The San Francisco call., 1910-06-08
MERCHANTS TAKE COUNSEL
ON CITY'S TRADE PROBLEMS

culties which confront retail San
Francisco. The best advertising in the
world will not sell TO people who do
not exist. San Francisco is doing more
business than she ever has in her his
tory. Most Of you gentlemen would.
upon analysis of conditions. past and
present. find that you are now doing in
dollars and cents a business greater
than you were before the fire.
NEED OF MORE PEOPLE
What we need is not more adyertis-
ing, but better advertising and more
people to advertise TO. 1t is automatic
that a city is prosperous only in pro-
portion TO the prosperity of the coun-
try behind 1t.
We are city of less than half
million builded upon lines to accommo-
date twice our population. Our stores
are founded and conducted in such
manner that twice the business could
be cared for with little added expense.
What we need is more population in
the city, and particularly more popu-
lation outside the city to support the
population within our area.
San Francisco is confronted also with
another problem. Hundreds of thou
sands of tourists visit California every
year. Ten thousand onlv come to San
Francisco and the bay cities We have
resources from the tourist standpoint
that no other section of the state or
world can equal What we lack is or
ganlzation. What we lack is advertis-
ing TO create the desire to see the Won
ders which we possess.
HARMONY FOR UPBUILDING
More than any other city in America
San Francisco has been advertised The
Kind OF advertising. we have received
mas not been such as to make the capi-
talist, the home seeker. the tourist de-
sire TO come here and join his lot with
us.
We need brainy, concentrated effort
in an advertising way to tell the in
vestor what the real San Francisco is;
TO tell the home seeker what life may
hold for him here; to tell the tourist of
the Joy and charm which we offer in
unlimited quantities.
Now, as to the remedy. No amount
or advertising within 100 miles of San
francisco will create prosperity in this
city. A dollar brought from MarysYille
INTO the retail tills of this city is not
a dollar gained.
organizations having for their purposes
Of existence the upbuilding of San
Francisco and California lay aside their
petty differences and Join as a harmo-
nious whole in the greatest advertising
campaign ever undertaken in any city.
CONTINUOUS WORK NEEDED
The dollars which we must neces-
sarlly eXpend for this publicity will
buy more than space-they will buy
good viii for the other section of the
country; they will bind the thoughts Of
the Pacific coast
No short time campaign will do this.
NOT one months work, or six months
work, or one years work can be de-
pended upon to overcome the wrong
impressions. the inertia which has
years. The first year will begin to tell
the story. The second year will show
results undreamed of. and from that
time forward there will be no difficulty
IN raising funds to finance the pub
licity department for the greatest com
merclal enterprise of the age-the COM
monwealth of San Francisco.
We want to bring people into Cali
fornia; we want to situate them here
so they will be happy, contented, pros
porous. so that their dollars will flow
there into San Francisco.
How much will it take? Not less than
100000 year. with three years
campaign in view.
81 100000 for an exhibition has not eX-
hausted her resources. Once show our
merchants, our manufacturers, our
public spirited citizens what can be
produced by a campaign of this kind.
and not one or two weeks work will
be required, not one hours work will
be required, to obtain the required sum.
MORE THAN MONEY NEEDED
But simply raising money and spend
ing 1t for space no matter how we'll
the space may be used. is not the be-
ginning and end of advertising success.
SUCH fund properly administered
WOu4Q BlOUdblN require ludl 20 cents OF
every dollar be expended upon clerical
help and special individual work upon
gigantic projects for the benefit of the
whole community.
It would require a man whose serv-
ices could not be secured for a few
hundreds or few thousands per year
to engineer the publicity.
Ninety cents of every dollar that has
been expended by communities in solv-
ing their advertising problems have
been wasted. utterly thrown away.
through the lack Of advertising train
ing.
The glib speaker who can recite the
glories of the city is not necessarily a
good advertising man. The hard headed
businessman who knows nothing of ad-
vertising is the easiest mark in the
world for the shrewd faker who under
takes to milk the public fund so
created.
Gentlemen. no number of resolutions.
no amount of discussion, will solve this
problem in any other way. Fundament-
ally we need more people. The way to
get them is through sensible. well con-
ceived, honestly executed advertising
The way. to get the advertising is
through your support The proposition