The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-01-06

since the market place was the centre
of business. Here the goods were dis
played, and nothing more was needed
than Il crier to call attention to spc.
cial features. The buyer examined the
goods, and 10 description was noces-
sary. The method was cumbersome,
but nothing better had been thought
Of. Under such circumstances it was
possible to make but few purchases or
sales within a single day.
With the advancemcnts of industry
new forms of barter have beeA de.
manded These new forms have
brought new methods of presenting
the merchandise to the customers. The
discovery of the printing press ond the
subsequent improvements in press.
work have opened up new possibilities
to the advertiser. The merchant is
able to carry on business with multi
tudes, where formerly he could deal
only with the individual. Instead of
displaying his goods he is forced to de-
pend upon mere printed representa-
tions. From the very nature of the
case. descriptions are less effective
than personal examination. Compe-
tition has become keener. and it has
thus forced the business man to pay
more attention to his advertising cam
paigns. The cost of advertising has
increased, till now it is II most hazard
Gus undertaking TO attempt to compete
for the attention of the public This
necessity for advertising with the at
tendant expense and possibility Of
failure has caused the advertisers to
seek for some sure principles upon
which advertising may be founded.
During the last ten years the lead
ing advertising journals have con
tanned editorials and leading articles,
in which the need has been described
and the hope expressed that atpsychology
when rightly interpreted. would be to
advertising what physiology has been
TO medicine, and what chemistry, ply.
sizes and mathematics have been to GER
tain forms of manufacturing.
UNITED BY AGATE CLUB.
In few cases professional advertis
ers attempted to give the psychological
explanation for certain successes and
failures in advertising, but none of
! them attempted to present the subject
| in systematic way. A few profes.
! sional psychologists carried on psy.
| Geological investigations which had q
relation to advertising, but their en-
deayors were short lived. 1t became
evident that neither the advertiser nor
| the psychologist. while working alone,
would be able to apply the principles
and methods of psychology TO the prac'
ticed task of the advertiser. To over
come this difficulty Of independent la.
Dor the Agate Club. of Chicago, organ
,zed q plan of united effort. The Agate
Club is composed of some of the lead
ing advertisers of America. These
gentlemen, through committee of
their members, united with the profes
sional psychologists of neighboring
university in a systematic attempt TO
construct a practical system of. psy'
chology and to base upon it tie theory
of advertising.
The advertiser does nothing in
which he does not attempt TO influence
the minds of possible customers. The
psychologist seeks to explain the work
ing of the minds of these same custom
ers. 1t would therefore be very
strange If the labors Of the psycholo-
gists should be worthless to the adver-
tiser. AS taught to-day psychology is
intensely practical, and is nothing
more than systematic attempt to un'
derstand the working of these minds
of ours.
In reviewing the teachings Of all the
great psychologists it has been found
that there are certain principles and
methods which have a decided import
ance for the advertiser, for they help
him to understand the working Of the
minds of the very individuals whom
he Is attempting to influence. These
practical principles have been CLEANED
from different psychologists and pre-
sented in such a manner that they can
be understood by the ordinary bust
ness man. 1t is found that these prin'
ciples have practical bearing upon
the construction of copy, the choice OF
styles OF type and illustrations, the Sc
lecting of media and the placing of the
advertisement.
One of the distinct advancements
of recent psychologists Is the discov'
cry of improved methods Of investiga'
ton. These methods. which have
found universal approval among men
of science, are applicable to the work
of the advertiser. BY means Of these
methods the value of certain classes
OF advertisements can be discovered
and thus the poorer advertisements
eliminated and the betters one re
tained. 1t has been found that sue
cessful advertisements are those which
awaken the desired mental activity
by following the plan which might be
deduced from q knowledge of the gen
eral principles of psychology.
SIN ESSENTIAL RULES.
In the discussion of the methods OF
attracting attention the six following
rules were presented which are quoted
from Mahlin's Magazine and also from
The Theory of Advertising, a volume
from the press of Small, Maynard 4
Co.. Cambridge. Mass:
"The power of any object to force
itself into our attention depends on
the absence of counter attractions"
This is one reason why fulI-pagt
advertisement is more than twice at
effective as a half-page advertisement
1t also shows the wisdom Of concen
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