Omaha daily bee., 1910-01-30

HS "u WIN III el0SII Slyle oI Idh winch VIII
attract and hold the interest of the reader at once. 1t is the scheme
Of the ad writer to group this Introductory talk" around some par
ticular article that is seasonable and timely. Another thing the ad
writer tries to do is to be different from the other fellow" He
seeks originality, but one thing, however, he keeps in mind, and that
is that prices interest the public.
The advertising of yesterday is not the advertising of TODAY.
Men not very old have witnessed the entire development Of modern
advertising from being an untrustworthy instrument of quacks and
charlatans to its place as an engine in the conduct and expansion of
business. Human interest must pervade the advertising copy.
The mar who writes the copy for the newspaper realizes this. He
MS copy must center about something of popular interest.
He follows, as a rule, the newspaper style and presents his wares in
the manner in which they will catch the eye of the reader and make
him look. The sagacious merchant no longer fills his newspaper
space with extravagant claims regarding quality" and "cheapness."
He leaves "Barnum" buncombe and buster for others, and does not
waste osty space N generanzlng' II he makes any statement about
his goods tits definite and specific. His announcements are made
with the understanding that he may be called upon to make good"
He must stand behind his advertising. The necessity for utilizing
space in this way becomes more apparent as the price of that space
increases.
The public is interested in prices and no me knows this better
than the merchant or the advertising manager. When the want has
been created in the mind of the reader through the advertisement
the next questionstha interests him is the price he must pay to have
that want satisfied.
When a firm uses a page or haIfpage in the local papers the ad.
vertdng manager must fill it with the kind of copy which can be
called craftsmanship on-paper." He therefore calls upon the heads
Of departments for a written statement or announcement of what
each department has to offer fol-, the purchasing public on the dv
that the advertisement is to appear. The head of each department
is supposed to be a specialist in his line and must know the weak
places under him that need to be built up.
First of all, in writing an ad he tries to attract attention. Manv
are the devices used in attaining this end, 1t may be big type, a cut,
attractive headlines or tantalizing prices. Jngles. such as the
Sunny Jim variety or those OF the Phoebe Snow OF the Lackawanna
railroad, ire ads that attract at a glance.
Then the ad writer knows there must be interest. He tries to get
the attention of the reader and then tries to interest him He offers
Information that may prove of interest.
Once the reader is interested in the article. the writer tries to
create a desire on the part of the person to want that article The
value is made manifest-thatis, the good that would result from the
possession Of the article. Often a person does not realize that he
really needs a thing until he is told about #. Then the ad writer
works on the mind-the convictions BY his copy he endeavors q
convince the reader CT the advantage IN owning such a thing and
what it means to him to be without It. This the reader must decide
Tor himself. If he wants the article advertised and realizes that he
needs it. it is but the matter of a moment to resolve to purchase a.
This decision is what the ad writer endeayors to obtain in his copy
sThe successful advertising writer must have that quick, precise
sense II knowing Just what to talk about and just what not to talk
about He must have a good knowledge OF business Engush"-a
command or snappy, pithy, catchy words that tell tho story. The
advertising writer must be concise. Every word occupies space and
he must reckon carefully on space. He must put himself in the
readers place so that he will know how the reader will construs his
talk"
Above all, he must be a business man.