The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1918-02-14
ADVERTISE IS
THE SHIBBOLETH
Mail Order Houses Could Not Exist
Without Advertising-They are a
Menace to the Very Life of the Re-
tail Trade of the State.
THE SOLUTION IS VERY SIMPLE
Advertise in Your Local Paper
Change Your Advertisement Often
and Make it Say Something Which
Will Appeal to Purchasers.

The North Dakota Retail Merchants
Association, Of which F. P. Mann, of
Devils Lake, one of the leading mer-
chants Of the state, is president, is
waging relentless campaign against
mail order house buying and to that
end is asking the cooperation and as
sistance of the retail merchants of
North Dakota. This association has
at last awakened to the necessity of
combating the mail order buying
evil, which is annually making serious
inroads in their business, and with
this awakening has come the discov-
cry Of the proper remedy-judicious
advertising. The following is both
ii the nature of warning and an ap-
peal which under date of the 5th inst,
the association issued to the mer-
chants affected: "
"Do you know that the Retail Mer-
chants association is conducting a
real live campaign against Mail Or
der House buying and that we want
your help and cooperation as we'll as
your financial assistance? We are.
Mail your check today to the secre-
tary. ,
Do you know that the menace to
the retail trade of this state is the
Mail Order Houses? The Mail Order
Houses could not exist without ad-
vertising.
Read that again.
! The Mail Order Houses could not
exist without advertising.
They are advertising right in your
community, through the city news
papers, the periodicals and magazines,
not to mention their expensively pre-
pared catalogues.
What are you doing to offset this
menace to the very life of the retail
trade Of this state? 1t
Are you advertising in your local
newspaper, and if so are you giving
Il your best attention?
Your advertising is one of the most
important essentials Of your business.
Do not let your ad run week after
week without changing. Change it
every time the paper is issued. Make
it say something which will appeal to
the buyer. If you are selling soap at
ten cents a bar tell the people what
kind Of soap it is, that it is good soap
for the money.
The merchant who does not conduct
systematic advertising campaign
the year round is losing money.
Many merchants do not know that.
They look upon the local newspaper
as a sort Of object of charity, and
when they do spend money for ad-
vertising they feel it is money vast
ed and they are doing it to "help
along" the newspaper.
It is fact that Mail Order Houses
do the most business in those COM
munities where local merchants are
dead to the value Of advertising.
If the Mail Order menace is to be
successfully met it is necessary for
the merchants to advertise.
There are many articles local mer-
chants sell cheaper than do Mail Or
der houses. Play up these articles
strong. Keep at it, and you will soon
convince the buyer that he can do as
well or better by trading at home.
Advertise everything you carry
not all in one ad-but few articles
each week or day. You are thus keep
ing yourself in the minds Of buyers,
and they gradually become convinced
there is scarcely anything they need
that they cannot get in your store.
Make Your advertising of vital i'm
portance ito your business-it is of
vital Importance.
Use your influence to prevent the
repeal of the new zone second-class
postage law which goes into effect in
June and which will have tendency
to shut out Of your community the
great deluge of Mail Order advertis-
ing which is pouring into the homes
Of your community thru cheap maga-
zines and periodicals.
tt is my candid belief that the mer-
chants can destroy the Mail Order
business through iudicious apd sys-
tematic, advertising. Every mer-
chant in town should join in the move
ment. DO not leave it to one or two
men to do the work alone.
+ In some communities there is live
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