The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-05-27
Would Censor Advertising.

association on Foreign Advertising
He urged the adoption OF the plan OF
censoring all advertising matter for
newspapers, Just as is now followed
by magazines, took stand against
accepting any kind of fake advertis.
ing and emphasized the Importance OF
having one rate for all advertisers and
then sticking to II. In part he said:
The newspaper that has one rate
for all advertisers is the newspaper
that in the long run will receive the
largest amount of business. The pub.
lisher should play no favorites what.
soever. There Is general impress
sion among foreign advertisers that
newspaper space can be bought and
dickered for just like dry goods or
some other merchandise. The news.
papers will never receive the amount
of business which IL due them until
this impression Is removed. The
newspaper should not discriminate
against the foreign advertiser in fav-
or OF the local advertiser. IL the for
eign advertiser agrees to use as much
space as the local merchant he should
be given the same rate. Next to sta
bility of rates comes the class of ad-
vertising to be accepted. All the lead
ing magazines have a censor whose
duty II Is to pass on advertisements.
No fake schemes or exaggerated state
ments are allowed to appear in any of
the advertisements This cleansing pro-
cess has been going on in the leading
magazines for the last three years
and results show that 1t pays, for the
advertiser who is on the square does
not like to have his ad. appear in the
same publication that runs the ads.
of lot of fake propositions. This
cleansing of the advertising pages
gives readers more confidence in
what they read in the advertising
columns and materially benefits the
cause of advertising all along the
line.
The time is now here for newspa-
pers to adopt the same course as the
magazines. No fake medical adver-
tisements and bunco land schemes or
any advertisement which would tend
to destroy confidence in advertising
should be accepted. When the news
papers get together, stick to their
card rates and keep their advertising
columns clean and clear of all off-Co-
or prop ,sitions, then and not until
then, will they receive the business
they should. No one can estimate the
great volume of business that will
flow to the newspapers when this poll
cy of open and above board rates and
clean advertising pages is adopted.
More and more every year old time
magazine advertisers are coming into
the newspaper field and the only rea-
son why all magazine advertisers are
not newspaper advertisers is that they
are always afraid that they are not
getting the lowest rate. The news
paper publisher can do a great deal
to help the foreign advertiser by see
ing that the merchants who handle
the advertisers product in his town
does his share in pushing the sale of
the advertised product. If the local
merchant is also an advertiser, the
publisher should prevail upon the mer.
chant to turn over his space once in
while to the cause of the foreign
advertisers product. He should also
prevail upon the local merchant to
give the advertisers product it's share
of the window display, for the pub
Usher, by cooperating with the deal.
er in this manner, not only helps the
foreign advertiser but helps himself
advertiser sees that his advertising
is producing results in certain
community, that community is the
first to receive an increased appropri
alton for advertising and this in
creased appropriation means more
business for the publisher in that ter
ritory and the local merchant.
The foreign advertiser hestitates
untried community, and the publisher
must in most cases open the nego
tiatons. He must get in touch with
the advertiser, interest him in the
publication and the community, which
may be done very nicely through per
sonal letters and attractive circulars
concerning the paper, giving correct
or sworn figures as to circulation, the
extent of the field covered and the
character of the readers. While much
of the foreign advertising comes in
through agents, it is first necessary
to interest the advertiser in the pub
LEGATION, to the end that he will di
rect his agent to place his business In
it. Have a rate card that will give
a fair compensation for the service
and then stick to it.
Illustrating this point, The Norfolk
News once received telegram from
an agency offering 5000 for certain
series of advertising, asking for al
immediate answer by wire. The offel
looked attractive, the $500 looming
up in large figures. and at first glance
it appeared to be a nice, fat foreign
contract. Time was taken, however
to analyze the proposition, when i
was found that the offer amounted t
about one.third regular rates, and the
reply that went back to that agenc!
was probably a little disappointing t
them, for before the year was owe
the agency had paid the paper NOR,
than $500 net for the identical worl
-- for which it had offered $500 per hur
ry-up telegram.
1t should always be remembered
that the publisher is the one who il
selling space. His rates should b.
on such a basis that he will brini
profitable results to the advertise
and at the same time allow himsel
adequate remuneration.
After a contract has been made, car