The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-04-06
SUCCESS 81 ADVERTISING

SUCCESS BIZ ADVERTISING
The Remarkable Value of Page Ads
How One Man Has Reached
Phenomenal Success.
The Sioux Falls Argus-Leader OF
yesterday nas the following interest
ing, account of how Dave Davidson
used page ads:
When Dave Davidson opened the
Bee Hive store IN Sioux Falls he
startled the other Merchants by the
lavish manner in which he adveI-
tised. Mr.. Davidson was the first
Sioux Falls merchant to take page
advertisements in the daily papers.
The other merchants of those days
sat back and predicted that Mr..
Davidson and his Bee Hive would
not last long. In those days MIR.
Davidson used to take q page ad-
veTtisement a week and disaster was
predicted. Now all the leading mer-
chants of Sioux Falls indulge in page
advertisements several times a week
Mr.. Davidson is entitled to the
credit for introducing extensive adj
vertising in Sioux Falls. lie made
it pay aud his example has been fol
lowed by other merchants to their
advantage.
ssWe would always look for a page
adrfrom Davidson in each Sunday
mornings paper remarked one Of
the old timers. HDavidson use TO
make us a. lot of bother, but he
was always willing to pay for it.
He would get the copy for his ad
in early Saturday night. then as
soo,l as the store closed Saturday
nipast with one of his clerks he
would come to the office and camp
until he could see a proof of his al.
He knew what he wanted, and he
was bound to have III. Many a night
has he sat up until broad daylight
solely Tor the purpose of seeing how
the nd looked hefore it appeared in
the paper
Mr.. Davidson does not have to
worry ove his advertising now days
He has IA man who attends especial
Ay TO this department Of the bust
ness, Int it is u safe bet that Dave
often thinks of the long nights spent
watchdog the growth OF his ads in
Sioux Fails.
Right here it is interesting to no.
tice the relative value of large and
small advertisements. 1t has been
demonstrated that a II page adver-
tisement is not twice the value of a
half page advertisement as might be
expected. but twenty times the
value; that a half page has fifteen
f..T : fAsFWc $500 Is F
times the value of a quarter page.
1T is interesting to discover why
this is SO. for it would appear that a
half page is big enough to be read
as easily as a page advertisement and
1t affords room enough for the mer-
chant to make a great many state
ments Large space carries the idea
OF superiority and impresses the pub
lie. The secret OF this greater sue
cess seems to lie in the prestige ac-
quired by the use OF larger space.
The public is impressionaple. The
mind can be made to think in a GER
tain way and the constant appearance
Of IA merchants large advertising, i'm
presses the public with his superiori-
ty. Once so impressed the public
will act in accordance with that idea
and they are anxious to get on the
inside Of the store. People talk of
his store, of his goods aud of the
thlung OF customers, and this pres
tige adds to his trade.
The effect of %judicious advertising
which the merchant desires is to get
people to center their thoughts on
his store and his goods. Tie public
must be made to think that be has
something OF value for them and this
is lest done by making 4 display
that has the stamp of large cost to
himself and carries with it the power
to impress the readers of the worth
Ofabis goods. 1t is a recognized fact
that q page advertisement in a pa
per that is known to charge a fair
rate for its space willseive the public
a much more vivid impression than
aSbalf page. and a half page is of ines
tilnable more value than a quarter
page. The merchant ran Gain pres
tige in this wav that is net obtain
able In any other way.
He must keep the attention of the
public conferred on himself and his
goods and his prices aud to do this
the successful advertiser is always
persistent in bis advertising, using
new aud expensive ways. Wherever
there is IA failure following a long
period Of business success, the cause
can nearly always be found in an
attempt to save money at the ex-
pense Of the advertising account.