The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-04-03
TALKS BY THE
PUBLISHER .x.x.x
Character in Circulation.
CURRENT ADVERTISING some
L. months ago published an Interest,"
ing article by MIR. Gerald Pierce,

CURRENT ADVERTISING some
L, months ago published an Interest,"
ing article by Mr.. Gerald Pierce,
OF the Chicago Tlmes-Herald. from
which the following are extracts:
The first question asked by the anna :
teur advertiser and the average adver-
Using agant is What il your circula-
tion?"
He intends this 10 mean: How many
copies do YOU print. and how many
copies do you sell?
The very young housewife asks the
butcher How much a pound is your
beef?' as though there were na diff
ference between shank and tenderlon: :
and the eases are similar.
Thirst for knowledge is always COM
mendahle. but about ninc-tenths of all
"Thirst for knowledge" is either IL
form Of curiosity which has come down
To us from our solmian ancestors. or is
prompted by Il desire to get the bet
ter of the other fellow i'm the way OF
knowledge to brag about and trade
upon.
Something More Than Circulation.
But there Is Il great deal more than
circulation-c circulation meaning the
ii'iiI''i Va ''pltS blilItIu anu
"d-to be taken into considera ton. If
it were simply Il question of the num-
ber of copies printed and distributed to
buyers. or even to readers, or even to
possible readers. almost anybody could
make advertising pay.
The man who has a legitimate busi-
ness to advertise can buy space in
publications. the number of circulated
.,F ;.,,,.
which are demonstrated by the pub
fishers beyond any question of doubt.
but they do not pay all advertisers all
the time, and. in fact, they do not pay
amy advertiser all the time.
Ii there is any one thing that can be
definitely proved about advertising. If
1t is a science as some claim, this
seems to demonstrate at least one fact,
that there is something more to it
than mere number of copies printed
and distributed.
A Few Examples.
Thr New York Evening Post receives
more per line for every line of it's adj
vertising than the New York Morning
Press, and The latter has at least four
times the amount OF circulation.
The New York Herald receives more
per line for its advertising than the
NV York Journal, which has in all
probab ability at least double the circu-
lation.
The Boston Transcript receives more
per line for it's advertising than the
Boston Post. and yet the Post has un-
doubtedly five or six times as many
readers Il day as the Transcript.
more per line for it's advertising than
the Chicag. Journal, and yet the Jour
nal has nearly four times the circrla-
ton of the Post.
These are simply a few examples of
papers which are well known, papers
representing extremes in circulation,
and papers recognized by| advertisers
generally as good mediums to use.
Practical Illustrations.
Certainly. there is something which
makes publications like Printers Ink,
the Fourth Estate. and Profitable Ad-
vertising profitable to those who use
them, even at the comparatively high
rate per line And it is equally true,
as any general advertiser of long
standing knows, that there are many
publications which print and distribute
regularly from 10000 to upwards of a
million copies per issue, and which
would be expensive at 10 cents Il line.
happen TO think at this moment of a
half dozen illustrations which prove
this. y very large advertiser recently
inserted Il Lin. advertisement at $l.00
par line in a publication which has u
proved circulation of 900 per month,
the advertisement being one which has
paid very handsomely when inserted
in other publications of less than 10000
per issue, and he received in replies
from this 2OO,OOU circulation exactly
three in the course of two months, and
did not make Il dollar ont of them.
think of another, who used a full half
page in advertising Il standard article
in u weekly newspaper, which has Il
of. ! believe, at least 100000
ut Il cost of about Slo0 ana was
favored with less than twenty replies
which have brought him in the course
of the last eight months less than $50
gross.
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