Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-03-26
SCIENCE OF ADVERTISING.


The other day an Observer repre-
. sentative called at one Of the loca
: mercantile establishments in quest OF
business He asked for an ad and was
told to write one The firm was
about to inaugurate a special sale, but
cautioned the newspaper man not to
mention prices. People can come
into the store and find out" explained
the merchant, and right there was
where he made his mistake. This
idea regarding the quoting of prices
is very generally found among the
proprietors of country stores and 9TH
ers who say that advertising in the
newspapers doesn't pay" Yet, how
many city ads do you see that do not
mention prices? The whole secret of
advertising is to attract the attention
of the purchaser, first; interest him,
second; convince him that he wants
what you have to sell; then, if he
comes to your store and you can't sell
him-that's your fault.
Grocerymen and proprietors of
food stores in the smaller towns will
generally tell you that advertising
doesn't pay" in proof of this we may
call attention to the fact that The OBJ
server does not carry but one gro
Gerry ad in its columns and yet, if they
would study the proposition and talk
to the people exactly as they would
talk to their customers, they would
find results without question. Others
have done so. But judgment must be
used in all advertising.
Here is a sample ad clipped from
an article in the Publishers Guide:
Brandon's Corner Grocery. Re-
member when in the city to make
this your trading place. Highest
market prices paid for country
produce and always a square
deal. We always carry full Line
of staple and fancy groceries.
Good goods speciality. Bran
don's Corner Grocery. Phone 261.
Business men who waste their
money on ads like the above might
as well throw it in the river While 1t
shows that Brandon is alive, and
wants business, it utterly fails in it's
object-to attract trade. Brandon
only says what dozens and hundreds
of others say, and ads like this often
appear week after week, without
change for year or more They be-
come fixtures in the paper. and per-
form about the same mission as the
sign over the merchants door They 9
tell people he is in town and that's ,
about all.
The following taken from a we'll q
written grocery ad shows how attract ;
We the offerings Of a food dealer may
De made: :,
white plume, crisp :
and tender, extra good flavor, large -
bunch for ................. sc .
sweet Cider-Made from the choicest .
of apples. gal. ............25c =
)ysters-Our oysters come in sani- :,
tary sealed packages. The ice new !,
er touches. Remember our price. h
Solid meats. quart. ....... .40c u
Here is an ad that appeals 1t even .,
makes you hungry to read it, When q
ou go home you1l stop and inspect
ONE of that celery, or that sweet
ider. or those oysters in sanitary ~
Prices are quoted, so you'll :.
now how much the articles cost, and -
on think the schedules are reason -
BILE. Perhaps they are, and then
gain, other stores may be selling the ~
anne goods at the same price. but :
heir lack of knowledge i'm getting
heir wares before the public results
1 the live man getting the business. :
often the very men who declare
nat they do not want to quote U
rices in their newspaper advertising.
III place goods in their windows with
rice cards attached. What for? To ID
n the goods. Then in the name of
ood business, where do they draw
he line between the value of the
ewspaper ad and the window dis
ay?
Talk to the people through your
Is. Tell them why they should buy G.
your store. Make your ads at fr
active and you1l get the business. n,
he plea so often heard that "adver- an
sing doesn't pay the merchant in the an
nall town because everybody knows IN
m and what he carries" is the rank sp
I kind OF nonsense. Small town buy co
: are as anxious for bargains as bu
cir city brothers and they'll buy al.
here they can secure them. or at in,
ast where they think they are get no
lg them. H.
lea