| a pound, which you could contract for with
any reputable ink house for half the money.
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.
You all know that fellow. He has made
every one of you swear--or want to-yet he
| is only feeble imitator of the typical ad-
| to rates knocks him clean out. He never
| writes again after he receives reply to his
| "dietated' letter from a plain business OF
| advertising manager, written with pen,
| saying that accounts are not opened with adj
| vertising agents unless satisfactory references
| are given; that the rates inclosed are infexi-
| BILE; that no commissions can be allowed;
| and that no red advertising is wanted in the
Universal Advertising Bureaus ready refer
| ence list. When he can't get any commits
| sion and can't cut the schedule rate his oecu-
| patton is gone and he quits. I know; I have
| tried him.
And sticking to rates will finally compel
| all agencies to change their present rela-
| tions to newspapers, "a consummation de
| voutly to be wished for' in my opinion.
Add to firmness in rates a judicious cut
| ting down of commissions, which really
| should be wholly paid by the advertiser,
| and it would not be long until the adVer-
| tising agent would either be paid by the
| advertiser for his experience and work, ex-
actly lawyer is paid by his client, or
| he would have to quit business. Where he
makes his money now is in the cutting of
rates, which he persuades publishers to en-
| gage in, and out of which he and the adj
| vertiser make a handsome divide.
| The transition in the advertising business
| is here, and this assertion can do much to
| make the change benefit to the newspaper.
| 1t can assist in making the general adverti-
| ser and the publisher better friends. II
can assure him that the papers composing
this body are of high grade; that he will
get his moneys worth in them; and [ wish
| the time was here when it could say that
each member had but one price to every.
| body and always stuck to his rates.