The San Francisco call., 1908-03-19
DEAN OF MODERN
ADVERTISING HERE
Colonel Fuller, Who Created
New Business of Publicity,
on Visit
Theory Yet New Wrought Into
Art That Makes Mill
lions Today

N|V4o-ACt NSlici 4Tc H. l-0lit- u a'-ttit 81.
acknowledged dean OF American adver-
tising, is q conspicuous figure among
the guests at the St Francis More
than six feet in stature, broad shoul-
dered, deep chested clear eyed, distin-
guished in appearance. courtly in man
ner, he @would be conspicuous any
where. His size and -pearing. his iron
gray hair and goatee and strong fea-
lures give him a striking resemblance
to Buffalo Bill'' Cody
Colonel is what the businessmen
Of Chicago and New York and dozen
other cities call the head of the Fuller
/ company. but to the advertising pro-
fession, from the newest checker to
the Oldest agency chief he is Uncle
| Charley" for all his personal dignity
and his eminence. One reason Tor this
is that through his arduous busi-
ness life he has never been too much
occupied with his own pressing affairs
to stop and give q helping land to the
fellow-associate or rival--who needed
help. In Chicago they say of him that
there are not many successful adver-
tisine men in his part of the country
whom he has not in some way as
sisted.
The American newspaper that does
not know Colonel Fuller is not much
OF newspaper. To begin with. he is
one of the pioneers in the compara-
( lively recent movement among adver-
tising experts away from the magazine
and into the daily newspaper About
three years ago he had demonstrated
this theory so completely to his own
satisfaction and that Of his clients that
he discontinued all relations with the
magazines and began placing business
exclusively with the daily press The
progress OF his company and the re-
suits obtained for his principals have
magnificently vindicated this radical
change of policy.
ExCHASGING GOOD Will.
Still another reason FOR Colonel Full
lers close friendly relations with other
advertising agencies and with the
newspapers is indicated in his state
ment TO an interviewer:
I'VE have carefully refrained from
seeking TO take business away from
other concerns and though at first we
found it costly to maintain this prin-
ciple in the face OF the practices so
common in the commercial world.
where each man Ia supposed to be
| looking out for himself alone. in the
long run we have found this policy
profitable. 1t has made our customers
loyal and also liberal, since we have
never tried TO procure business by
skimping ourselves or by squeezing the
newspapers. but have all the time been
alert TO obtain the best possible
service at a fair remuneration. for the
newspapers as well as for ourselves.
Our clients have found their profit
in the Intelligence and efficiency of our
advertising campaigns, rather than
| through any attempt or pretense of
ours to secure them much for little let
alone something for nothing. This
policy has made the papers through
out the country as well disposed to-
ward US as are our clients In the
dark days of '96, when we were in it
away beyond our depth 1t was the
strong papers OF the country that gem
erously kept us from going under by
practically extending to US a credit Of
100000 on no security whatever be-
yond our good will, good sense and
good name, thus enabling us to Iioui-
date our obligations then incurred
within three years and to maintain a
commercial rating of fiattering dis
tinction ever since"
1t was in 1871 that Colonel Fuller
began his business career in Chica go
first as commercial reporter on the
Daily Mail. going thence to the Daily
News, where as circulation manager he
helped to lay the foundation of what
is now one OF The most prosper Gus
newspaper enterprises in the United
States In 1880 he left the service of
the News and in one small Office room
founded the advertising agency OF
which he is still the active head Chi
cago counted its population then In
thousands; it reckons in millions now.
DEALS IN MILLIONS NOW
The Fuller agency was then a con-
Germ amply officered and manned by
the proprietor and an office boy. To-
day this agency-it is the Charles H
Fuller company now-has an office staff
floors of the big Boyce building, and
places annually upward OF $4,000, 900
worth of advertising in the newspapers
of this country and Europe. 1t is one
OF the three great American agencies
for the handling of advertising. and is
the largest agency in the country that
confines its operations strictly to daily
newspapers.
The Fuller company is still growing.
It's business. which furnishes an accu-
rate index OF the business of the coun-
try, is increasing so rapidly that it
must soon move out of the Boyce build
ing to the Studebaker building. where
1T will occupy the whole fourth story
with a floor space of about $4,000
square feet, an increase of 5000 feet
over the present quarters.
On, January /, 1905, the Fuller con-
cern.{ known heretofore as the Charles
H. Fuller agency, was reorganized as
the Charles H. Fuller company, one of
the purposes of the change being the
admission Of number of tried and VAL
ued employees to direct participation in
the business. Colonel Fuller is pres
ident of the company and his son,
Lucius c. Fuller. Is treasurer. Henry
Decker, manager of the New York
Office, and F. R. Perkins are the vice
presidents and George H. Ely is sec
retary, with about half a dozen of the
older employees as new stock holders.
CREATES NEW BUSINESS
Colonel Fuller's development and ap-
plication OF his own theories of ad-
vertising have made great fortunes for
number of men. When he began his
real life work newspapers were small
so small as TO seem absurd in COM
parison with the press of today; their
calculations were limited; their reye-
nues from advertising were trifing
Then there was no established means
or method by which the maker or the