The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-26
REAL THING "AD'
What an Advertisement Is and How
to Create It. -.
POINTS BY JOHN, LEE MAH1N
Who Is a. Master of the Art and an
Authority on the
Subject.

John Lee Mahin OF Chicago, prominently
known in the commercial world as presi-
dent Of the Mahin Advertising company,
recently delivered lecture before the
students of the University of Chicago on
The Commercial Value Of Advertising,
which has attracted wide attention among
both students and business men. In no
department of commercial activity have
there been more rapid advances made
during the past fifty years than In adVer-
Using and many colleges and universe
ties, including the University OF chi
cago and our own state university, nave
come to recognize the value OF lectures
and courses of study bearing upon this
subject. Probably no man Is better
equipped with knowledge of both the
practice and theory Of advertising than
is Mr.. Mahin, and his scholarly presenta-
ton of the subject Is being widely READ
and appreciated. Mr.. Mahin defines adj
vertising as the means of Influencing the
minds of people, 1t is making others
think as you desire. 1t means utilizing all
those forces which produce Impressions
and crystalline opinions. 1t is the Great
ing of prestige-that quality which
causes others to accept statement with
out question. He says: ..,ys
Advertising rests on the supremacy of com
MERGE It requires stable business condi-
lions for it's existence and development 1t
is therefore, a higher form Of mental activ-
ity than the successful exercise of ordinary
commercial transactions because it goes far
Their, in demanding not only the power to
cope successfully with commercial problems,
but an added ability to influence the human
mind Advertising will produce active de-
sire where none or, at least, only that of
latent kind existed before. Advertising, by
employing the powerful mental forces which
psychologists call suggestion, can create well
defined habits among the people which an
alert commercial mind will utilize to build
up and foster a business.
There are people who call the displaying
Of words in newspapers advertising. Such
individuals would be apt to consider the,
clerk, who mechanically hands out a cake
of soap to customer, merchant.
Advertising is not the spending of money
in magazine, newspaper, street car or OUT
door space, but the accomplishment of a def
mite purpose, which Is the influencing OF hu-
man minds and actions.
After reviewing the different means of
exploiting and selling articles and point
ing out the ESSENTIAL features of successful
advertising and it's proper place in mod
ern business, Mr.. Mahin discusses the
many points where advertising comes in
to save expense as follows:
A man who does his business on the basis
OF advertising can employ less capital and
thereby save his interest charges. This is
because business based on advertising is
produced more by the creating of business
conditions rather than by adapting ones al.
fairs to the same. Collections can be made
closer and much less capital used because
| tue very nature Of the business puts the pur.
chaser in the position of having sought the
goods when he has read and been influenced
/ by the advertising.
| Great retailers have found that ADVERTISING
will bring purchasers to their stores earlier
| in the day than they would otherwise come
Rent clerk hire, insurance and all the othe;
fxeo expenses Of a business must be me-
thetore there are any profits. If a store is
1Lshed with customers from IL a. M to
In. nj. there are really only six hours to dc
business As advertising Of bargains anG
special sales VIII bring IN CUSTOM rs .;tvys
land sometimes three hours earlier the fxel