The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-12-31
PHYSICAL MAKEUP OF AN AD HAS MUCH ID DO WITH SUCCESS F. J. HOlberg of Louis Saks Talks of His Method of
 Advertising TRIES TO APPEAL
 TO WHOLE FAMILY Good Display to Catch the Eye of the "Glancer'-Must Have Confidence
 in and Knowledge of the
 Goods Advertised

 Holberg, advertising manager of Louis saks & Co.,, clothiers, yesterday "is to write an advertisement so that the peo- pie who read it will consider the items mentioned a good investment rather than the mere spending of money.
 .sThe physical makeup of an ad has much to do with it's success. I would no more think of getting good results from an ad which was not properly put to- gether than I would from a salesman who was poorly dressed or deformed. The type must be properly arranged and balanced and the whole, no matter whether it is a page or two inches, must have a symmetrical appearance.
 .Saks ads are not written to one per son. A newspaper that has a circulation of 3O,o0O 4000O, due to the fact that several members of each family read it, probably has a reading list of 100000. That 100000 people is made up of both sexes, all ages and conditions. How could write an ad to one person which would appeal to them all? I cannot write an ad to be read by that many people in the same language as if I were talking to one man here in my office. I am ad- dressing d mass meeting, as it were, and I must use language and terms accord ingly.
 Appeals to Glancer
 Ninety per cent of all ad readers are what in the profession we call 'glancers;' they glance across the ad but do not read it unless there is something there to catch their eye. For that reason Saksl ads are written with good heads and sub heads and price quotations as possi- ble in order that these will serve to catch the eye of the 'gancer. But the text of the ad, after the eye has been caught, must be readable. By that I mean it should be in sufficiently large type to make it easily read and in terms and lan- guage easily understood. The text of an ad should not be vouminous. Only enough to convince the reader that there is good investment waiting for him at Saks' store and it is then up to the salesperson to do the rest.
 'An ideal ad is one that follows along the lines of least resistance to the reader, and every ad should be written with this in mind. The easier and more natural the arguments in the ad appear to the reader the better effect they will have on him.
 "Saks' ads are written so that one de- partmenr is featured at time. This is an apparel store and as far ;.s possible try to write an ad for each department so that it will interest all members of the family, although the article to be sold could be worn only by the mother. l,a mi O. be. A good ad writer, as has been said, must be good merchandise man. He must know the goods he is trying to ad- vertise-not merely that one is @ wom- ans dress and another a mans suit-but what they are made of, how they are made. how they comply with styles, and so forth. A poor ad is one that lacks strength in it's analysis of the merchant oise advertised, and that kind of ad comes from man who does not know the line of goods he is advertising.
 Must Know Goods
 Above all, an ad writer must have confidence in the merchandise he is writ ing about. There are many good effects |. if purchaser finds an article even a better value than the advertisement of it indicated, but 1t is a serious injury to your business if shopper finds the ar ticle does not come up to the advertise ment. It is always better to underesti- mate an article in advertising it rather than take the risk of overestimating it. Of course. the basis of good advertisins is truthfulness.
 'Extraordinary results from our adver- tislng are so numerous that l do not re- call any that stand out from the rest. So frequently do we advertise some spe- cial sale in which the stock is so readily disposed of that I hardly know of any particular instance to mention.
 "Never does any member of our sales departments come to me with news of an overloaded stock but what we soon move it through good advertisement. It never fails. Our hour sales especially gre proving very popular and productive of big business
 >. Since you ask me for a criticism in 11general of the advertising done by the merchants of Birmingham, 1 would say that it is quotation of fictitious compsra- tive values This practice is greatly in- dulged in by some advertisers here. and 1t is not only hurting their own business, but is injuring the general pulling power of advertising in this city,