New-York tribune., 1919-06-12
|<Selling'' the Army
By Theodore M. Knappen

"sell" to an equal number of ambitious
youngsters and he just cup and tells them"
what an attractive proposition he has to
offer
Pay, $50 month? Not a bit Of it, The
$50 month is simply free pocket money.
Everything that the civilian needs for life
and has to pay for out of his cash receipts
IS furnished to the soldier by the govern
ment. The $50 is nothing more nor less
than velvet. So say the ads. Army service
in these days is pictured as sort of ex-
allied personally conducted excursion and
Chautauqua combined. Good Pay-Foreign
Servce-Free Education," SAYS one of the
head lines at the optical centre of the page
Want to see the world? Take your choice.
Shall it be on the Rhine in Siberia, in the
Philippines, Panama, Hawaii? You can have
any one of them. You don't go into prison
when you join the army, according to the
advertisements. Not bit of it, You have
regular hours for work and time for play.
There are dances, the movies, the theatre.
baseball, football and those "nice girls"
again in the hours of leave. Even the work
itself is interesting. 1t makes your body
hard as nails, your mind quick and your
will strong. Any way you look at it, the
army is great school for civil life But if
you want to make a career Of it, there's q
commission waiting for you, straight up
from the ranks or via West Point if Won
are the stuff that officers are made of. These
are all true, legitimate data for ADVERTISE
ments and they are being used in this pioneer
campaign.
Placing the Advertisements
Some OF the best newspapers IN the coun-
try are not going to get any of this good
copy, and the Publishers Association has
warned members not to complain or at
tempt to resort to any political pull to get
an order This is straight business promo
sition that the army is trying; and. under
the best expert advice in ADVERTISING and
selling, 1t is putting it out in the most an
proved way Its sales agencies are it's main
recruiting Offices. There are only fortv-siv
cities that have them Your uncle doesn't
purpose to waste his good money advertising
where he has no stores. The advertisino
agents explained to him that that was eood
way to part with his money for nothing and
he believes them. So, if the best ADVERTISING
medium in the United States happens not
~ g ASNi ultllS centre, Chere
VIII be no army space for it at regular "run-
of-the-paper" rates, but with "indicated no.
stion."
Psychology Sergeanss
And the salcsmen-the recruiting SQUADS {?
Ihey are being taught more tricks than
take stock salesman learns in the brokers'
school--only they are fair tricks. They are
taught regular Canvass" and filled full of
answers for possible questions They are
encouraged to look their job as
straight selling undertaking and are stmu-
lated to think of new ideas. original adver-
tsng stunts and new devices for attracting
attention. They are taught to be press
agents and are made post-graduates in the
art OF beguiling reporters and editors Thew
are even introduced to those most ad-
vanced courses in press agency which teach
how to make news They learn how to lure
the local merchants into window DISPLAYS
that boost the game while the advertising
is running in the newspapers, and thew
cover the whole psychology Of advertising
and selling from attracting attention to
arousing interest attaining conviction and
preempting the dotted line.