New-York tribune., 1903-07-12

Of the strictly first class advertisers will ever
be overcrowded.
have been in the very storm centre OF de-
partment store advertising for more than eigh-
teen years. have seen the entire development
Of modern methods in such publicity. and to-day
II were asked TO recommend man for lead
ing store I would not know where to turn to
find competent man out of job. I do not
know Of ten advertising managers who
strictly first class. Yet there are salaries Of
from $4,000 to $4,000 OF more at the command
Of such people
The writing facility is only one of the equip
ments department store advertising manager
should possess. He must have the mercantile
instinct, he can never be a great advertiser.
II is not necessary for him to know merchandise
Familiarity, but he must have such a command
ing sense of conditions that he will nstinctively
realize what presentation of the case will be
wise for the seller and attractive to the buyer.
Such man has the capacity to be at the head
OF big business. One without that capacity
could not rise to the necessary level as an ad-
vertiser. In the few instances where men of
that grade at the head of advertising de-
partments, they are exceedingly significant fac
tors IN the outfit
Coming down to the mass of advertisement
writers. it viii be found that a certain command
Of language and superficial knowledge Of type
faces are their principal equipment. For such
people Il is not at all difficult to make a fair
showing as advertisers Stock phrases abound
in the advertising of the day. and with eyes
open they can good models in all branches
of the work. They can command from SIS and
S25 TO $40, SIS or even 500 week-according
TO the size Of the house and the advertisers
skill in adopting and adapting.
Several years ago an advertiser of country
wide fame said to me. When I was preparing
TO go into the advertising business 1 took
copy Of a Philadelphia paper every day and cut
from IT your Wanamaker work. This 1 clipped
and pasted in scrapbooks according to the gen.
eral subject. In the of four years
gathered matter in this way to make half
dozen fat scrapbooks Then. when I went into
business and got an order for a series Of ads.
on clothing boots and shoes or carpets or
jewelry or dress goods. or any one of sixty or
seventy titles, took down a volume of Gillian
and dictated to a stenographer the matter re-
qured." Lots of them do it.
What is most needed in the advertising busi-
ness to-day is or women of originality of
method and expression. and with the trading
instinct WelI-Ininds that are impatient of
precedent that see nothing attractive in moss
grown methods that can grasp conditions as
they exist and say the right thing instinctively.
The late Charles B. Rouss of this city. afford
ed an instance of the advertising strength Of
earnestness, although tied to ragged, pc
culiar and ungrammatical language. His ad-
vertising was simply a setting forth of his busi-
ness talk-odd quaint, jerky. but stuffed full Of
hard common sense. His business methods and
his business talk went hand in hand to great
success.
know of no training better for a young man
who wishes to get clear view of business con-
ditions and possibilities than would come from
experience as an advertiser.
There are great opportunities for the ambi-
hous, wide awake young man young woman.
To any such who feel that they have call to
the advertising business, and who do not know
where or how to begin, would say: Take any
advertising in your vicinity that you think you
can improve Write the improved version. Write
other advertisements that will hold up new
phases Of the business. or hold the familiar ones
up in a better way. Study the enterprise Try
10 know why one method of presentation is bet
ter than another, and why this that particular
idea should be put forward. Then go to the
management You will be sure Of a hearing at
least. and if your ideas are valuable rest as
sured that the chances are they will be appre-
ciated. In any case, don't be discouraged. Keep
pressing against the crust, and sooner or later
you will surely break through upward.