The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1915-12-02
Advertising
Talks
GET WHAT YOU PAY
FOR IN LONG RUN
Era Of Honesty In Advertising
Means Much to Those
Who Buy.

luedlS are necessarily nlRnGT Indu
achievements, else we'd become SO
good we'd be tiresome, and there
would be no room left for improve
ment. But the ideals Of honesty and
scrupulous truth telling which the
advertising men Of the country set
up In their Baltimore convention are
not mere blinds. There is real prog.
ress that way.
We dare say you, Mr.. and Mrs,
Reader, comments the Omaha News,
have often turned away from some
advertisement which dealt with super.
circus poster order, and said. scorn.
fully: "Oh. these advertisements are
nothing but lies"
or course, there are lies In adver
tisements as well as elsewhere. But
the tendency toward truth-telling has
been mighty rapid Of late. Whereas.
q generation ago, a modest, candid ad.
vertisement seemed a rarity, 80 great
vas the vogue Of blatancy and exag.
geration, now the rule is far the other
way and 1t Is the deliberately mis-
leading announcement which Ia the
exception.
The rush Of the ad men to the
honest injun" band wagon is due In
part to a quickened conscience, for
we're all getting our souls eyes
opened these days; and In part to
the discovery Of the shrewd men who
supply the money for advertising that
II you wan to stay In business with
out having to fit by night, confidence
and good will are mighty fine assets
to build up.
But don't run away with the i'm
preston that YOU haven't a finger
In this pie.
In buying, what Is your point OF
view? Do you realize that a good
article is worth a fair price and that
you have no right to expect more than
you pay for?
In business special conditions ONE
times force the sale of goods at prices
below cost; and competition frequent
ly narrows the margin Of profit so
that you have opportunities OF getting
oASCPNiohnl Ddi6dluo. Dut, il6 du
average over a period OF time. do you
expect to get what you heed for less
than 1t is really worth, and In that
expectation, put pressure on trade
until you force a percentage of mis-
representation?
A little reflection ought to make
1t clear to you that the manufacturer
and the retailer are not in business
on a basis Of philanthropy, but for
profit; and that without profit they
cannot stay In business or you be
served.
1t follows, then, that II you press
them necessarily for abnormally cheap
service they will Of necessity meet
that condition In ways which will
leave their profit undisturbed.
The best buy Is when you pay
a just price and get full value. When
you get high value at q low price you
are lucky, and In the nature of things
what you gain in this way has some
how t. be offset.
In the long run, therefore, you get
what you pay for. BY accustoming
yourself to paying quality prices you
increase the probability of quality
service, just as, by reversing this
rule, you increase the liability Of film
fam.
Which In no degree justifles cheat
ing, Of course, but which maybe helps
you explain YOUR part In the en-
enlargement Of hat very wrong prac-
tice.
Maybe there is such q thing as i'm
moral buying as well as dishonest
selling. And maybe the two are more
closely related than we have usually
supposed.