New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-01
Bv SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS

\. too much to saw that one Ignorance astonishing lack
Of comprehension of modern conditions and the modern trend IN
the advertising world On the subject of straight advertising the
local papers from Missouri got to be shown hey
know that there are profitable dollars crooked adve
Using They take that kind of money every day all OF them
Until somebody them that there more poh TO DC
gained by dscardg this they will stand pat on ha
they've got There much support to be expected from them
IN n. apa4n now preparing by the Advertising Club OF Balt
more to clean up local conditions.
Not that local conditions the mercantile world are worse
here than other cities In fact should that Baltimore
is rather above than below the of cities since it has few
if any of the type of bunco stores The outand-ou
hok shop conspicuous by its absence also the sample
shoe the crooked dealer the e and bankrupt sale
sndler dealer On the other hand balt
more the home value advertising wild With the exceP
ton of one large shop few of the high class specially
stores two or three mems clothing and outhng places and
large department there appears be little Willingness TO sell
goods for what they worth The merchants we IN oerhe
their merchandise for percentage or its claimed value lake io
example Ga one the large department store OF bernhee
Brothers fupage advertisement OF which lies before me as
write Il sets forth hundred and fifty offers some OF
which are vague Of the rest only nineteen offers are made on
the basis what the goods supposedly worth One hundred
and five claim value of the price, running from 81 suits
at Csc brooms for cent II its advertising to be
believed Bernheimer's runs almost exclusively ossl
Obviously the local stores hold low OPINION OF the IN
tegence of the local popuace Otherwise they would not habu
av employ newspaper space fool their with this value
nonsense Or possibly they feel that competition with the stem
toan medical and financial takers who fill the OF the
,be too must sound loud bazoo and hump the bass drum
in order be noticed all AT rate curious tact that
with few exceptions the advertising within the stores show
windows pacards and the like is much conservative
and reliable than the advertising Of those stores in the news
papers; as they said to themselves
We any method get the public in here; but we won
lie to them when they inside our doors
An amusing bit frankness the part of certain store
official was by local advertising expert On the day
after aamboyant spurge of values the local my in
oant and failed discover the special sale
placards any repetition of the marvellous claims in print
How this9 he inquired of of the management You
don't seem be backing up your ads.
Ho,vs WHAT returned the other here are the goods
What's wrong with emp"
Nothing that see Only you don't make the claims here
that they worth what price them at did the
papers"
Possibly the official had had of opinion with the
advertising manager possibly he just feeling cynical that
day. That value stuff said he dsdainfuy that's to catch
the public, to fool ourselves
Yet it ha. been proven that the Baltimore public will respond
straight reliable advertising based strictly facts and not on
imaginative if be skfuly enough done The furniture
of Gudo Joseph used employ comparative adver
Using exclusively Now they have dropped it, and with the
most satisfactory results While ONes of the largest de-
pament stores has announced any formal policy in this
spe all their advertising that have free from value
claims; and the maintains higher class trade
Therefore while there much work to be done Baltimore
sound examples from and this that the
local Advertising Club bases its hopes has already committed
itself to cleanup campaign by appointing vigilance commit
tee which Incorporated for the work under the craftsmanship OF
Rgna Baldwin Mr. Baldwin lawyer who joined the Adver
Using Club purely because of his interest the problems of adver
Using He believes reform by persuasion first if that avail
and he believes driving the recacrant crooked adver
ser the field by the the law Both methods have
already been tested out in Baltimore.
The law taken in the of w. Sprinkle
whose business style the Grand Piano Company Mr.
Sprinkle advertised by of of those familiar puzzles the
solution which is rather less difficult than 2=4
but which, nevertheless reward the intellectual giant who
mastered with check for $3.50 This pncey to apply
purchase of of Mr. Spnnkes pianos Meantime
piano marked sufficiently the amount of the
check Quite simple profitable and satisfactory until the Adver
Using Club pesoned this instance by Mr. Joseph Mann
after Mr. Sprinkle and had him arrested His mathematical
penies unfavorably affected that he convicted and
sentenced eighteen the Atlanta Federal Pentena
but has been admitted bail pending his appeal from this udg
ment
Note Editor Why that these piano takers have