The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1912-01-12

KNOW every lhiuN, from now their son
ators get into the senate to how
merchant can sell $50 dresses for $25.
There's u reason" believe in
giving the reason
II 1t is not given, the people will
doubt the sincerity of your offer
That's why believe "Reason.
Why copy is Just as necessary in de.
partmcnt store Advertising as in any
other kind of Advertising Every mcr-
chant has some reasons to offer why
he is entitled to your trade If he
hasn't he ought not to be in business
Tie has his store service, his dCliv
cry system, his courteous employees
and many other details of the way he
conducts his business that make good
talking points for "RcasonWhy" de.
partmCnt store advCrtsing.
Especially in the announcement OF
a big sale offering deep price rCduc-
lions, is "Rcason-Why" copy neces.
sary
If a merchant offers $2j suits for
$3.50, there is reason for such re-
duction, and if it is given in the ad-
vertisemcnt it will materially increase
the selling power OF the ad II be.
speaks sincerity and dssipatcs doubt
in the readers mind of gCnunCncss OF
the offer. II answers question which
he naturally asks.
There is always some plausible rea-
son for II sale, and have observed
that when it is given, results are more
gratifying than when ii is not
Mems Ads Separate.
Large successful department stores
handling merchandise for both men
and women rarely advertise mems ar.
ticles as a part of their regular ad.
VcrtisemCnt.
They give the men separate ad III
another part of the paper.
| believe they are on the right track
chiefly because the appeal to man
is different from that to woman
Furthermore, woman will read
through whole page adj advertising
fifty or more different articles, in AL
effort to find the article she is inter
ested in
A man will not do that
department store ad is almost al
ways a wOman's ad, and il is my judg.
ment that an announcement from the
mems department embodied in the
stores regular ad will be missed by
the men for few men read ads intend.
ed for women.
Handle illustrations Judiciously.
It has been said that an advertising
man occupies more enviable position
than the artist or literary man for the
reason that he engages in art, litera.
ture and business, whereas the artist
engages only in art and the writer
only in literature.
| The advertising man may occupy an
enviable position, but his success IA
an advertising man and seller of goods
depends on not how literally he uses
art and literature, but how Judi
ciously.
| use cuts whenever possible for a
good cut or picture tells your story
quickly and clearly.
The cut is the actual picture, the
text is a word picture.
One helps the other. They are both
there to sell goods.
An illustration should not he used
in an ad for the sake of art. Art in
advertising is only good business
when the illustration used bears a
close relation to the goods advertised
TO have your copy talk about one
thing and your picture show something
different, sets them at work against
each other.
They should both convey the same
thought, one by picture, the other by
! words.
In department store ADVERTISING
care should be taken to see that the
illustrations used are exact reproduc-
/ lions or at least very similar to the
articles in stock
A woman will often 90 into store
with a picture i'm her minds eye of.
say, a fall coat she has seen adyer-
tised, or she may cut out thc ilustra.
ton and bring it with her and if she
| catches the merchant without that
coat in stock she is disappointed and
he has to do q lot of explaining
For this reason care should be- *.
ercised in buying syndicate cuts. \
merchant by taking merely the
trouble to write for them can get all
the cuts he can use direct from his
manufacturers.
In this way he gets good cuts Of
articles he really has in his store.
Opening, anniversary and special sale
syndicate cuts are all right and can
be used effectively ON such occasions
About White Space and Position.
! like white space in an ad, because
it makes an ad look good, attractive,
clean and easy to read.
Space need not be wasted to get this
effect, for when layout is made your
eyes will tell you when you have it.
| do not know in what proportion
white space can he used with printed
matter without actual waste, for I
have never figured it out. Just make
your ad look good to yourself and use
enough white space to do it.
| believe it pays local advertiser
in a daily newspaper to have a Ger.
tain position in the paper, even if he
is obliged to pay more for it,
If he changes his copy every inser.
ton, which he should do, the people
will watch for his ads TO see what he
has to say, and if they are always in
the same place they are less apt TO
be missed.
They will become recognized as a
permanent part of the paper just like
the editorial columns.
The most attractive feature of an
ad, to my way of thinking, is the price
believe that "ReasOn-Why" copy
an illustration that bears a direct re
latiOn TO the goods advertised and