Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-19
un Time Advertising.

aOueili RfeSiS along which propose to travel,
ISpof II necessary to sail against the popu-
! nhu urrent, but so long as l believe that my
!ar Cry is backed by principle and substan-
led by the opinions of deeply thinking
iias shrewdly figuring advertisers, there is
aug objection to sailing against the tide, so
Iho}ng as the tide comes in.
io' The general advertiser naturally divides
his seasons into distinct parts. There is
fthe fall season, the holiday season, the So
: called out-of-season following the holidays,
the spring season, and the summer season.
The last is universally considered by those
business men who hold the ideas Of their
fathers. assisted by few spinal marrow
ideas of their own. as legitimate excuse for
cutting expenses somewhere, particularly
in the advertising department.
! know many Shrewd business men who
have succeeded in making moderate fort
uncs. vet retaining the opinion that it pays
10 advertise when trade is good and that ad-
YertiSing cannot be profitable when trade Is
supposed to be Stagnant.
| am perfectly aware that it is not profit
able TO advertise sealskin cloaks in July nor
to make specially of advertising ice cream
freezers in January. | would not recon-
mend The pushing of bicycles after the BIZ
cycle season is entirely over / know very
well that il does not pay to advertise sum-
mer timetables in midwinter nor arctic
overShoeS in summer. 1t certainly is not
profitable to advertise those things which
have particular season and are purchased
in a transient way, during that time of year
when no one cares anything about the par
ticular thing in question.
The statement made by many advertisers
that people do not read the papers during
the not months, that reading is largely con-
fined to the cooler seasons when weather
forces people indoors where they are sup
posed To be given time for reading and other
mental improvement, Is not founded upon
provable fact.
l propose to argue this question along the
path of trodden axiom, in order that | may
prove that there Is as much reading done
during the summer as is done during any
other season of the year.
In the winter, people stay indoors because
nature makes IL necessary for them to, but
during that season every business man is
busy and every woman is making clothes or
attending TO certain indoor duties, including
the enjoyment of social life. calling, enter
tainments and other recreationS, coupled
with the realization of stern necessity, all
of which are not likely TO be attended to
when the mercury dances i'll the tube. OF
course there are exceptions, but general
principles furnish the best line for definite
argument. The law of averages is generally
d safe one to follow.
BY observation it can be easily proved
that there are more papers and books read
between the first of June and the first of
September, than are read at any other time
of the year. II is hot sticky, and people
let down the bars of business and strait
laced society duties, TO spend their time
upon the piaZzas at the SeaShore, in the
mountains, or by the lake.
There never was man or woman with
brains enough to comprehend the headline
In a cheap newspaper, who did not carry to
the summer cottage, or the summer hotel,
or to the home, about as large 4 stock of
books and papers as of clothes and necessi-
ties.
Tie scramble for the daily papers in the
reading room of every hotel and at the
newsstand of every country resort during
the hot months teaches kindergarten
lessons of positive fact.
Every decent paper is making a special
effort to supply light summer reading, and
the effort is appreciated.
Many Of the leading publishers of the
country give as much attention to the pro-
duction of summer literature, in book or
periodical form, for summer readers. as
they do the publication of Christmas stories
for the holidays.
The statement made that it is too hot to
read Is built upon nothing; it is never too
hot to read; it frequently is too hot to
work
A man who.gets off to spend day and
forgets to buy newspaper on the steamer
or on the cars is sure to hunt through the
inside pockets of his vest for something to
read
The newspaper has become as much
part of the business and social life as TIE
social life itself. Nobody can get along
without reading, and no one who reads re-
fuses to read.
/ have here TO meet an argument which
cannot overcome because nature is against
me, and yet it does not affect the general
strength of this article. A great many
people do not buy heavily during the hot
months because they are away or the
weather makes the effort disagreeable.
This admit, and farther admit that less
goods are sold during the summer than
are sold during any other season; but that
no goods are sold during the summer. or that
trade shrnks in the proportion popularity
given it, is not true and never will be true.
One reason why so few goods are sold
during the summer is that dealers make
comparatively little effort to sell goods. If
people purchased what they wanted, aud
knew what they wanted. there would be no
drummers and no advertising. Goods
would simply be put on the shelves; a card
OF description and price be placed upon
them. Customers would come into the
store; look around to find what they wanted:
carry the goods to the girl to have it
bundled; and pay the checl, at the cashiers
desk. Trade would be ike the bill of fare
IN a restaurant.
The man who wants an overcoat or 4 pair
of shoes is likely to put off buying until
someone or something suggests the pur-
chase TO him.
1t may be said with truth that there can
be no dull season in a live store; the store
where the heat is taken into consideration,
where seasorable goods are placed upon
sale and heavily advertised.
The secret of profitable advertising in
the summer is simply arranging it so as TO
appeal directly 10 the requirements of the
season, and to the coming Seasons
It has been proved that the sale of every
Thug, except absolute necessities, is made
two or three months before the definite or
der IS given. The majority of men do not
even buy tennis coat until they have
thought of the matter for several weeks
The average woman considers baby car
rage month before she buys one 1t is
the little suggestion which turns the posi-
BILE customer in the direction of any paItic-
ular store or article. This suggestion is
generally the advertisement which forces
into the mind not yet recognized desire
If the advertisement continues it is sure to
strengthen and to fan into life the germ
which it planted the first time it was seen
in the want of the multitude.
Experience well demonstrates that it is
better 10 advertise goods before season
than after season, or even during season.
As early as July the people are beginning
to make up their minds what they will do
and what they will have during the fall and
winter. AT this time everybody is consid-
ering the heating of their house. The past
winter is not so far backward and the COM
ing winter is not SO far forward for the
people to forget winter.
The ShrewdeSt of national advertisers
have advertised extensively during the