The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-02-04
A BUSINESS PROPOSITIONS

Richard Mansfield, the actor, has
abandoned the bulletin boards and
dead walls as means of advertising,
and confines himself to the newspa'
pers. So many business men have
taken the opposite direction that The
STATESMAN is moved to make few
remarks which it would be q good
idea for the business men of Austin to
COPY in their memorandum books and
refer to very frequently in the course
of the week, the month and the year.
1t is almost an insult to q mans
knowledge of affairs to tell him that
advertising pays, or that he ought to
advertise. He has known that all his
life. All the successful business men
of the world have said so, and have
shown their faith by their works.
They have all been extensive and I'M
firing ad gertisers.
And yet nine business men out of
every ten, believing those things as
they do, will advertise in n timid,
half-hearted way during the busy
season, and be as dumb as an oyster
when times are little dull.
Men who advertise sometimes take
queer notions. They will have their
names and business painted on fences
two or three miles out Of town,
or in "dodgersn which they scatter
along the streets;-the most ineffective
of all the methods of advertising.
They will plant their ads. in papers
200 miles away, which cannot possibly
bring them any benefit, and will
leave themselves wholly unrepre-
scented at home. These men mean
well, but they lack common sense.
Some men land towns pay large
sums for an advertisement of them
selves OF their business in the great
Eastern papers. The papers are ex-
tensively read, and many thousands
of people see the advertisement. And
of those that see it, nearly every one
will excaim: "This is boom matter,
paid for at so much column. There
is no dependence to be placed in it,"
And still others issue handsome
pamphlets, carefully prepared, and |
send them far and wide through the
mails. The busidess men who have
received such pamphlets themselves
know how little Importance is attach
ed to them, how carelessly they are
glanced through and thrown down.
There is but one perfect advertising
medium, and that is the home news
paper. 1t is the one inn
migration agent that can always be
depended upon, that is always at
work, that never misrepresents things,
that gives fair reflection of every
day life, of improvements and new
enterprises. Moreover, instead of
being looked at once and then
dropped and ignored, it goes again
and again, every day or every week,
the whole year round. 1t comes to be
treated as a welcome visitor. The
strange names in it become familiar,
and it accomplishes work no
pamphlet or foreign advertiser could
do.
Briefly, then, The STATESMAN
urges upon the people of Austin to
help it in its work for the city. The
first thing that should be done is that
every business in the city, no matter
how small, should be represented in
THE STATEsMAN'S advertising {
columns, for town is judged by the '
home paper. A card from every bust {
ness man is u mark of his own enter
prise and knowledge of affairs. Hav- '
ing been thus equipped and made to l
show that it is really live, vigorous
city, THE STATESMAN, daily or week |
ly, should be sent abroad to do its [
immigration work. THE STATESMAN
has worked faithfully for Austin and
has made few appeals for help, and /
this is merely an appeal to help it ex-
tend its work for Austin; as Austin
grows it hopes to reap its reward for l
its present concessions to advertisers |
and its zeal in the city's interest.
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