The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-24
TO WRITE GOOD ADS
AN EXPERT IN Hell PREPARATION
POINTS OUT REQUISITES.
OF One Hundred Millions spent Year
~ for Advertising Much Il Wasted
Essentials OF a Good AID.

Celery Compound. six hundred thousand an
they did not produce results shrewd men
OF the world would not be apt TO Indulge
In them year after year"
This is the answer of a well writer
to a frequently asked question. and it
might be extended to a columns length by
giving the name OF firms that are spending
enormous sums OF money each year in
their advertising. There are one or two
other people besides the Scott's Emulsion
folks, who reach, or closely approach. the
million-dollar mark. There are several
among the big general advertisers and also
among the large local retail advertisers
who reach the half minion-dollar mark.
while the advertisers who put out 10000
a year in various sorts Of advertising form
a very stable company. And then there
are OF course thousands of people who adj
vertise more or less-to fhe extent OF .
few thousands or a few hundred. Bunch
ing all these IL is undoubtedly true that
500, 0oo.OO are spent each year in advertis-
ing. II is an enormous sum-, but II is un-
doubtedly a moderate estimate.
Now. does it pay?
Yes, and no.
1t must pay, because a great many ad-
vertisers who start with nothing, have
made millions in a comparatively few
years; and it will be found in every big
city the big stores that DO the big business
and make the big money are the big ad-
vertlsers. There are plenty OF conspicuous
instances of the profits OF advertising It's
no longer a debatable question, everybody
grants IL.
On the other hand. it is safe TO say that
Of the $100.0O0.On spent annually In this
country for advertising. a good round So
100000 Of it-probably a good deal more, u
positively thrown away. 1t Is not, how
ever, the large advertisers who contribute
to this waste OF S0,0O0.00. This great ag-
gregate is made UP very largely from the
contributions OF the little fellows-the peo-
pie who, in a dim. blind. vague. uncertain
way. know that IT is a good thing 20 ad-
v~ertise, but who neither know how 10 do
il themselves, nor have sufficient pushes
sense to get somebody to tell them. They
know that as an abstract principle. adj
vertising ought TO pay. so they spend sew
eral hundreds or several thousands OF dol
lars a year advertising in such an unintei-
| ligent, b~efogged. haphazard way that only
a special dispensation Of Providence could
ever bring them any returns. The men
who have made advertising pay are the
men who have gone at il in an intelligent.
business-like way, and have never put out
a dollar without giving II a reasonable
show for bringing another dollar back with
II. Intelligent advertising always pays.
Unintelligent advertising pays only by ac-
cident.
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.
But what is intelligent advertising? That
is not a particularly difficult question to
answer. Advertise the right thing in the
right way, through the right mediums.
There is no inscrutable mystery about ad-
vertising. ] am aware that some OF the
experts" especially those who have con-
jured up divers sonorous and imposing titles
such as Doctor of Publicity" Attorney
of Advertising" and sundry other diverting
self-conferred degrees, have been wont 10
give forth the modest proclamation that the
art of intelligent advertising was given but
TO few mortals-and that the great adver-
tisement writer, like the great soldier ana
the great poet. appeared only once In a CEN
tury-a condition OF mind which ought I
should think. to prove very interesting TO
specialists on mental disorders.
Any intelligent man, who will devote
thought and time to this subject. can DO
effective and judicious advertising. IL he has
the knack OF expression, IL he has the gi1t
of epigram, IL heaven has blessed him viii
unusual wit, 80 that he can put what ne has
to say with point and terseness. OF course.
so much the better, but even without any
unusual intellectual gifts, II he has simply
the ability to tell a straightforward story
in a straight forward. pleasing way, he can
with practice get UP good advertising.
Now as to the right thing. OF course.
IL you are going to make a success OF your
advertising you must advertise something
- -~~-f@ ur.- ara anTaYfl&IDK
square-toed shoes and everybody wants
pointed-toed shoes you can hardly expect
your advertising to be particularly remun-
~erative. If YOU have made some bad pur-
chases and become loaded up with unsal-
able stuff you can't expect your advertising
to work it all off at a profit. Or, il you are
trying to sell poor goods at a high price
old stun for new-your advertising viii not
help you very much-at least. 1t ought not
to. It may get people to your store once.
but people in these days know a thing or
two. and they soon end out IL there is any
thing back of your advertising. and II there
isn't they'll no longer read your ads. The
first step coward good advertising Is some
thing worth Advertising.
A good advertisement will do three things
catch the attention, direct IL 10 the thing
you want TO sell and leave a pleasant i'm
preston on the mind. A great mary adver-
Users are so engrcssed with the first requi-
site OF neutrality-suspicious. the attention
that they lose sight OF everything else
/ remember seeing an advertisement illus
trated by a lynching scene, showing the un-
fortunate's body dangling from the limb
Of a tree. 1t caught the attic alton. certainly:
IL was an exceedingly striking ad.-and an
exceedingly disagreeable one.
have just been looking at q trades paper.
in which the most conspicuous page d
adorned with a large Photographic repro
duction or a mummy's head, with shrunken
and shriyeled face, and long locks Of
matted hair-as CHASTITY and curdling a sight
as you would want 10 show to your worst
enemy. Without doubt * viii attract atten-
ton, and equally without doubt whoever
sees it will devote the next three weeks to
trying TO forget it You can attract a mans
attention in the street by giving him q
tnump between his shoulder blades. but he
Is not likely TO turn around and greet you
with conspicuous amiability. BY al means
attract attention In your advertising; but do
it in a pleasing way.
A good way to get attention IL by using
an artistic iilustration-as relevant as posi-
= $50 -,r<c.f-.x .~I