The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-11-28
THE BUYER PROTECTED
"A. BY ADVERTISING

Time was when advertising did not
occupy the place in the world of trade
that it does today. II has not been 80
very many years ago that the people
were suspicious Of advertising. They
were inclined to believe that the mer-
chant was trying to "fool" them with
his advertising, that he exaggerated
the value of the merchandise he adj
vertised and took that method of try
ing to get them to buy goods that he
could not sell by the old established
methods of merchandising.
Those days are gone. The public
now realizes that it is the greatest
beneficiary of advertising.
Advertising has done more in de-
cade to establish certain standards in
merchandising than could have been
accomplished in hundred years by
any other agent. The manufacturer
who a few years ago merely made and
sold clothes now makes and sells the
Blank brand c. clothes. The man who
formerly made hats now makes Blank
hats. And SO it is with everything one
buys today. The manufacturer, ~ y
his advertising, has built up his bust
ness around trade name and if he's
to continue in business he must pro-
tect 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 merhcan-
disc blindly, with the hope that it will
prove to be worth the money. He
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 advertising.
These facts are chiefly responsible
for the generally prevailing idea that
the home merchants do not sell goods
as cheapiy as the mail order house.
They do sell the same quality of goods
that the mail order house sells as
cheaply as the mail order house sells
il. 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 a registered
! trademark sell for the same price the
world over and the manufacturer
guarantee stands back of them wher
they are sold in the smallest village
in the country just the same as wher
they are sold in the stores of the larg'
est cities.
This is what the national advertis
ing of the manufacturers has don'
for the consumers of the country. j
has enabled them to go into then
home stores and buy merchandise
which they know from past experience
or from the reputation and guarants
of the manufacturer will give then
satisfaction. They are not buyinl
blindly and hopefully when they bu,
from the merchants in their hom
towns. They are buying with tn
knowledge that they are getting thei
moneys worth. When they buy ad
vertised brands they are getting dou
BILE protection, that which is affordet
by the responsibility of the retail
merchant and that which is given b.
the reputation and guarantee of tn
manufacturer. When they buy tn
unknown brands of goods that are Of
feIed by the mail order houses the
are getting neither kind of protet
tion.-Flag, Deshler, o.