Evening star., 1896-01-11
G OOD ADVE TISING
Some of the Features of Success in This
Line of Business.
Honesty in Dealing With the Public
The Advantages of Being
Specific.


Certain essentials OF good advertising have
already been discussed in these columns
ramely, good taste, truthfulness and timeli-
ress. But one or two further details may
profitably be considered. Good advertising
ought to be direct. Don't beat about the
bush. If you have something to sell tell
just what it is. Get to the point as rapidly
as you possibly can. I am aware that this
is not altogether d brand-new suggestion
in fact. there are some people who believe
in it so thoroughly that they have earned it
to an excess. In their desire for directness
they have developed the nervous style of ad-
Vertising; an attempt to get at the point in
such hurry that there was no waiting for
breath, punctuation marks or capital letters
or any Of the ordinary conventionalities of
composition, a style that ran after this wise:
"Say-want anything-we've got it-what
you wantIall you want-got everything
This form of advertising composition,
which might quite appropriately be called
the ''St. Vitus STYLE" has been considerably
affected by sundry advertising writers. But
too much of this certainly has tendency
to bring on chronic chills and fever. Be
direct and to the point, but not at the ex-
pense of sense and sanity.
Honesty in Advertising.
Another point which may well be dwe1t
upon-honesty In advertising. Be sure that
your announcements have the right ring.
have just been looking over some patent
medicine testimonial advertising I have
two examples before me- each giving a half
dozen testimonials. One advertiser has tes-
timonials from Mrs. George Brown, 146
Washington street, Boston, and from Mrs.
r. NJ. Raymond, 7G1 7th avenue New York
city, and from other people of good, honest
names and specified addresses. The other
testimonials read like this: Mrs. Antoinette
Vanderbilt hnr hoo, ,1fi f,,l
home en- 5th avenue" Miss Anna Drexel
Rittenhouse, the famous Philadelphia So
ciety belle. sends US the following and five
or six other people Of glitterng and rever-
berant names attended to in like manner.
Now, these two advertisements may be
equally honest, but the one with the plain
names and specific addresses rings thous-
and times truer than the one with the i'm
pressive, Notwithstanding names, with
out the number of the street.
And another very important pont-keep
the right level. Don't take a low aim in your
advertising. and don't fire too high. / don't
think it pays to try to Jolly" people, for so
many of US object to being 'jolied." for
example:
We can fix out that fine shape of yours
with $9.49 black diagonal suit that will
paralyze the town. They're out of sightv
Perhaps that style may appeal to Charlie.
but have grave doubts.
This ts Altitudinous.
On the other hand, don't fire a mile over
peoples heads. Here's a fine example of this
altitudinous advertising. taken from the an
nouncements ofsa furniture house 1t repre-
sents the store as having been visited by an
English artist of some little reputation, and
it reads as follows: HE touched on our
national modelling and constructive arts
on the purely American traits evidenced in
them He seemed TO think that our monu-
ments were off-handed, that our architecture
initiative; that sculptural talent was ran
sacking all possible motives, our designs
of soldiers memorials savored of the car
penter rather than Of the artist. He felt
that every grade of American production
in furniture as exampled on our floors was
earnest not perfect like the Greek work
that was limited-but free; it possessed the
calmness of the pagan's duty and the Chris
tians thought, which feels more than it can
execute" and quantity more in the same
vein.
This advertisement was double-column
eight-inch ad. 1 don't believe that it ever
sold a 25-cent hassock. 1t was advertising
in the clouds
BE Specific.
And be specific. After all, what people
want to know about you is what you've got
and what the price is; everything else is Incl
dental. If you are strong on prices. don't
hide them under bushel. Price is the great
oonvincer, especially with women, and wo-
men are the buyers. If you can offer the
best prices you ought to get the best trade.
But don't advertise simply: 'The lowest
prices in town." That doesn't influence any
body the turn Of a hair. Give your prices
and let the shopping public determine
whether they are low or not.
I ran across Christmas Quarter-page ad.
with a big display heading: Great Christ
mas Mark-Down Sale, and underneath this
display line were a hundred different articles
reading as follows: "Jewelry-marked down:
Dols-marked down; Toys-marked down."
and so on through the entire list Not
single price given. A hundred different ar
ticles and 100 different "marked downs" I
cut the advertisement out and showed it to
woman who goes shopping six days a
week
What do you think Of this advertise
ment?" I asked.
cts the most idiotic advertisement ever
saw" she replied.
"All that marked down doesn't mean
anything; If it did. they would tell you what
1t meant"
If, instead of giving a list of a hundred
different things, all marked down" in one
grand sweeping flourish. twenty different
things had been enumerated with the spe-
cific information where they had been mark
ed down from and where they had been
marked down to, the advertisement would
have amounted to something.
Anybody can say that he's got "the best"
everything In his store Is marked down
every five minutes, If he wants to; and what
anybody and everybody can do doesn't
amount to very much in this world. When
you tell specifically just what you've got
and just how much you are selling it for,
it proves at least that in your own mind
you have attractive offerings that will in
f1uence the minds of others. In advertising,
one small, substantial, specific fact Is worth
twenty big, vague, shadowy generalities.
HadlIt Already.
From the Chicago Record.
What is good for bad breath?"
"Weil, beer ard cheese are pretty good"
But that's the kind of breath I've got
now.'s
A Case of Necessity.
From the Town and Country Journal.
Bachelor-'I am told that married man
can live on half the income that a single
man requires"
Married Man-"Yes; he has to-"