The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-09-03
WHAT IS A GOOD ADVERTISE.
r1ENTP

The proof of the pudding Is in the
eating. The best OF cooks. familiar
with all the ingredients. cannot really
be sure how the pudding will strike the
consumer until the consumer is heard
| from ~ H ~
The most experienced advertiser can
not be sure that his new advertise
ment will pull until after his brain
and money are irrevocably invested in
It, And it is particularly significant
that though an advertisement pre-
pared in certain way may bring sat-
isfactory results, the advertiser can
never feel satisfied that. IL IL had been
prepared in a different fashion, IL might
have brought vastly more returns.
BY the very nature Of the speculation
involved the expert" in advertising. or
whoever may undertake to edit, censor
or improve a particular advertisement.
will be about as unable to determine the
value of his Judgment without the ac-
tual trial as the party who prepares the
original copy. The real arbiter OF ad-
vertising is the man. woman or child
to whom the advertisement is directed
III IL hits the party aimed at II is
good advertisement. III it fails in that
IN Of oil nlx lao.
not good. But the party aimed at is not
critic of advertising. by any means.
IL asked his views on the copy" they
would likely be quite valueless. and, in
deed, experience seems to demonstrate
that the best approved advertising is
often the least effective. and the ad-
vertising that is expertly reviewed as
often perhaps fails to catch the people
aimed for.
An interesting example OF the i'm
of constructing a certain
piece of advertising on the merits of |
which the experts. the men of advertis-
ing experience and the critics OF judg-
ment will agree. is offered by the ex-
perience of the New York Times. in
It's effort to secure best" advertise
ment for itself. The Times offered a
prize of 500 to the advertising ex-
pert" who should prepare an advertise
ment best setting forth the value of
that newspaper to American adver-
Users. 1t also offered to pay s. apiece
'or every other advertisement except
he best submitted in the competition
hat should be acceptable to the Times
Judge for use. The space for which the
Times wanted the advertising matter
cost that newspaper sl25 each issue.
md to fll 1t to the best possible ad-
'antage was evidently worth spending
money for. The 500 prize and the IS
'ayments for approved copy would evil
emily be economically expended II
nything approaching "best" advertise
nents could be secured.
Now. 1t appears that as many as 211
advertisements were submitted to the
lines in competition. Most of them
'ere written by trained advertising
'riters, men OF experience In preparing
dvertisements that would be success
al In their mission. Out OF this num-
err committee, presumably OF good
idges. selected IA for submitting to the
ublisher of the Times. Presumably
he latter knew what he wanted, and
e wasn't satisfied with any of the
'urteen. But as long as the good faith :
the Times was pledged, one OF the
vrteen was selected for the prize.
II others were returned, none. In the !
dgment Of the final authority being Y
orth IS apiece.
Then. just to test his own views by I
G Judgment OF others. the fourteen G
selected by the COM :.
Ittee were submitted by the Times Il
pert to another expert. The lat q
picked out different "best." r
e that he had written himself. as y
peared. and placed the Times se- n
tion second" A third expert agreed =,
tn the Times man that all the four n
N were about worthless. and he pre- co
red one that in his opinion, at least. al
- , III
the best" though ne. also, gave
ond place to the Times selection. &c
low. two questions naturally arise: br
st, was IT possible for the Times to su ,a'
a better advertisement than the one ]
which the prize was grudgingly ~ '.,,
,rded? Second. who can be sure Fr
none other of the fourteen selected. i ~,
say nothing Of the 2Il submitted. OF
not equally as good. or even bet WI,