New-York tribune., 1890-04-14
GEO. p. ROWELL a. co.
AN ENTERPRISING AGENCY.

OF George L. Rowe & Co.. advertising agents. began
business.
Mr. Rowcll had served a seven years apprenticeship
in the counting of The Boston POST and then
at the of twcnty-six. having acc-
mulatcd net Indebtedness. over all asses.
Of 1000. threw mp his situation and salary OF 81
week to enter npon business Of which he had lrh
knowledge and experience. His partner. MI
Horace Dodd had not the advantage Of rw'-
paper Office training. To him. solid. leadcd di,lN'
ecciroype. agate and nonpareil were unknown tr'S.
Such a thing a list of newspapers published II thc
United States was not then accessible To the 'nic
few experienced advertisers some Of whom spent
AS much as $4,000 year. had Jealoisly Iiaue"
catalogues which had been compiled with car ana
:. H. Niles. :. VI. Pettengill a CO.. Evans " Ahc"'h'
JOY. Coc & Co.. and Cook, Cobnrn a Mack Vac ISIS
more or less complete at the agencies condided by
them in Boston, New York. Philadelphia and 'mcaSo'
such list Of newspapers at that time 'nt OF the
most valuable assets Of an advertising a,cncy. II
was claimed that advertiser then must g 10 one Oh
the agencies since he could not in any otrr way ma
ont what papers published. shortly atfr putting
out the sign and issuing with much aid hesitation
crcnlar. which involved an outlay Of S6lhe ne" hrn
received an application from scranton Burr SUD
scrprion hook publshcrS at Hartford. fer information
about the cost of advertising in New brunswick and
Nova scotia Neither ROwcll or Dcdd incw so much
the name Of single paper IN cit"r "l 'he Nv"
Provinces but not being pressed viii business I'cN
had time 10 seeN the needed information VISITS were
paid the Boston newspaper Offices Or lists Oh 'hei'
exchanges from these regions 5u>'oh al "a'
time abounded in printers from the Provinces,
" bucnosesr they were called WhCc did yOn come
from What paper did yonr fathc take DO yon
remember any other paper Was printer oa'N OF
weekly In twenty four hours ~ had been pre-
pared and price given. Nothing such stumbling
| block 10 advertising agent Is caiu Oh fa'c'
and this cmbarras thcS" emhyo agents escaped
out Ilafl
came from many. Some paper were dead some
had changed names, CONSOLIDATED or changed from
weekly TO daily vice vera. Others were so
unncw spaperlikc as to want ny nent before doinS
work for unknown parties: hhIlY, however thc
application for agents sell th History OF Method
| ism or was il .Bcvond the Mississippi" had been
inserted in good many papc,' ana by taxing care
10 charge the advertiser cnOfh and not 70 onrr 10
pay the publisher to, much there was handsome
profit provided Messr~. scraiton Is Burr should fail
TO notice that the li, Of ppcrS named on the bill
bore scarcely 50 much relation t. the lst named in
| the estimate aS the class u missionary sunday
school in July does to the SINE school catalogue MADE
up the preceding Christmas time. The bl was made
ont with doubt and misivng. Rowell and Dodd
went together To- the pos,ofcc 70 mail the alllni
portant document And then they waited For
tunately. the book sIccesS The publishers maze
money and by return mai a check in full pay
ment for the bill and fr many scranton (
Burr who had separated and a!tr conducted
different houses. were ancng the most constant and
valued patrons of this Youngest advertising agency
II was a practice in the oaicc. whenever the name
| of a new spapcr Io'iccd in an exchange a, IN
cases where credit wa given foi an article item.
| to note the name IL book for future reference.
Finally. a list Of newspapers for single stat was
| compiled and prn~, and sent Ia all the palcis
named upon it. an, each publisher asked to
| return IL with corrections i'm this time
went on the firm finally Became possessed Of I'll"
! names Of about 300 papers in the United stat
| and Canada.
When the bushe>s was inaueuratcd novel
! scheme was colccived and worked ok. The
plan was to baicain with a hundred paper, h
New England aothcr hundred IN Ncw.lorS
and 80 on for otler sections for column Of space Il
be used bv the scar and pcddlcd to advertisers
who should nav hundred dollars Tor an inch {" ID
Inserted In the Whole lot for month The alIiieri
| ton. a hundred dollars for hundred papers. had
certain charm. and as the average charge u th'
| papers for inserting inch month about - =
! each the prize seemed low cuoush. There Wa th'
additional advantage that what was sold for a hundred
cost only ah0r 80. that If sometimes only hail the
space could be sold there SIN modicum %
| profit. 80 well did TINS plan work. that while
established agents were unable to compete with The
new scheme the first year, Transactions o the nov
agency -ho.cd a net profit after all cNpcn-ce "cr'
II was soon noticed that the hcadouartcr- Of advcr
| tising wss New York Mr.. Eowel could canvas
Boston for a week and most OF the people whom h'
saw wouli ask him 10 come again. while b" would -
10 Ncw-YDrk for days and bring back hat frll %
orders 1 but natural. therefore. that ne -houl'
turn his tiou-h, - New York. lie engaged an Office
I'm The sew York 1imes~ building In April. l~is l.
that wear Nr. Charlie, y Kent became. and ha- cvc
since been. associated with HIM m bu,iuc--. Nr
Dodd remained I'm Boston and sim condnci- success
ful accncJ there. in 1863 the American N""-palr
Directory was issued and then for The nr-i Tim
everybody had 70 complete l't of newspaper,
The numhn' Of newspapers IN that FIR, edition "'
about SOD. In 1890 II had increased - 1900
In the preface Of the first edition Of the plrc' tor
there appcacd this paragraph
A gentleman Of acquaintance shortly an"
he close a the late war secured l-t Of paper II
the S0utlcn states. compiled with considerable ac
cuIacy ant this regarded of 80 much value b.
advertisers that single copies were without difficulty
sold for the sum Of :1j0.7
The American Newspaper Directory has opened
means Of Communication between advertisers and pnb
shcI5 ,uc Is did not before exist. and has resulted
In securing for papers Of all classes very con-id
cradle incrsc Of advertising patronage over wha
they would otherwise have obtained. True. it, cir
cllaton ratngs sometimes ccnsured. but a. wear
90 by, the ,ook becomes and more recognized
authority ad It's publishers find that each year tr
complaints grow less, chiefly because publishers o
new spapcrs begin to recognize the value and i'm
portantc Il themselves Of the work. and now iak
pains scd In their reports Of circulation. and thu
secure I;ng which Is both satisfactory ana Iclhbl'
In 1870 towclI q GO. bought out the busine-s "
John Hope, the pioneer advertising agent ~ New
York Mr.. .owcll wa original in his methods. an'
never 10 ing ad any aiming IN an advertising agency
he invented he plans Of conducting the business an'
these were conceived with such good judgment Una
the method. which have prevailed IN his Office nav
been gadIaly adopted by all the successful aecn'le
Of the cOuiry. II used to be the custom to MAKE
written contract with every advertiser, naming III
uapcrs and the price. II desirable 81 charge III
advertiser much possible and pay the phIc
AZ little. 'ub shcrs perceived that the ageh
had bOuh himself by contract am
!. that 10 oLtin big price all that was Ic'csHa'
,c.s to demand 1t and stick 10 H.. Instances WcIc Nv
uncommon hat local paper with 800 weekly -"
,vould be pad 10 cents line for twenty llnc re''i'
o notice 10 b. inserted year Zone hundred an" W"