Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1914-08-24
TheEvening Story
The Art Of
Advertising
BY DWIGHT NORWOOD

a territory to sell it in. sold me a
stock on credit. and located in a small
town called Mercerville. in the center
Of my field of operations. 1 advertised
largely in the country newspapers and
canvassed In buggy, carrying my
package Of the cleaner on the floor be-
hind the seat. My field Of operations
was unfortunate inasmuch as 1t
was already occupied by a cleaner
called the Excelsior dirt remover /
couldn't discover that there was any
office for the agency Of the article in
my district Indeed, the advertisement
read that by addressing M. q. Tuttle,
box "a, Hammerton postofice, the re-
mover would be sent for trial.
found myself up against the Excel
sior dirt remover continually. Wher-
ever called to sell Broadrib's cleaning
powder l found that they had just re-
ceived a package of the Excelsior re-
mover for trial, and since the article
was satisfactory there was no chance
In that family for mine. 1 concluded
to kill competition by means of the
newspapers, not by attacking the re-
mover, but by calling attention to
my own goods by ingenious advertise
ments.
My first ad. I was well pleased with.
1t stated that n woman had put a
number Of soiled clothes to soak on
Saturday night and on Monday morn
ing had found them laundered. She
was at loss to understand how this
had come about till she noticed that
tear in the paper inclosing Broadrib's
cleaning powder on shelf above the
clothes had let out some of the con-
tents, which had fallen in the wash
tub.
Every one who met me after seeing
my ad. laughed heartily, and l noticed
at once an increase of sales. But
i soon saw that the Excelsior agent had
resolved to fight me on my own ground.
The Union County Clarion appeared
with this ad.:
The contract to remove the dirt for the
foundation of the new schoolhouse has
been awarded to the Excelsior dirt re-
mover.
Being in for It, sat down to think
of a new way of overlapping the Ex-
celsior folks with the following result
A farmer, having bought a package of
Broadrib's cleaning powder at Brewervillo
driving homo got stuck in a mudhole
Throwing some of the powder under the
wheels of his wagon, the soil was re-
moved down to smooth bedrock. and the
wagon wheels shone spick and span in the
sun.
How long this war of ads. would
have lasted had not my opponent be-
come personal don't know. The next
ad that appeared was as follows:
The agent of Broadrib's cleaning pow
der washed his face yesterday, dropping
little of the powder in the water. The
basin soon became filled with dirt. 1t was
found that some OF the water charged
with this cleaning powder had passed
through the ears and nostrlls and washed
out his brain.
Fearing that the campaign would de-
genera into mud singing, l resolved
to find the Excelsior agent and gain
his consent to a division of the terri
tory. | addressed note. signed with
fictitious name, to NJ. K. Tuttle,
box "a. Hammerton postoffice, stating
that | would like to buy couple of
dozen packages of the Excelsior remov-
err and would call at his office for the
purpose If an address were given
This brought the street and number
and ! called
l found a little cottage on a side
street. Upon asking for the agent Of
the remover young woman about
twenty years of age entered the room
and asked what she could do for me.
asked her if she was the agent, and
she said she was. l told her that l
was the person who wished to buy a
couple of dozen packages Of her Ex-
celsior remover, but feared when told
her why wanted it she would refuse
, to sell She asked what l wanted 1t
for, and told her that | should use
1t to remove from that territory the
agent of the Excelsior article, as she
was interfering seriously with the sale
Of Broadrib's cleansing powder, which
was handling.
There was a slight quirking up Of
the corners of her pretty mouth as
she replied that it would require
thousand packages to remove the
agent, but II cared to buy SO many
she would sell them to me at the
wholesale price and with all the dis
counts she had obtained from the own
ers. ] asked her II the thousand pack
ages were her entire stock and II she
would guarantee not to buy any more;
also IL there would be enough to re-
move the agent TO my Office as clerk
and advertisement writer.
mot if Won propose to store the
Broadrib cleaning powder and the Ex-
celsior remover in the same building"
she replied.
why not?'
Together they would eradicate the
ground under the building and 1t would
, collapse
When we spoke seriously / learned
that she was trying to support an in