The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-01
THE ADVERTISING GHOST
She Haunts the Business Man in
Bread Daylight.
She Has Left on Traditional Mys-
tcries and Chain RattIings and Is
the Good. Rather Than Consternn-
ton, OF Those Who Sec Her.

the Good, Rather Than Consterna-
ton, of THOSE Who Sec Her.
You should see our ghost, She's
great one" said the manager of pub
iieity bureau lately Good worker, We'll.
no, can't put it that way. The Office
ghost never works. you know, but as a
susgester OF ideas. schemes for presenting
| aud pushing matters, she can beat the or
binary designer two to one. \ man couldn't
begin to hatch out all the clever inklings
that girl can In a given time, even If he
made the place blue with smoke. It's mi
tiauVe work she does. Her quirks and no.
lions come to her in the night, she says,
and she goes round disposing of them by,
day. I've studied psychology and phrenol-
ogy both little, as side interest and
I've often wanted to get hold of the inside
of that woman's skull and see what wheels
and mainsprings turn out the succession of
ideas Ideas all wide apart from each other
in separate fields, but with good telling
properties.
The ghost is useless as to any practical
l. L
string sentences together with any empha-
sis. and she can't draw or make even so
much as an outline etching, but she can
Judge admirably of other peoples efforts
IN those lines and can somehow create an
enthusiasm in the writer or the illustrator
of her ideas TO make them do their best
work
Now. that calendar there, that was put
out with Blanks best biueing. is an illus
tration OF a ghosts methods. For eight
years we had been getting up Blanks cal
endars as pertinent and timely as We could
devise, and We were at sea what idea to
use for ninth annual when in walks
the ghost with the most strikIngly good
consignment on hand, not only something
that would hit the business nail straight
on the head. but that would be pretty and
could be got up cheap enough to be profit
able We've been congratulated ON that
calendar all over, heard about it from
places you'd never think it would get to-
Mexico, Nova Scotia. And 30,0d0 are on
the books
The ghost is good adapter too She
went travelling out West this summer and
came home with the neatest thing in soap
illustration you ever saw. It has sold like
wildiire and really done the house good
People take it TO be an ideal sketch, but it
isn't. It's a reproduction of genuine
waterfall, rocks and all, that the ghost
visited All she did was TO put pretty
nymph under the veil of waters washing
her hair with the magic cake of soap. And
the idea was complete
The ghost haunts the advertising de-
partments of big business houses And
although if You ran across her in the cor
rider or going up in the elevator YOU
might mistake her for an ordinary young
home body out doing an errand for her
mother. she can talk costs ard results
with an intelligence that commands atten-
tion and engineer her interests so efficient
ly that she gets commissions from three
separate parties in a single transaction
II sounds paradoxical TO say so but there
are spooks supporting their mothers and
younger brothers comfortably in city Ats.
in high renting districts There are
ghosts living at dizzy heights in tail stu
do buildings respected by the Substantial
tardesmen who bring their daily cheer.
and there are others inhabiting tasteful
suburban cottages built with the savings
from their incomes. Proofs exist that the,
advertising shades profession and pe-qui-
sites are on the up grade financially. and
occasionally one hears of a widowed ghost
or newly married or about to- be-mar-
rled ghost working as effectively and dis
passionateiy as her tree lance sisters.
ghost lately made 3 neat thing in the
matter of skirt binding. Ii was a new sort
of skirt binding that she heard OF in her
spirit-iike way but a binding that what
ever its merits, was oyershadowed by OIL
der and more prominent brands. The ghost
elected il her peculiar mission to advance
this newcomer among bindings TO 4 front
rank place in the trade. She thought by
day and she thought by night as 10 the
best design in print, picture and method.
OF giving that obscure binding deserved
publicity. Having decided on a unique and
eye-fixing idea she donned her discreetlr
capable-loOking tailor costume and hetook
herself to the manufacturer of that skirt
binding. She got his ear got his favor
and his order for her idea and his com
mission to employ such an artist and such
a writer as would do credit to her toncep-
ton. Later when the ghosts idea was
an accomplished fact in black and white,
apt and taking. she held ii before the
manufacturers eyes and besought him to
let her order the necessary Hthegraphing
OF the duplicates and also to place this
bid for the skirt bindings popularity in
such current publications as she Jaw fit.
The manufacturer agreed seeing that this
was a wise and long-headed ghost. and now
several purposes have been accomplished
The obscure skirt binding is seeing the
light The artist and the advertisement
writer were happy at having the order and
in paying the ghost for their satisfaction
The photographer cheerfully Clipped in his
share and incidentally gave the ghost (be
fore unknown to HIM an order for an idea
illustrative of unique stove polishing. and
the various periodicals paid the ghost their
quota and their respects and good will.
Everybody concerned is pleased and the
is recommending that ghost
as having exceptional enterprise and de-
serving to get along.
Occasionally it happens that a ghost has
10 have hacker. She makes clear head
way with the manufacturer and the. artist.
lut when it comes to the photographer anu
tdvertising departments of the pubIica-
ions they ask a deposit guarantee that
hey will get their pay. The active ghost,
however, can afford to laugh at such stunt
ling blocks. She knows issues and values
md isn't apt to take risks, and she is GER
ain to have friends The people she has
worked for watch her career. They look
md wonder at her aptitude and espouse
Ter interests.
Certain kinds of ghosts work as inter-
aediaries taking the subordinate rather
han the initiative position in enterprise.
There is a clever young ghost. one of three
lartners in q studio corporation. for the
reproduction and disposal of ideas. Ideas
eIating TO everything from fashion me
'iums to marmalade factories, overalls
nd proprietary remedies are kept in stock
IT made to order by this firm. Two women
nd man compose the nome staff, outside
i'd being called in when there are rush
riders TO fill. The man is an all round
God drawer and deDictor, not an artist
BY genius. but one calmly prac-
ical and given 10 steady work, One OF
he young women likewise draws, paints,