Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-03-05
Advertising, like the railroad, the

Advertising. like the railroad. the
telephone. the newspaper, the school.
is a creator of human activity. Like
all Of these 1t is q force for the wider
and quicker dissemination of informa-
ton. 1t brings within our ken things
that we never knew existed, or never
thought we wanted. It teaches US to
want things a little beyond our grasp
and to work a little harder in order
to get them. Thus advertising (and
we use the term in its broad sense in |
GLIDING all forms of commercial pub |
licity) is one Of the great forces of |
civilization and progress. 1t shows
people the way and rouses their am
bition to possess-and to produce in
order to possess.
Some people say that advertising
merely takes business away from one
man and hands it to his competitor.
They think if everybody stopped ad-
vertising, business would go on just
the same, and things would be
cheaper.
| This sounds plausible, but it is not
true.
Obviously advertising is much used
as a competitive weapon, and pow
erful one. Any method of selling
advertising, show windows, clerks,
travelling men-gets business that
without the selling effort would have
gone elsewhere. 1t would be just as
logical to say that If everybody board
ed up their show windows and dis
charged clerks and travelling men,
business would 60 on just the same
and things would be cheaper" All
selling plans are competitive, but
most of us believe that competition is
a good thing. 1t keeps down prices,
keeps up quality and improves serv-
ice. The value of advertising, purely
as competitive weapon, has been
clearly demonstrated in many great
business enterprises.
But advertising and publicity do
more than merely stimulate competi-
ton. In fact it's chief use lies entirely
beyond that 1t creates new markets,
new demand, new desires. 1t makes
possible new products, new methods,
better national life. In its highest
forms, advertising is not primarily a
weapon of competition but means of
constructive public service. Advertis-
ing does not increase prices. But the
, very fact that it increases business
l and creates new business, advertising
( is more likely to reduce prices. Most
s of the so-called substitutes for adver-
I: Using do not and can not take its
: place. Premiums, discounts, trading
q stamps and the like may increase bust.
ness by taking it away from others
!. purely competitive devices-they dc
= J not create business.
The following story which was fea
tured in a recent issue of the Satur
2 day Evening Post, above the sigma
J. ture Of the publishers, illustrates the
: creative power Of advertising:
Q In one of our large cities, few
/ years ago, fifty-one per cent of the
/ stock of the local gas and electric
] company was acquired by a national
!. public-service organization. The way
the new management went about Its
job sent thrills Of apprehension
through the minority stockholders
who were local citizens. The divi
dends paid the year before had
amounted to $4,000. Immediately the
= new board cut the price of both gas
and electricity. Figures showed that
with the same consumption as the
year before, the total dividends at the
= new rates would be only $4,000.
But there lay the difference The
! consumption was not going to be the
= same. The company began a strong
). campaign of advertising. To the loca
!. stockholders this seemed ruinous fol
4 ly. They reasoned, Have we not {
. complete monopoly? We control ex
!. elusive franchises on both gas an(
n electricity. Why in the world SHOULD
A we spend money to advertise wher
II we have 'em both coming and going?'
~ II ever q case existed where adver
IF Using solely for competitive purposes
would have been absolutely futile, THU
was it. The company certainly ha,
q the city both coming and going. Blu
l. the answer was. I'VE are not going t,
II spend money in advertising. We ar,
It going to invest money in advertising
g Half pages began to appear in tn
1t newspapers. In the course of q yea
a. the gas and electric company use,
'e more space than any of the depart
g. ment stores. which. of course, ha,
a. been up to that time the heaviest I'D
r. vertisers in the city.
Cooking schools to show women tn