Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1910-05-12
THE KEY TO SUCCESS
And How A Youth With Foresight
And Grit Made Use OF 1t.

Thirty-three years ago a lad of TWEEN
ty-two hired top floor room on back
street in Albany and started a labrato-
Try. 1t was his third abiding place
within month, and it served him as
bedroom, workshop, warehouse and
chemist quarters, all in one. He ate
where and when he could. Meals were
uncertain details at that time.
The lad was John H. Woodbury., son
of an Albany shoe manufacturer. He
himself had mastered the shoe trade.
There was money in the business. Yet
he resolutely put aside the more or less
alluring possibilities of calf skin pro
ducts and braved the laughter of his
associates for the sake of gratifying his
craving to experiment on improve
ments for the human skin.
At the end of that first month he
took account of stock. His gross re-
ceipts had aggregated to the princely
sum of $50 Thirteen years later, when
he left Albany, the monthly receipts
had swelled to $4,000, and he had great
suit of offices, laboratories, ETC., and a
large staff of helpers.
Since then the rise has been steady,
and the ladder whereby he climbed
bears the unromantic name of "news-
paper advertising" Here is story of
part of that long campaign, told in his
own words:
III wanted to put my soaps on the
market. The obvious method was adj
vertising. So began series of small
ads, largely in magazines. That sue
ceeded in placing my soap on the
shelves of many druggists, but some
how it didn't lure the people at large
into buying my wares. For seven or
eight years l dragged along like that.
During the eight years / found owed
about $4s, 900 for advertisements.
Then came my idea. 1 wish it had
come earlier.
Without consulting my advertising
man I staked everything on one stu
pendous deal. Going to the best two
newspapers Of every big city, 1 engaged
from each of them thirteen pages of
advertising space, to be used up in a
series of quarter page ads-nothing
smaller-in newspapers alone.
The results? They were not slow to
come. Those quarter page ads ran fol-
about three months. At the end Of
that time was not only able to pay
for them and to pay my long standing
$4S, 900 advertising bill, but had more
than $50, 900 left over.
Those newspaper ads had told the
people what | had for sale and had
pointed out it's merits. None of my
former advertising had succeeded in
doing that. My goods were already il
stores. The newspaper ads told the
people so and sent them there to buy
The turn was passed, and was on tn.
highroad and out of the woods.
| have laid out fully 81 800, 600 in this
way. If it did not bring me adequate
returns l should have stopped the ex-
penditure long ago, for million and 8
half is q sum of money not to be
thrown away unproftably. To its ust
in newspaper advertising / owe sue
cess. OF course that also implies 8
good article to be advertised, for peo-
pie will not be fooled into buying any
thing inferior.
The fate of an ad is sometimes
strange. No one can prophesy how i
will hit the public. Once inserted 8
two column ad in newspapers calling
for mail answers. In one day alone
received in reply by mail $3.50 in tel
cent pieces. All the time the ad wa
appearing I averaged about $500 a day
Albert Payson Terhune in Pittsburs
dispatch.