Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-06-11
WHAT ADVERTISING DID FOR ONE
GEORGIA TOWN.

At the organization meeting of theI
Georgia Federation of Boards of TradeI
at Atlanta on Tuesday, the mayor IF
little town told of what advertising
had done for his ely and Of what re-
suits they still expected to achieve in
that direction
Three years ago, he told the con-
yention. the business men of the VIII
.lage, for it was really little more than
a village, awakened to the fact that
the place was not only standing still
but dying of dry rot. Ike all other
towns thot have ceased to push for
ward it was really going backward
No one was moving in and the more
ambitious spirits were getting ready
to move out. At this juncture a meet
ing was held, a trade organization per-
fected, and it was decided to adyer-
tise the town and the country there
abouts. It was realized that if the
country developed tie towns trade
would increase and it would speedily
feel the impulse Of a new activity.
A little pamphlet was published.
The question then was to get it into
the hands of people who might be dis
satisfied where they were, dissatisfied
with climate, with hfgh-priced and un-
profitable lands, with' the poor out
look confronting them. In the treas
ury there was but a small amount Of
money 1t was decided to try to reach
Northern and Western farmers who
might be cons tsering a change of To-
cation. The New York American was
selected as the medium and $3.50 was
expended for a little advert sement in
that widely circulated newspaper.
Some of the less progressive scoffad
at the idea of paying ont SO much
money for a little newspaper space,
others couldn't be brought to believe
that any thing could be accompl shed
by advertising an unknown Georgia
country section and an obscure Geor-
gia town. But the men of push and
pluck prevailed. The money was
sent on to New York and the adver-
tisement inserted.
That was three years ago. From
that expenditure of $3.50 in a little adj
vertisement in the New York AmerI-
can three hundred and fifty settlers
have been brought to the country
roundabout the town. To-day there
are nearly two hundred parties with
whom correspondence is being carried
on, a number of whom be induced
finally to locate in the town that had
the nerve to pay out $3.50 of its little
assets for a small ad in a metropoi-
itan newspaper.
There is a lesson in this story, as
told to the assembled Georgian bus
mess men at Atlanta, to those n
Americas who cannot see that it will
do Americas and Sumter county any
good to advertise them, who cannot
see that money expended in advertis-
ing a city and county is not wasted,
who get d scouraged and become dis
of others because the re-
suits are not immediate. This Georgia
town spent the $3.50 three years ago.
1t was a year or more before the re-
suits began to be perceptible And
now, three years after, the results are
still coming in.
Advertised intelHgently Sumter
county can secure several times the
$50 settlers this little Georgia town
brought to it's vicinity. Where its bus
mess men expended $3.50 Americas
siuld easily expend $1.oO and never
MISS it. Americas could easily do that
his year if the business men and
owners would unite with the
Board Of Trade as they should. It
4 shame to every business man, to
every property owner in the city, who
S not actively affiliated with the Board
IF Trade. 1t is worse than a refiec-
lion on his public spirit, it IS y reaec-
ion ON his sound business judgment