The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1898-05-26
FAKE ADVERTISING.

Advertising judiciously placed is
undoubtedly good thing. When
properly handled it brings a return
that much more than compensates for
the outlay. But there are many so
called advertising schemes that are
merely intended to put money into
the pockets of the schemer, without
benefting the advertiser a farthing,
and this town has been so extensively
worked in that direction that we deem
1t our duty to call attention to some
of these schemes. Only recently
half dozen or more parties have visit
ed Bloomsbury to gather in money for
themselves, and they have so often
succeeded that the town now has an
established reputation among that
craft as one of the most gullible in
fake advertising in the state.
Here are few examples of what
we mean. A stranger calls on bust
ness man and solicits an advertise
ment to be placed on a large blotter,
with other business cards. This
blotter is to be used on writing tab
let, and the tablet is to be presented
to the leading hotel and to be kept in
the Office for the use of guests who
want writing material. When there
is call for such material, the clerk
hands the guest this tablet, and when
he opens it the advertisements appear
on the blotter before him.
Great scheme, and it costs only
four dollars card. Five hundred
blotters will be printed, which will last
long time, and the advertiser will be
greatly benefited. The business man,
especially if he be one who has never
spent dollar in advertising in the
local papers, sees a great thing in this
proposition, signs an order for the
card, and his caller passes on to
another victim. After securing orders
amounting to forty dollars, the stranger
goes to printing office, makes con-
tract for printing, not five hundred,
but forty blotters. for FIVE dollars, goes
around and collects his money, and
leaves town the same night with thirty
five dollars in his pocket for his days
work. The blotters and writing case
are presented to the leading hotel,
laid away under the counter, and are
never seen by guest of the house.
No man could write on such thing
if it were given to him. The adver,
tiser's money is thrown away.
Another fake is the railroad time
table man, who works about the same
scheme, gets up a card with time tables
on 1t, and business cards all over it,
has about half as many printed as
p omised, and does not distribute half
of those.
Another one promises to put up
cards on the inside of every hotel and
boarding house bedroom door in town,
on which is prlnted.the law relating
to dodgers at public houses. He Sc
cures business cards to be printed on
the same sheet, gets few printed,
hands them to some of the hotels where
they are consigned to oblivion, and
never seen again, and the SCI ,mer IN
almost every case. blows in his money
at the bar.
And so on down the list The
wonder is that apparently shrewd busi.
ness men should be so blind as to
patronize such fakes. We have done
considerable printing for these tramps,
and have made money out of them by
charging big prices, and hence we
know that most Of the people who
throw away their money on such
schemes, are those whose names never
appear in the advertising columns of
the local papers. They patronize
strangers rather than reliable home
institutions, and get faxed. Barnum
was right in what he said about the
American people wanting to be hum.
bugged, and we could go on with
instance after instance where these
schemes have been worked, where
not one penny of good has been done
the o5yerticer