Baxter Springs news., 1919-05-23
manufacturer Must Maintain
Quality Of Goods Bearing
Hls Name.
HIS REPUTGTON At STAKE
Man Who Buys Standard Brands
From Local Msrohants KnowS
That He 10 osttlnu Full
Value for Hls Money.


(copyright 1917. Western Newspaper Union)
Time was when advertising did NOT
occupy the place In the world Of trade
that It does today. It has not been
30 very many years ago that the peo'
pie were suspicious Of advertising.
They were inclined to believe that the
merchant was trying to fool" them
with his advertising, that he exag.
gerated the value Of the merchandise
he advertised and took that method
Of trying to get them to buy goods
that he could not sell by the old estab-
hshed methods Of merchandising.
Those days are gone. The public
now realizes that It Is the greatest
beneficiary Of advertising.
Advertising has done more In a de-
cade to establish certain standards In
merchandise than could have been &C
complished in hundred years by any
other agency. The manufacturer who
q few years ago merely made and sold
clothes now makes and sells the Blank
brand Of clothes. The man who for
merly just made hats now makes
Blanks hats. And so It Is with every
thing that one buys today. The manu-
facturer, by his advertising, has built
up his business around q trade name
and II he Is to continue In business
he must protect that trade name By
maintaining such high standard Of
quality that people. when they buy his
products will know just what they are
getting. The consumer, when he goes
into store today, does not buy mer,
chandise blindly, with the HOPE that
It win prove to be worth the money.
BE buys standard goods that bear the
trademark Of the manufacturer and
that are backed by the reputation not
only Of the merchant who sells them
but the manufacturer who makes them.
This has been brought about by ad.
vertising.
No Reputation 70 Protect
An this applies to the retail mer-
chants as q class but 1t does not ap-
ply to the mail order business. The
man or woman who buys goods from
q catalogue house Is not protected BY
the manufacturer Of the goods for the
reason that most manufacturers who
sell goods to the mail order houses
do not place their names upon the
goods and therefore have no reputa-
ton to protect.
The great majority Of articles listed
and illustrated In the mail order cata-
lognes are included In what is known
among manufacturers as stencil"
stuff. These articles bear the name Of
the mail order house which sells them
instead Of that Of the manufacturer
who makes them. 1t can readily be
understood that any manufacturing
concern which turns out goods that
do not bear Its name or trademark is
likely to be very unreliable institu- |
tiOn. 1t Is not building up any repu.
tation on the quality Of its goods for
its products have nothing to distin.
guish them from the products Of any
other concern. With no reputation to
sustain and no chance Of creating 0
general demand for its goods the only
concern Of q manufacturing institu-
tion Of this kind Is to make stun as
cheaply as possible in order to obtain
the largest possible profit on its prod.
ucts. i,
Same Price World Over.
These facts are chiefly. responsible
for the generally prevailing idea that
the home merchants do not sell goods
as cheaply as the mail order house.
They do sell the same quality Of goods
that the mail order house sells 90
cheaply as the mail. order house sells
It but they cannot sell the standard, |
guaranteed products Of responsible
manufacturers at the same price at
which the mail order house sells its
nameless, unbranded merchandise.
Standard goods bearing q registered
trademark sell for the same price the
world over ana the manufacturers
guarantee stands back Of them when
they are sold IN the smallest village
In the country Just the same a. when
they are sold In the stores Of the larg.
est cities.
This ia what the national advertis-
Ing Of the manufacturers has done
Tor the consumers of the country. Il
has enabled them to 90 into their home
stores and buy merchandise which they
kn0w from past experience or from
the reputation and guarantee Of the
win give them .satisfac-
don. They are not buying blindly /,
ind hopefully when they buy from the
IN their home towns. They
ire buying with the knowledge that
hey are getting their moneys worth.
When thhy buy advertised brands they :
ire getting double protection. that
which Is afforded BY the responsibility
4 the retail merchant and that which
3 Owen By the reputation and guar -
Intee Of the manufactures. When they