The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-24

uable allies in d successful advertising campaign. It is necessary also to select with care the season of the year, the month of the season, and even the day or the week on which advertisements or a special character, at least are to be put out In most lines of business it is not so desirable to send important matter by mail or to put it in the newspapers at the end of the week when it will reach the public on Saturday or Monday, peo- pie being buster on those days.
 A Cumulative Effect.
 Very much better results can be se- cured by the homeopathic principle in ad- vertising than by any other. In other words, it is a question of reaching the same man a great many times rather than of making so profound an impress sion on him at any one time. As between sending a card case or pocket book that would cost twenty cents to the average man, and thus reach him one time, you will be more likely to get his business by reaching him through half dozen ad- vertisements of less expensive sort that are sent at regular intervals. Persons sometimes wonder how an influence so small as an advertisement usually has, would cause a person to change his place of doing business, or give his patronage to one house rather than to another The fact Is that he is often not conscious of being influenced. and neither the fifth. tenth or twentieth advertisement may move him, but by the time he has read the twenty-flrst one the desired effect has been secured.
 There is cumulative principle under lying this by which the force of each ad- vertisement is added to those which pre- ceded it. Another has illustrated this by the following incident: "A very interest Ing experiment. was made a short time ago in one of our great rolling mills. bar of steel weighing half ton was sus- pended vertically by a slender chain. Nearby a cork from bottle was sus- pended by silk thread. The cork was started to swinging so that It struck gently against the steel bar. Of course it made not the slightest impression. But the motion of the cork was continued and at regular intervals 1t struck the great bar of steel in exactly the same place. Five minutes passed and still no effect was noted on the bar. After ten minutes, however. the bar gave evidence of feeling uncomfortable. A sort of ner- vous chill crept over it. At the end of twenty minutes the chill gave way to distinct vibration, and fifteen minutes later the great bar was swinging like the pendulum of a clock"
 
 ing is merely a blow or two of the cork against the bar of steel. Its effect is ab- solutely nothing. 1t Is money and effort wasted-but the continuous. persistent hammering. week after week month after month. is just as sure to start the pen dulum of business swinging your way as day is to follow night"
 Bank Advertisements.
 The advertisements of a bank should state its policy and methods plainly. Statements of it's condition should be so clearly and fully made as to be thorough ly understood by everyone, confidence being conditioned upon the judgment which the public forms of the institution. In smaller places the bank is judged al- most entirely by it's officers. In cities where the general public is not so closely in touch with, or personally acquainted with those who manage the banks, 1t Is essential that the confidence. which in the smaller towns is based upon the man. should be awakened in the' ins titu- ton.
 In one of the recent conventions of the Alabama Bankers association. a state ment was made that the deposits in the banks of the state would be increased fifty per cent If the people had more con fdence in them. The writer believes this statement Is oVerdrawn, but there Is no question that many persons are ignorant of the manner of conducting banks and the reasons for their safety, and quite q few people of this class fail to deposit their money at all It would be mate rial advantage in securing such accounts 10 give to the public very full informa- ton relative To The manner of conducting the business of the bank being adver- tised md the grounds for it's safety. For these reasons an executive officer of the bank. where possible should write its ad- verilsing.