The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-10
BUSINESS AND NEWSPAPERS.

Butte's experience without newspa-
pers is an interesting study in the
value of daily publications, not only to
| the readers. but to the commercial
world in general. and regailers in par
ticular. When the newspapers stopped
publication the concerns that use large
advertising space began to feel the eff
fects of it. Immediately in their BUSH
ness. To offset the loss of trade re-
sulting from a lack of newspaper ad-
vertising they began using other meth
DDS of reaching the buyer. Billboards.
dodgers, programs and all the thou
sand and one ways in common vogue
were brought into play, but sales
dropped off remarkably, in some in
stances the estimated loss running as
high as 80 per cent of the normal
amount of business. Nor has any
means been discovered whereby the diff
ference can be made good
The demonstration of the value Of
newspaper space has been absolute
complete; and the reasons for this re-
it is impossible to do business success
fully on a large scale without using the
columns of the newspapers.
Every merchant understands that
most of the buying for family is done
by the women of the household. The
food, the groceries. the clothing and all
the domestic supplies are purchased by
the wife and mother. Generally. the
house itself is chosen by the wife.
whether it is rented or bought out
right Probably nine-tenths of the
purchases are hers. Recognizing this
every ffrst-class newspaper has large
list of advertisers who address them
selves directly and particularly to the
women. And because advertising an
nouncements are framed particularly
for women they read them with care
and judgment, and plan their pur-
chsses in advance of shopping day
from the business news they have read
in The advertising columns.
With the cessation of newspaper adj
vertising in Butte, the women of that
city evidently have lost interest in
shopping except as it may be needed
eor current wants OF course, The I'M
certainty as to the future has produced
a natural decline in buying, but il does
not account for the extraordinary fall
ing eff in sales. Beside stimulating in
interest in goods and prices, the adver-
tising columns of newspaper suggest
wants and opportunities more forcibly
than any other medium can. The
newspaper is permanent. con-
slant factor in home life: its
neat. constant factor in home life: its
suggestions carry weight and are re-
peated daily with cumulative effect.
whereas the bill board or the program
OF handful have no such power. Their
impression at the best is fieeting and
Incidental. while the newspapers has
a news value lacking in any other me-
dunn.
Another curious and interesting DEM
onstration of the Butte situation has
been the proof that without newspa-
pers a rumor may be circulated and be-
lieved which would be impossible when
the newspapers are published. In one
instance a firm had to publish a hand
hill to discredit a rumor Affecting its
solTency. while if a newspaper had
been published such a runIor could not
have gained currency. and probably
would not have been started. The
of community have a |
value in discrediting untruth that is |
not generally recognized by the people |
until some such emergency arises as
the one IN Montana.
Several towns in Utah are collecting |