The Bad River news. [volume] (Philip, Stanley County, S.D.) 19??-1912, 1908-06-04
Advertising

OAcF v"Ay AoVos
Advertising
Advertising is something like a
magnet or a loadstonc, and is used
by people of business, ora com
munity, to call attention to some
thing they have to sell or interest
the public in.
To distrust a situation that may
slip out of our grasp is to distrust
humanity.
Those who have studied the
workings of the human mind, oven
a tritle, have learned that it is i'm
possible to think of more than one
thing at time; that the attention
is focused on but one point, and
that if the local point is constantly
changed no distinct impression is
made. Public attention must be
focused on an issue almost to the
exclusion of others to make it
win.
Advertising must look interest
ing to start with. That is largely
matter of type and display.
Then its promise of interest must
be fulfilled to the very last word.
That is wholly a matter of the in
telligent handling of the data by
the copy writer. Fact and imag-
cry, statement and illustration,
logic and argument must be so
skillfully interviewer that readers
are forced to acknowledge, first;
the probability, and then tho un-
doubted truth of every statement.
The mind travels instinctively
from the know to the unknown,
and a sure way of carrying con-
viction is to postulate the state
ment you wish believed and re-
membered on some widely known
parallel fact or belief.
The most powerful advertise
ment, just as the most powerful
poem, is the one in which the
writer has used the profoundest
skill in knowing what to leave un-
said. He sets the mind to travel
ing in a given direction starting
with known data, then permits it
to reach conclusions, apparently of
it's own independent volition.
Such conclusions stick where the
bald statement of them would
make but a passing impression.
Furthermore, the attitude of the
mind of the reader, who thinks he
has made a discovery, or evolved
an important idea, is vastly more
friendly than if very fact had
been rammed home by sheer force.
1t seems that the qualifications
of the issues are legitimatoly
matter of public concern if not of
interest, and a frank and truthful
statement of our fitness to handle
them would come with a bit better
grace, and certainly with more
telling effect, from the community
than from any one else.
Economy is a principle that
safeguards any enterpris O.:
whether it is brains or bullion that
you invest in it. And l know
some who are blowing in their
brain power with degree Of
spendthrift rccklessncss that would
make a Pittsburgh millionaire
bucking the market in Wall street
look like a wall-eyed miser in a
popular melodrama.
A man has only one brain, and
that brain, like any other kind of
power producer, can generate on ~
so much power at any time. If
you are a good engineer of your
own fortunes you will make every
ounce of power count in your
struggle for success. You con-
serve your brain energy and turn
it into channels where it will do
the most good, not dissipate or
waste it. You can't use up any
in6nitesimal part of it doing work
that is unnecessary.
In the big business of life, wet
blankets should be tabooed. You
can't train trick dog in day
nor raise bumper crop of wheat
on an uncultivated quarter section
of land, nor can we increase the
size Of our city, or beautify it
with eternal enthusiasm behind
the bold statement: We are going
to do this. Selected.