The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-05-12

or utilize talent of high order or 10
command especial respect from the
public. The modern successful adver-
Using man Is an influential factor in
business and even in public life and
receives salary commensurate with
his ability. The managers of the sales
departments of the largest business
concerns are but the highest type of
advertising men and upon their direct
efforts rests the prosperity of such in
situations. Governments, even, have
use for the ad man and do not hest
tate to give him ample remuneration
for the results he obtains by means of
stimulating popular interest
There is no occupation your boy
could choose that offers brighter pros
poets If only he exerts himself and ell
his talent and energy and is deter
mined to get to the top. 1t is not es-
sental that he should possess excep-
tional qualifications for the work. AS
in most kinds Of life work, hard work
and study will carry him to the de-
sired end-in this case loftier pin
nacle than may be attained in most
business careers.
Assuming, then, that your boy
wishes to make stir in the world
as director of publicity, that he is 16
or so years Of age and has had the
usual schooling, his first step will be
to go to one Of the large advertising
agencies and ask opportunity to begin
at the bottom.
AS in other beginnings, his first job
will be that of office boy, and his pay
IS or so a week However, he will be
given work right at the beginning that
is the very foundation of all advertis-
ing. He will be shown that advertis-
ing measurement and cost are based
on the agate line, and will be set to
figuring up the space taken in various
publications by different advertisers,
all OF which is put into tables for fu
ture reference. There are IA agate
lines to an inch. The length of the
line is the width of the column. The
cost is estimated at the rate of so
much an agate line.
Through the business handled by
his firm he will become familiar with
the writing of advertisements, the
charges made by different publica-
lions, the field covered by them, what
their circulation is, what special class
of advertisers patronizes given maya
zines or other publications, what pub
LEGATIONS are best adapted to facilitate
the sale of various articles, what form
and size Of advertisement to use, ex-
ercising his artistic and publicity
sense by becoming familiar with the
display value Of various kinds of type,
etc
A he advances in knowledge of all
these things, and thereby becomes of
greater value to his employer, your
boys pay will steadily increase until,
after couple of years, he will prob
nbly be getting SO or SO a week, and
will be on fair road to higher and
more rapid advancement.
Advertising agencies are firms that
place the advertising and publicity
work for companies or individuals
that do not maintain their own adver-
Using departments. Thus John Doe
& Co., wholesale hardware merchants,
conclude that this year they will
spend 100000 in advertising; so they
arrange with an agency to distribute
this money for them. the agency Sc
lecting the publications or other
means and apportioning the outlay
where it will do the most good. For
this work the agency receives a COM
mission of 10 to Is per cent, not from
the hardware firm, but from the pub
locations.
Therefore, the principal soliciting
done by the agency is to get these &C.
counts from advertisers. AS the
agencies themselves are solicited by
magazines and other publications,
your boy becomes familiar with both
sides of the game.
Your boys advancement to the po-
sition of solicitor will depend entirely
upon himself Naturally he will have
to possess pretty good knowledge of
the business, so as to meet all argu-
.nents and objections from persons
who also are we'll informed, and he
must present an appearance that will
beget confidence. Probably he will
not be competent to do all this until
he has been with an agency for sew
eral years; but all this time he will
be improving himself in the Office and
becoming an authority on advertising
generally. He will be earning from
SIS to $40 or even more week by the
time he is in his early twenties, if he
has applied himself assiduously to his
work.
Then will come his determination to
increase the business of the firm by
his own efforts, and he will go out
after an account. If he succeeds he
will receive one-third of the commits
sion the agency gets. Thus, If he per-
suades the manufacturer of a face
cream to let his firm spend $4,000 in
advertising, the agency will receive at
least $1,000 commission from the pub
locations selected, and your boy will
get 1888 of this.
He Is now full-dedged solicitor