The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-10-23

llE Ass j. Il
lof America atthe Jefferson Hotel
deed quality for one leg, but Its mate
lis the leg Of publicity. That business
can do stunts.
One incstimable aid which bold
adv erttslng gives to a good comm odity
Ills the competitive advertising which 1t
lBtarts.
But before we get anywhere near
4 the sharp curves Of the trust there
are long stretches where certain kinds
OF competition help the manufacturer
and the merchandlzcr as we'll as the
lpublfc. In the presence of such stall
warts as make up this audience need
not argue this self-evident thing. We
all know the populous pikers who are
5too timid to advertise for fear they
will start competition. But such weak
| sisters" don't usually get into live
body like this.
| 1t is only because 1t should be en-
icouraging to men already brave and
lfar-seeing that shall illustrate, not
argue. how helpful competitive adver-
Using may be made to the merchan-
ldizing manufacturer of novel COM
monty which can become staple.
An Illustration.
My first illustration Is the United
Cigar Stores. This was a case where
a trust deliberately used the principle
OF competition to establish itself. The
first experiment. In New York was the
lopentng OF these stores one to every
ten blocks on Broadway. The profits
at the end OF e month warranted the
opening OF double the number, one to
every five blocks.
The profits OF one store to FIVE blocks
were SO much greater than that Of one
Ito ten blocks that they were opened
o.. every block. and then. in some in
stances two to a block. The limit OF
profit was reached and passed, and
then the number was diminished to
1.-THE point OF what had been discovered
| to be the maximum profit The adj
lvertising In this instance was chiefly
the .ighlyS attractive store display
backed by exceptional service. But the
principle was that the more strongly
the United Cigar Stores idea could
| fill the public mind the greater and
more speedily the public goodwill OF
those stores should become q general
habit.
More recently we have seen the
same result, accomplished through
printed advertising by the vacuum
cleaner industry. It is within three
years that the first vacuum cleaner
was advertised in the magazines. It
teal interest to householders. 1t
might be OF value. but who knew?
None of our acquaintances had one.
How hard 1t was to make the first
sales! Despite their obvious advan-
tage. how they dragged? To educate
| the average housekeeper that a vacuum
cleaner was a household necessity
would have been an exhausting hill
to climb II only one, or II only two.
had been advertised.
But. one by one, new varieties have
been invented and now nearly twenty
are being advertised, at all degrees Of
price. The public has had the vacuum
cleaner actually rubbed into 1t. No
body now questions the practical de-
| rability OF such an article In his
house. Now the question is not, Had
better buy one OF these queer things
for my wife?" but, Which OF these
necessary devices shall buy?"
Under this competitive publicity the
pioneer machines have improved, and
commend themselves more widely. So
u
vertising has created that any prom
Using patent for such machine COM
mands eager capital. Competitive adj
lverttsing has proved that the vacuum
cleaner market is as wide as the NUM-
Der OF Misunderstanding households.
How One Business Grew.
One more illustration. even more
familiar. Only few years ago the
ready made clothing business was a
primitive Industry. It is needless to
recall the ancient jests about the stiff
clothes of the men who took their
weeks wages or the price OF a haul
OF cordwood and bought a ready-made
outfit Different sections Of the coun-
try favored divergent fashions. One
years unsold stock was as good next
year for remoter localities. Some
makes were better than others, but the
buyers Of ready made never knew the
difference.
Then, one year within short memory
more well known firm bethought them
to advertise in the magazines. They
gave such stylish pictures OF young m en-
In ready-made outfits that the public
began to see new light, and a new
class of customers began, APOLOGIZE
cally at first, to ask local dealers for
those clothes.
Presently other clothing houses per-
ceived the new opportunity. Group
after group OF handsomely dressed
youths took position in the advertising
pages OF the ma gaines. To-day there
are a dozen well-known clothing
manufacturers whose brand is a guar
antee of quality and fashion, Compel
ing for the trade Of a discriminate ing
and we'll dressed public:
E5s What are the results OF this competi-
tive advertising and competitive manu-
/, facture which have been acting and
lsreacting, each upon the other-the
advertising necessitating standardized
goods. the increase in the number of
high grade houses enlarging the adj
lsyertising?
One result is that the vast majority
of American now wear ready-made
clothes. -
Anot Their is that there are now stand
ard fashions for the whole country.
Wherever you go. to the remotest dis
trict you see the same smart attire.
During the mud SON Fulton celebration
in New York, when two millions OF
strangers visited the city. the ques-
ton was often heard Where are the
country jays we used to see?" If they
were there their clothes didn't betray
them. Standard fashions and quality
reach 4Hiram's Mills and the Ozark
IL.