New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-12

wasn't ready for any such move IhAt
II ought TO be done gradually, II at all,
until people could be educated up 10 IT,
Tho answer Of The Grand Leader was
to announce the new policy and put It
in practice over night.
Now this must be admitted IN any
fair consideration Of advertising pol
icy: that 1t requires more skill, in
genuity and effort-in short, more
brains-to advertise without value and
comparative price claims than with
them. It's so easy TO be imaginative
with fguresl The Grand Leader peo-
pie were willing to make the severer
test, and they had the brains. Also
they had the goods, another essential
requisite. From the start the new
policy was successful. 1t built bust
ness, a steady, sound increase.
"Wait till the time comes for the
special sales" said the critics. "Then
they'll fall down"
The time came for the half-yearly
sale; and not a value or comparative
price, a formerly" or heretofore" or
"made to sell at" was quoted. Not
withstanding which the sale showed a
So per cent increase over that Of the
previous year. In the anniversary sale
not even an Item was stated. The ad-
vertising manager simply went into
print and talked to his public about
the policies, standards and advantages
Of the establishment. And IL pulled.
The average increase Of business under
the new policy Is upward OF II per
cent That a department store In a
city as thoroughly committed to the
old way in advertising as st. Louis
could make an instant and convincing
success of the new method Is the
strongest and most specific evidence
for non-comparative advertising that |
have yet met with.
An interesting experiment along the
same lines, though not so complete and
radical, is being carried on by the B.
Nugent & Brothers Drygoods Com
pany, whose booklet OF advertising
rules Is worth careful study by any one
interested in this subject. II anything
could throw adequate safeguards about
comparative price claims, these Nugent
rules would do it. But the firm can
didly admits that the very insistence on
rigid accuracy in It's practice tends to
the gradual elimination of the compare
tive method. To begin with, Nugent's
does business on the solid foundation
Of absolute satisfaction or your money
back" In the foreword TO their book
let Is this notice to their employees and
the public:
eve do not consider It good adver-
Using merely to avoid lies. but we want
in addition to include everything essen
tial to a complete and accurate picture
Of the merchandise advertised"
Value" worth" and special" are
tabooed terms. Employees are warned
against the use Of superlatives. When
seconds or imperfect goods are offered,
the word Seconds" must appear in the
headline. and the goods be designated
with a yellow ticket, a combination
which insures proper notification to the
public. Trade" names, where any in
correct meaning is implied, are not per-
mitted. Furs appear under their own
name. That composition which In
many places is labelled French" ivory
Nugent's sells as artificial" ivory
which II is. Even the term "all WOOL
Is forbidden. The goods (at Nugent's)
are either plain "wool" or a combina-
ton, such as wool and cotton" and
are so described. There is a standing
bonus Of 81 offered to any customer or
employe pointing out an untruthful or
misleading statement in any advertise
ment or sign. Comparative prices are
permitted under certain restrictions,
but Though It is not so specified in the
booklet any department which vlo-
lates these restrictions or wanders
from the actual facts is penalized by
having the privilege Of employing COM
parative prices at all withdrawn for a
certain period. This operates not only
as a brake, but also to instruct the de-
partment heads in the more rigid school
of homeopathic advertising. From
all that could gather, It would seem to
be only a question of time when the
Nugent store will confne itself to the
strict policy of advertising goods as
they are, not as they were"
OF the other large and high elias,
shops, Scruggs, Vandervoort & Bar
ney do not use open value" claims, but
do employ comparative prices, though
in diminishing degree. The Famous
& Barr Company use both value claims
and comparative prices; but edit
these representations through a system
Of their own. They have one employe
an expert, whose sole duty Is to check
up every item in each days advertis-
ing by comparison with the goods Of
fered and report any errors or misrep-
reservations. All of these four shops
cooperate heartily with the Better
Business Bureau of the st. Louis Ad-
vertising Club.
At the other extreme Is Addison's
which makes such absurd representa-
tons as $40 cloth suits newest STYLES