Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1898-09-08
4 Genius in Advertising.

When | was youngster, say OF 2I'
| remarked the veteran Journalist OF a
western city to Washington Star re
| porter. Il was the editor of country
paper in a town of 5000 people. and
having liyed for year in New York l
had an idea that was really the only
person in town who knew anything. L
had a pretty hard time making things
come my way, but youth and enter
prise are hard to down, and kept at 1t.
There was one firm in town, Smith
Brothers. which was the strongest and
most conservative there, and | knew an
advertisement from them would be the
making Of me, but they were very SLOW
in letting me have it. However, L per-
sisted until at last l had it in my
clutches, and / grasp it as drowning
man grasps at life preserver' Inc
senior partner, who was a most aus
tere and particular old chap, and dea-
con into the bargain, was anxious TO
imp1ess me with the fact that they
were doing great deal for me, ana
must return value received. All OF
which | agreed to do, and then the old
gentleman surprised me by telling me
he would give me the copy and leave 1t
to nv new-fangled notions, as he called
them. to make up an ad that would
show the Smith Brothers to be as pro
gressive and ready to meet the modern
ideas as well as any other merchants IN
town This was more than L could
have asked for if they had begged me
to do so. and I went out of the place al
most shouting When | reached my
office l read the copy over again to ind
its strong points of display 1t was as
follows, for ] never can forget 1T:
Smith Brothers, the well known deal
ers in groceries, are pleased to make the
announcement that they are i'll receipt
of the biggest stock of canned goods
ever seen here, and they viii be sold at
prices hitherto unknown. Some adyer-
tisers may be liars, but Smith Brothers
are happy in knowing that they have
reputation for veracity which IS
worth more to them than gold.
That was good, plain stuff, with not
much If a margin visible for the play of
my versatile fancy, but was expected
to do something that would attract al
tentiJn. for the old gentleman bad been.
especially strong on that point. He was
tired of the plainly severe, he said ana
wanted somthing that would not tan TO
stir things up. sat up more than hall
the night with that copy, and when
morning came had 1t all in shape to
fill column, the amount OF space ne
wanted it to occupy, He told me, when
he gave me the copy, that If he didnt
get around TO see the proof, just to let
il GO and take the chances, which l dld
when he didn't appear and when the
paper came out, there, ia The biggest
and blackest letters could set up, was
this advertisement for full column ON
the first page,
SMITH BROTHERS.
the well known dealers in groceries
ARE
pleased 10 make
THE
announcement that they are IN receipt
of the
BIGGEST
stock Of canned goods ever seen here,
and at prices hitherto unknown.
Some advertisers may be
LIARS
but Smith Brothers are happy
III
knowing that they have reputation in
TOWN
for veracity which is worth more to
them thar gold.
We'll, when the Smith Brothers saw
that ad fairly shouting to them and at
them ana abOrt them, they were the
maddest men You ewes saw, and they
were only restrained by their religion
from shooting me on the spot How
ever they sped me in spite of all my
defense of the attraat,yeG qualities of the
display, and | would have gone ~ th9
wall for my genius and NapoIeonic
brillianoy had it not been for the fact
that before the time Of hearing the suit
the ad had actually given Smith
Brothers a boom that almost frighten-
ed them by its tremendous popularity,
and though they never repeated the ad.
and always made me submit matter be
fore it was printed, we became great
friends, and each OF us did much for
the other in financial and other ways.