The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1917-03-22

or announcement in programs of tn
race circuits.
Methods of Newspaper Advertising
After reading the replies and letter
connection with my own experience a
director of publicity for the South Da
kota State Fair. / would suggest tn,
following general outline for a publicit,
campaign through the newspapers:
/. Paid Advertising. The fair boar,
should determine upon how mucl
money is 10 be allotted for advertiser.
and then sub divide as to newspapers
posters, window cards, souvenirs, etc
In the average county where there ar,
three or more newspapers, | believ,
that by far the most efficient publicit,
will be obtained by advertising in the
county papers-and if the fair warrants
outside patronage-by supplemental,
advertising in the papers of other coun
ties covering the territory served BY
the fair. Personally, | am not especial
ly strong for bill board advertising: al
least l should not spend as much
money for billboards and posters as for
newspaper publicity.
These paid advertisements may well
appear in the county papers two issues
or even three issues preceding the ex.
position. If the advertising is run in
three issues, each ad should be larger
in size than the one preceding, which
makes the publicity cumulative. The
climax must be sustained to the end.
II is indeed a calamity for a fair secre-
tary to get his publicity under way
good and strong only to find that he
has reached the climax a week or two
too early.
2. The writing of regular weekly
news stories relative to the fair should
begin eight to twelve weeks before the
fair begins. These news items should
not be too long. Articles two to FIVE
inches in length in a number of issues
of a county paper will not burden the
editors Office in composing and will
give the fair more publicity than
if the series were to be run in one or
two longer articles in one or two issues
the paper. Do not write about more
than one fact in each article. 1t is
for the average person to read d
number of short articles on as many
different subjects than to read a long
article under n heading covering the
same identical information. AS the
day for the fair approaches the articles
may be made longer in length, because
public interest may be more easily
focused on the exposition.
1t is well to observe the proper dis
tribution of fair Jews throughout the
weeks preceding the fair. Publicity is
more effective if all the early
cover the educational features Of
the fair without introducing the sensa-
or amusement attractions until
do not take this too literally,
What suggest is, that up to about 3
weeks before the opening of the fair,
the numerous short items cover such
educational features as school exhibits,
baby contests, livestock exhibits, wO-
mems exhibits, poultry display, etc,
with occasional off-hand references or
perhaps even short write-ups relative
TO the amusements. Then about three
weeks before the fair begins play up
the amusement features strong. The
Iast issue of the county papers before
the fair opens should be a vertiable
broadcast of information, covering all
of the fair both as to edUca-
Lional and amusement features. Heavy
advertising should be promi-
nent.
3. In some counties the secretaries
have been able to secure the co-opera-
ton of local merchants who agree to
the fair dates and other brief
Information in connection with their
local newspaper advertising.
4. Newspaper supplements from
premium list. At Window (Minn.)
supplements from the premium list are
printed in the county papers using the
type out of the premium list
without extra cost for composition.
The county papers send these supple
ments at a cost of one cent per copy to
their regular list of subscribers. The
secretary Of the fair writes that this
plan works well and is being adopted
by neighboring fairs.
The secretary might well afford to
keep in touch with what Is being done
in the townships and run short items
from time to time on what is being
done in the rural districts relative 20
the collection Of exhibits. For in