Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-10-26
BY NArH'L G. FOWLER, JR.,
DOCTOR OF ADVERTISING.
Copyright, 1893, by The Trade Company, Bostonj

Copyright ls93 by The Trade Company Boston0
No progressive paper asks less than it
can conveniently get.
GOOD advertising space comes lngh'
Ills not SO much how much you pay, It's
what YOU get for what you pay.
The retailer must advertise. 1t is ms
duty to pay as little as he can, to buy at
subbottom.
Advertising space in any respectable
newspanpr is merchandise, and must be
rcciGntd as a barrel Of -four, or rs Il yard
of calico.
No responsible merchant sells flour, or
calico, for less than its vaIuc. No good
newspaper peddlcs advertising space Tor
less than it is worth to itself, and to the
local advertiser. -
The majority of papers Of "lSticktuitive'
one price, are the papers OF circulation, and
of positive advertising valnc.
a cut in the price of molasses. or in any
other commodity, creates suspicion that II
is not good. or chat there is no demand Tor 1t.
An unusual cut in advertising rates, I'M
natural discounts, or any OF TINS seeing
it's-vou-Ill-do soand.so,' is evidence that
the advertising space is not worth what is
asked for if, aud generally much less than
that obtained for it.
The advertiser has no more right to beat
down the advertising rates of a newspaper
than has the newspaper right to demand
suicidal discount in the purchase OF ms
clothes, provisions. or furniture.
No tirst-class publication will go below
it's regular scale for any body, except in
exceptional exceptions, and these are gen
orally handled with the incest care, that
no one but the persons interested may be
familiar in the premises.
II is impossible for any one to dictate a
scale of rates to apply generally, for. each
publication has the same right to make ITS
rates as has tho merchant to fix price
upon his goods, but the law OF general
averages applies more or less TO inns paper,
and to all other papers.
An established proportionate rate IL one
cent line, per thousand circulation, ON
regular yearly contracts, but many large
dailies cut this rate in two twice, while
some other dailies are not able to bring
their rates down to this proportionate
figure, There are newspapers In which
advertising is worth more than one cent IA
line per thousand circulation, and there
are newspapers in which advertising is not
worth one fifth, or one tenth, of a cent
line per thousand circulation, but any
respectable local paper which depends
upon news for its success, can maintan
rate Of from one fourth Of a cent to cent
and half line per thousand circulation,
for display advertising, with lesser rate
for the regular want advertisements, while
local weeklies, if their circulation be
limited, have a right TO ask from cent to
two cents line per thousand clrculauon,
on yearly contracts.
a few very large dailies maintain their
rates, without regular discount, whether
the number of insertions be or 800, but
the majority of local dailies give from 100
10 300 discount from regular card rates,
on yearly business.
The advertiser is warned against those
papers which only have quality and high
rates as inducepents. The society sheet,
printed upon fine paper, with a select
circulation of not exceeding 1000 copies
land there are few society papers with over
over five cents line per thousand circu-
lation, and the advertiser sometimes finds
it advisable to pay this, if he be an extern
sive advertiser, ar he desires to cover his
field completely, not because the space is
charged by leading newspapers, but be.
cause, even at this apparently exorbitant
rate, enough trade may come from the
advertisement to justify the extravaganza