The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-16
PATENT MEDICINE BUSINESS
Takes Lot of Money to Establish
New NOstrum.
w orleans Times-Democrat,

4 view orleans IlfneS-DeIuOcTdt-
''The patent medicine business has some
very curious features" said a veteran New
Orleans druggist, "and it's bold man who
claims to know it thoroughly. Fifteen
| years ago one of the acknowledged experts
| of the country said, I'm a published inter-
View, that 1T cost $4,000 per annum TO Gre
| ate demand, and by spending that sum-
| ne declared, he could sell bottled spring
water labeled fever tonic and make a big
| fortune That cynical assertion may have
been true in 50, but il needs revision to
| bring il up to date. To begin with. it's costs
great deal more than $4,000 now to put a
proprietary remedy before the public, as
the saying goes. The secretary of one
well-known concern told me only last
| spring that his house spent quarter mil
| Hon on its speciality before the sales paid
| Tor the bottles and wrappers. The follow
| ing year, however, the profits were enor-
mous-sonething like 10 per cent. Another
| firm spent $4,000, TO my positive knowl-
edge, for purely introductory advertising.
| all in about nine months During that time
the sales were next 10 nothing; then, all or
a sudden, for discernible reason, ire
rnendous demand set in. Experienced pat
| ent medicine men admit the impossibility
of predicting when the turning point will
be reached in booming any new remedy.
The amount sunk in exploiting two articles
before returns come in may vary 100000
In my opinion the name has a good deal to
| do with getting demand started. IL IL is
| hard TO remember or hard 10 pronounce it
| is undoubtedly a serious handicap and, on
the contrary, catchy, simple title, just
odd enough TO stick TO ones memory, is in
! itself an advertisement worth thousands of
| dollars. I have a house in mind that spent
good-siZed fortune trying to populariZe a
tablet preparation with queer Indian title
| that no two people pronounced in exactly
the same way. 1t was good thing and
cleverly put before the public, and it failed
solely, l think, because people were reluc-
| tant TO ask for IL for fear of making them
selves ridiculous by butchering the pro-
N "a n int no
average customer Is very sensitive.
! when the demand for patent medi-
| cine is once started" continued the drug
| gist, sit doesn't do to assume that the
| booming may be relaxed. That has been
| tried disastrously over and over again, and
| experience has shown that the advertising
must be continued in full blast, but at
| the same time merit plays an important
| part in sustaining the after sales In
| other words you may create demand for
| Bottled water masquerading as fever
| tonic, but you can't keep it up. 1t is gen.
| orally agreed among experts that nothing
| Is more effective as q business getter than
| the much derided Testimonial Personal
| statements Of that kind have tremendous
| influence in small communities, and those
| signed by plain, everyday working people
| are ct present regarded as more valuable
| than the Endorsement of celebrities. In
| past years there was great rivalry among
| the medicine houses in securing the testi-
| monialS OF famous opera singers, actresses,
| statesmen and other notables. and some
| queer stories are told In the trade about
the methods that were used TO obtain their
signatures. A certain New York agent
became famous for his success in that line,
| and he captured number of people whom
| nobody else would have dared to approach
| with such a proposition. 1 know some of
the women theatrical stars received mag
| niticent presents of jewelry in token of
| appreciation for their unsolicited tribute,
| but whether the presents were made before
or after the unsolicited tributes were writ
| ten don't pretend TO say At any rate
| the agents expense account was enormous,
| and eventually the medicine firms came to
| the conclusion that the game wasn't worth
| the candle If you rHin glance over
their recent advertising in the news
| papers and magazines you will see
! that the celebrities who used to sing the
| praises of this or that remedy have given
| way to factory firemen, railroad engineers
and humble clerks. Their letters are vastly
| more convincing. they cost nothing TO get
and the average man feels at liberty to
| write TO the signers for further particu-
| lars. Generally the firm makes arrange
ments to defray the cost of such corre-
| spondence, but beyond that there is no ex-
| pense. 1t Is a great mistake, by the way,
TO suppose that most patent medicine testi-
| willing and anxious TO see themselves in
| print that there is reason why any
house should fabrfcate its Endorsements.
| They are secured, as a rule, by an agent
who is selected especially for his tact and
suavity and who makes q tour OF the small
towns where the medicine has been placed
| on sale He gets the names of purchasers
from the druggists, and tries to learn
which, II any, have made favorable COM
ments on the remedy They are visited
and the round trip is certain TO be pro-
| ductiye of big sheaf of flattering testi-
moniais. Two or three years ago a wealthy
| firm was imposed upon by practical
joker, who sent in letter praising pat
ent hair restorative and signed by the
name of prominent politician who is phe-
nomenally bald The letter was printed in
| good faith, and the politician promptly
brought suit for damages, which was
finally compromised for 5000 cash. Since
then all the medicine people have been
very shy of Endorsements coming through
the mails. They make it a rule to print
nothing without personal verification by
one of their representatives"