The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-04-29
EFFECT 0f NATIONALISM
ON ADVERTISING METHODS
N. w. Aver Son, Through printers
Ink Starts . Series Of Education
Articles With Relation to the Ten
denotes. of Modern Times

A campaign of education as to what
really constitutes effective national adj
vertising under modern conditions has
been started by the N. W. Aver & Son
advertising agency, of Philadelphia,
New York, Boston and Chicago, through
a series of articles appearing in the Pc
riodical, "Printer's Ink" The follow
ing is quoted from the issue of April
Is:
"The United States is developing
the quality of nationalism. We are
coming to think of things in terms of
our nationality. Business men are in
terested in what the nation grows, what
the nation produces, what the nation
| consumes, what the nation exports and
imports.
''If a calamity befalls one of our
States or cities, it is national calam-
ity We have established a national
point of view and are thinking with a
national mind. Manufacturing is be-
ing, done ON a national scale, distribu-
tion studied on the same scope, and
national advertising has arrived.
Under these conditions, there is
| need for the national advertising agen-
cy, and such an agency may be located
in Philadelphia or Detroit, or New
York, or Kansas City or Denver, pro-
vided that its activities are national,
its experience national AMI its capacity
to serve organized on national basis.
Getting National Viewpoint
"This country is geographically so
tIaf TO
of industries so wide, that no concern
may have a correct national point of
view unless this national view is made
up of segments of sectional views. In
Other words, correct national view
point may only be formed by an inti-
mate study of the contributing local
facts and conditions.
"Our business, which has for more
than quarter of century been the
largest of its character in the world,
has in the past few years undergone a
complete reorganization. This reorgan-
ization has not been merely change of
men and methods; it has been rather
re.expression to suit modern condi-
tions of the first fine principles upon
which the business was established
@For the past several years our rep
resentatives have visited on an average
of thirty seven States per year; we have
made an average of six thousand calls
per year; we have kept on file, closely
scrutinized, checked and registered,
whether we had an advertisement in
them or not, an average of fifteen thou
sand publications from all sections of
this country.
Collection Of Information
"We have developed to an unusual
extent excellent information and stat
istcs concerning many trades and many
localities. We have impregnated our
own organization with greatly broad
ened view of our nationality as ex-
pressed in business methods and busi-
ness necessities. We have become a
national advertising agency.
"There are great many advertis-
ing agencies which designate themselves
as general or national which appar-
emily take unto themselves this qualifi-
cation solely because they place adver-
tisements in publications of general or
national circulation. From our point
of view, the intelligent use of national
publications is difficult until the agency
has had very broad experience in
the use of many forms of local adver-
tising media, such as newspapers, bill
posting, etc, in every part and section
of this big country of ours.
"That an advertiser and his agent
may plan to derive the full advantage
of an advertising expenditure, there
must Ain the first place, be broad basic
knowledge of the. situation. Actual
conditions in each State should be
known. This information should be
matched up with the status of the ad-
vertiser's business in each State. This,
in turn, should be considered in con-
nection with an analysis of the circula-
ton of national publications in each
State. Only by this process may ad-
vertisng be made to do its full part in
a sales campaign.
Start of Advertising Campaigns
"Some of the most remarkable ma
tional advertising successes have start.
ed as local campaigns with national
effort in view as work Of the future.
"Too many thinly spread out, poor
lv supported, so-called national adver-
Using campaigns are started, and the
annual death rate is something terrific.
Facts and figures are easily available
to every one, and need no comment
from us.
"This scheme Of spending a few
thousand dollars in a national publica-
tion and then proceeding to bluff the
trade in the line Of merchandise thus
advertised, is pretty we'll played out.
Helpful, intelligent cooperation with
the trade is desirable. Retailers should
be responsive to the effort of honest
advertisers to place goods on their
shelves, but in too many cases consumer
ad, ertising is used only as a club on
the retailer, and the appropriation is
not of sufficient size, nor the advertis-
ing effort sufficiently continuous to real
ly accomplish much with the ultimate