The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-17

how they do tneU Work ana WHAT
hX&{I principle they all go on will in
49, variably answer that they don't
know IL Is a profession that one has TO
have natural talent for, or he will never
succeed. But if ones mind turns in that
direction IL is a good profession to follow
for all lines of business are now employing
people to do this kind of work In this
city, I'm the last few years, advertising
writing has grown wonderfully. AT present
there is not a business house of any prom
inence here that does not employ an adj
writer. And many OF the smaller concerns
have men who get up the advertisements
for them. who are employed by several
other houses. To the ad. writer this Is as
profitable a way of working as being en-
ployed by any one house unless it is an ex-
traordinarily large one.
The adj writer is the literary man of a
business concern, and must have the same
instinct as a newspaper reporter, for he
must be able instantly to see through. as
they call IL. the story of an advertisement
He Is forever on the hunt for items that
he can weave into the body of his adver-
tisements He must also be a man of orig
fnality for original ideas are the things
that count in ad. writing. These ideas
come from all sources. The men read news
papers books and magazines. and often in
their conversation with people new ideas
will be suggested, and the ad. writer will
grasp them and work them into his adver-
tisements. 1t is claimed that to do this
work a person does not have to have an
exceptional education, but he must have
the ability to write, and with this a true
business instinct, for he has 10 be able TO
understand both sides of the question: that
is, to comprehend il from the standpoint Of
the business house and also that of the
patron. IL is his duty to know what will
interest the general public. One of the In
dianapolis adj writer's said recently:
THE advertising man should study his
readers with great consideration. Adver-
Using. in sense. may be defined the in
fuence of mind over mind. Therefore, the
psychological element in advertising is a
most important one. Contrary to many ad.
writer's. believe in taking the rough edges
of of cold facts. sugar-coating them, as il
were, with happy. brief expressions that
have but an indirect bearing upon the sub
ject in hand. Another thing that must be
regarded after you get the idea is To hunt
up the right words 10 express these ideas.
This is really as essential as getting the
idea"
MUST KNOW HIS GOODS.
The man who writes the advertisements
for the large department stores has, OF
course. a much larger scope than the man
who writes for the concern that handles
only one particular line He. however. has
10 be familiar with more technicalities than
does the other man. but when il is sifted
down II is all the same trick. And each
man can do the others work as soon as he
becomes familiar with the goods about
which he is 10 write. The advertising man
for the department store naturally has
much more copy TO handle than do the
other ad. writers. His work is on the or
der OF an editors. for he industriously stud
ies headlines and cuts and. in fact. every
thing TO make his advertisements attract
i've. The head Of each store delegates a
man 10 write the items which he thinks
suitable for advertising. These men in the
various departments write their items and
submit them To the advertising man, and
these he assemblies and uses in his adver-
tisement. II. however. there are some of
the items that he thinks Will interfere with
his story In the advertisement he will cut
them out. He exercises the same authority
over these items that are turned in 10 him
does an editor over the copy that is
submitted.
In fact, the writers for the department
stores run a lie ~spaper on a small scale
They write on an average from one column