Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1888-08-17
HOW TO ADVERTISE.
The Experiences of the Oldest and Best.
Known Business Man.

The Experience of the Oldest and Best.
Known Business Man.
Too much money is spent on ''snap''
advertising schemes. Venture the MS
sertion that fully onc-third of the mon
ey spent in this country for advertising
is sauandered on the new schemes
fakes" they are called in the lam
guage of the cr:.ft-introduced by itin-
Grant solicitors.
The oldest. and perhaps the most
worthless of the schemes devised to
pull the dollars from the business man 3
pocket is the '.hoel card" printed on
common colorcd card board. and vary
ing in size from 6x9 to 1lxl4. or quar-
ter sheet of cardboard. according to
the gullibilitv of the business men APP
preached in the interests of the scheme.
These cards. which are fastened to the
in IS de of the bedroom doors. contain
the rules of the hotel. occupying a COM
paratively infnitesimal space. and the
remainder is filed with advertise
ments. representing every business in
the town. Imagine the spectacle OF n
traveller. on cold morning. with one
trousers leg on. and hopping about the
room in the effort to preserve his equ;l-
ibrium while he encases bis neither
limb in the other refractory division
imagine him. with chattering teeth
and ''goose-pimplcd" anatomy, stop
ping to read about 1.-The Leading Dry
Goods House." "S,aple and F.ncy
Groceries. Free Delivery" Our
Motto-One Price to ALL" IL rye
Stock of Cooking Stoves" Capital
Stock. 800. 0O0." "Satisfaction Guaran-
teed." and other information of like
nature! "A Z
From twenty to fifty Of these cards are
pr nted. at cost to the getter-up of
four or five dollars; while he may re-
ceive for the advcrtiseme nts $35 or $40
very good wages for a few hours
work. The cards he gives TO the hotel
proprietor in excha &c for his board
One Of the grnndest swindles l call
to mind now was that perpctrated on
the bushes. men Of Southern Kan
sas town ;bout two years ago by a
''town clock scheme. Tive smooth
tongued strangers induced twenty or
more merchants to take space on n
circular board about thre feet in d.
ameter. which was hoisted on a pole
at street corner In the center of
the board was cheap clock. and
around it spaces in which advertise
mn ts n.,;ntaI Thn q
this o ,rd to tn advertisers WAS. il my
memory serves me right, $3.50. ut least
$40 of which was clear profit for the
solicitor s three days work. In week
the clock succumbed to old Sol and the
rain; while the same forces caused the
paint to fade and peel off-and there
it stood. and yet stands for aught
know, a one hundred and sixty dollar
hitching-post!
Advertisements in directories and
theatrical and other programs are not
worth the time consumed in writing
them; and money so expended is abs =
lutely thrown away. The same is true
of fence-board advertising. except the
consent of the farmer be gained for he
will. nine times cut ten. resent the
liberty taken with his boundary lines
by knocking off the Loard and mailing
it on again with the sign inside. Again,
boards are broken, and when the fence
is repaired we bcho d these startling
announcements: ,'Bargains in purya
tive pellets at John Smith 81 Charter
Oak Stoves Cure Sick Headache"
A well conducted paper is the only
medium through VIII CHI the advertiser
can reach the people with profit to him
self Such. at least. has been the ex
perience of the oldest and best known
advertisers. who arrived at the conclu
sion through the expenditure of M any
thousand dollars in exper mental adj
vertising. -Supt. 1hompaon. in Indus
triditst.