The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-12-05
LORDERS WIN
Paul e. Faust Shows Mistake Of
Manufacturers and Retailers.
UNLEARNED IN ADVERTISING.

They Neglect Papers For Farmers,
Who Should Constitute Large Part
Of Their Customers, Says an Agent
How to Meet Mail Order Competition.
"Why do manufacturers of general
merchandise. grocers' goods. wearing
apparel. musical goods. household fur
nishings and similar products. who sell
through dealers. so generally overlook
the publications reaching farmers, in
cluding such powerful papers as the
Weekly Star?'
That question was put to Paul E.
Faust while he was visiting Kansas
City. Mr. Faust looks after the inter-
ests of an advertising firm west OF
Chicago. says the Kansas City Star.
That's an interesting question" Mr..
Faust replied. "for the productiveness
of the big weeklies-we call papers like
the Weekly Star national weeklies-
isn't the question, because in placing
our volume Of $4.OOO.O00 annually in
advertising we distribute hundreds Of
thousands each year to these so called
agricultural papers. But this is large
ly for implements or farm machinery.
mill work. building material, seeds. sep
arators, incubators, mail order mer-
cnandise, stock remedies. etc. This is
quite evenly divided between these
goods sold by mail to the user and
those sold through retailers. Such ad-
vertisers have proved beyond all argu-
ment that the farm papers pay. The
result getting value Of the agricultural
press as a class isn't a debatable ques-
| ton.
"Of this fortune, placed by US each
year for clients In farm papers, very
small percentage is for manufacturers
Of food products or wearing apparel or
general merchandise selling through re-
tailers.
."Now, why?
''The only answer is that the makers
of the goods mentioned in the question
as a class haven't arrived. They are
on the wrong scent. Those who do use
the farm papers and advertise judi
ciously almost without exception find
a gold mine Of returns"
"Whose fault Is it?'
Largely the manufacturer; partly
the publishers; partly the fault Of the
uniformed advertising agents.
ut is the manufacturers fault be-
cause they haven't learned a lesson
from the tremendous successes Of mail
order houses and because they close
their eyes to advertising opportunity
and often because they haven't brand
ed identifable goods that lend them
selves to advertising.
1T is the publishers fault because
they haven't got behind the issue and
pushed it. Publishers are generally
poor advertisers They don't promote.
They don't take their own medicine.
They think that printed matter isn't
read, that letters are wastebasketed
that advertising journals are useless,
and their own publications, which
should be valuable advertising medi-
ums, are entirely overlooked. 1t Is
sure that publishers haven't told the
manufacturer half enough Of his op-
portunity.
''Then there is the fault to be laid
to the door Of the uninformed adyerts-
ing agent. He may not know what
golden harvest the farm papers offer.
He may encourage his client in using
the publications the client thinks he
wants, or he may not know how to
utilize the agricultural papers, though
recognizing their value.
''The majority Of manufacturers will
eventually take up farm papers or the
mail order houses will still more ef-
fectually dominate In the trade with
the farmer. Today country retailers
in many lines are combining to fight
mail order houses. They are barking
up the wrong tree. Their complaint is
logically against the manufacturers
they buy of. They should draft reso-
lutions praying their manufacturers to
reach their consumers and drive de-
mand to the retailers instead Of reso-
lutions condemning mail order prac-
tees. Mail order methods are here to
stay unless some other plan is invent
ed that will sell quality goods to the
consumer for less money.
"No. The mail order competition can
be met only by brand goods popu-
larized by advertising and sold only
through dealers. Then when demand
is created for a product the encyclo-
pedia-like mail order catalogue can't
supply it.
"The manufacturers who realize this
are garnering large profits, because
they do not have to sell goods on cut
price basis to get business. They sell
products in brands which they alone
can supply. They make demand and
A. or5 1rofoof 70 i1oro ypffh