The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-04
Advertising Posters Have
More Effect on nliterate
Natives Than Type.
YANKEE TRICKS ENJOYED
Hoax Of Patent Medicine Man
Brings Large Sales
in Peru.
ny r. EUGENE ACKBRMAN.


wore tearing down an ancient building in
Tina. Peru. which had been erected by
ons Of the Governors Immediately sue
seeding Piszaro, news spread through
The city that great treasure safe had
BEEN discovered imbedded under stone
Moor. Now there had long been legend
that one OF the Governors from Spain
hed secreted stolen wealth under his
castle before his recall to Spain and that
the wealth was still hidden away.
Do when the authorities verified the
report that o safe had really been dis
covered they formally took possession of
y and declared II the property of the
state It was a very ancient safe, of
wrought iron. widowed with age. Grunt-
i1lg worilmen, aided by block and tackle
and little Spanish horses, pulled II from
- lair under the earth. and with much
pemp the police authorities opened II
With crowbar. chisel and sledge hammer.
The safe was empty save for a small,
compact, neatly tied package. which was
opened with chagrin and amazement.
modern looking. paper and tied with
very fresh string. Inside the package
Svere q few boxes Of a well known Amer
luRn proprietary medicine and set Of
posters declaring Its marvellous proper
tiss.
Tho throng which had gathered to wit
n,ass the disclosure of age hidden wealth
dreamed with glee, and the dissruntleo
police rushed OF and arrested the agent
COR the American proprietary medicine.
He paid q fine of some 500 with a de-
lighted grin and went out and began to
book orders for his product among the
druggists, He had bought the safe at a
second hand store several days before.
and al night, with the aid OF a few work.
men and a dray, had buried II where he
knew Il would be found.
Good "Ad'' for the Medicine.
the newspapers carried columns about
tho fiasco. and the public. hearing and
reading about II, grew confused. as q
rather superstitious and illiterate pub
10 will. finally coming to half believe
that this medicine had come into the
ancient safe in a miraculous way be-
cause Of its great curative powers. The
medicine Is still selling In great guam
titses In Peru and can be purchased at
the meanest apothecary shop from
north to south of the country.
Thfs stunt" in the United States
would be treated humorously as a rather
ehopworn effort by a press agent, but In
Peru 1t had novelty and to its ordi-
nary appeal of mystery 1t added the
ntrength OF a legend and n superstitious
belief which is strong among the mestizo
population, whose religion is a queer
rnixture of medieval Catholicism and
the remnants OF the sun-worship creed
" Inca days.
II proves, believe, what many adj
pertisers in South America told me, and
that fs fundamentally, advertising in
South America does not differ from ad-
vertising in the United States Appli-
cation and technique are a little differ
ent, but the so-called American style of
advertising finds the greatest response In
South America, as its use by the most
successful advertisers has proved.
During the period I spent in various
parts of the continent endeavoring to
reach every class of person with a mes
sage from the United States Government
rs to its reasons for declaring war on
Germany, decided that newspaper and
periodical advertising affected only a
small percentage Of the people, because It
10 only a small percentage that can read.
The others had to be reached by direct
sales' methods.
This was particularly true of Peru,
Bolivia, Ecuador. Venezuela and Colon
bia. where the percentage OF illiteracy
b not only high. but where transit facii-
tiles are such that all appeals must be
made locally; there IL no medium by
which general national appeal may be
made. So we took leaf from adver-
tisers who were most successful In South
America and we used postal cards, coll
ored prints, buttons. enlarged photo
graphs and biiiboards. We mounted sets
Of stirring photographs on easels, which
We placed at vantage points in far flung
settlements. and we put colored pictures
IN store windows and on store counters
for the people to take home with them
after the fiesta. There IS no doubt that
this direct appeal had an effect where
our newspapers and periodical advertis-
ing could not reach
II Posters Have strong Appeal.
Poster and bin board advertising are
we'll advanced in South America, par
ticularly In those portions where trans
Dortation IL the most modern. In all of
the countries the railroad station and the
plaza arc the two local points where the
entire population gathers at certain
periods OF the day to promenade and to
Eosgip. We have no custom here by
which to make q comparison. In our
smaller cities the people when idle come
J to the depots to see the trains come In
and leave: but in South America the
visit to the station or the promenade
about the plaza Is a social function. And
South American cities-especinlly the
smaller ones-are so barren of recrea-
ton opportunities that none is missed
The people are intensely curious. They
al make leisurely inspections Of tn,
! new posters that are put up at rail.
road stations. particularly II the poster
has some artistic merit or Is done II
bold outlines in striking colorR Thos,
In the audience who do not know how
10 read have the text explained to them
1t II no unusual sight to see little knots
particularly on fiesta days, or on mar
ket days, gathering about the billboards
gravely discussing the posters.
Illustrations should play a large par
IN advertising American goods in South
America. The less text the better tht
advertisement The mass of advertiser
In South America use quantities of tex
and a bad selection of type. They hav,
no particular standard OF style and fol
low no school, unless It may be that they
base their general ideas on the French
pattern, The few big advertisers, how
oyer. who spend hundreds of Thousands
OF dollars year. follow the American
plan; they play on a trade name, con
stantly hammering II at the public from
every angle. Trade names are as yalu
able In South America as they are here
In fact. i have been told by many sue
cessful merchants there that they ar,
more valuable.
cnce the customer has placed his con
ndence In certain commodity he II
loath to accept a substitute. II reouire,
I q certain responsibility to attempt ,
departure IN his habits, which he doe,
mot want to assume And then tho CO..,