The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-07
NEED ADVERTISING
TO PROMOTE TRADE
U. s. Manufacturers Should
Apply Publicity Methods
to Latin America.
FIGURES ARE FAVORABLE
Good Start Made and Now
There Is Chance to Get
Real Foothold.
ny A. A. PRECIADo,

ny A. A. PRECIAD0,
Director Of United States Government
Committee on Public Information
IN Chile During the War.
Specially toritten for tho South Amert-
con Section Of THE SUN.
The time has arrived when the Amer
advertising in Latin-America-the world
over. for that matter. The same vigor-
GUS. expressive and fact dealing pub
licity and advertising campaign that
has placed American industry "over the
top" at home will surely win out abroad.
The American people are SO far superior
in publicity methods and efficiency to
any other people on earth that It would
be committing a grievous blunder in not
taking advantage of this superiority in
the foreign field.
Advertising is second nature with the
Americans. 1t has helped to put
across American industry at home. It
can help to put across American in
dustry abroad. Its success depends on
the accurate information obtAinable as
to media, which is purely a mechanical
process. Once having obtained this data
the American should be prepared to
make the name of his article q household
word in Latin-America.
We have been told that the United
States is not an exporting nation, and
that It will be long time before 1t as
sumes q substantial footing in the field
~ Ia on
of the stun we make and produce Is
used within the boundaries of our own
country. We are SO engrossed with our
own domestic business that We do not
take the time to witness what our ex-
porters are doing, and investigate what
our ships are carrying out OF the har-
bors and where they are bound for.
Take an hour of to study the extent OF
your countrys export trade. You will
ind that 1t Is tremendous. You will
learn that she is not an exporting ma
ton in the true sense of the word. but
your eyes will open up to the fact that
she must be reckoned with in the for
eign markets.
U. s. Rival OF England.
England is the greatest exporting ma
ton in the world. Yet the following
statistics with respect to what Peruvian
merchants imported will show that the
United States is a powerful rival:
What Peru imported from the United
States: 1912. s5.T63.425; 1918. $500
SIS: 1914. s7.633.716; 1915. S7.232.s17;
1915. s24,sss.5s2.
What Peru imported from England:
1919. ss,s4s.3ss: 1918. sz76s225; 1914,
se.5o5.364; 1915. s3.219.974; 1915. 81
272.042
with the exception Of 1912 the United
States, which Is classified by some Of
US as mot an exporting nation" beat
the record os Great Britain. which de-
Ponds almost wholly on its foreign BUSH
ness for its own existence.
Take Chile for instance The following
table for a period OF fve years shows
how the United States trade compares
with that OF England:
What Chile imported from the United
States: 1912, $16,s06,341: 1918, 500
OS9,15S; 1914, s20,14S.576; 1915, SIS,
63s.455; 1915. s34.45s,956.
What Chile imported from England
1912. $36,616,Sss; 1918. s3s,10s,211 !;
1914. s22.3o9,0s6: 1918. s13,2sS,6o3 {:
1915, s20.049.544.
Both Germany and England did more
business with Chile than the United
States during 1912. 1913 and 1914 Our
volume was naturally larger than that
OF the two competitor countries m 1915
and 1916, owing to war conditions which
favored the American manufacturer II
Is Interesting to note, however. that the
United States. a non-exporting nation
as she is commonly known. makes II
rather interesting for the past masters
in the foreign trade game.
Let us yun over to Argentina to gather
further evidence Of our export activity.
We md the following data:
Argentina imported from the United
States: 1918. s62.032,s53; 1914. $685.
sS!.4ts: 1915. $Ss.15s,so4; 1916. ssa.-
Argentina imported from England :
1918, s1so.sse,5s7: 1914. ss2.474.6s1;
1915. $67.7s1,S67; 1916. 3S1,2s+,sss.
(These figures represent Argentine
pesos.9
England. OF course. led the field IN
1915. however. we led England and in
1917 we sold Argentina 66,9s8.991 pesos
worth OF goods, while England collected
bill OF 4o,264,333 pesos. OF course
trade with Argentina during 1915 and
1917 was unusual, but the fact remains
that We sold goods and this caused con-
siderably anxiety in England.
U. $. Makes Good Showing.
The United States has been doing ar
all around good business with other ma
To-day one will md American mad,
goods on the counters and show window,
of every country in Latin America
American travellers feel at home wher
gazing at familiar trade marks. Along
side our goods one will find articles oil
British. or French. or German or Japa
nese make. The American product Il
more than holding its own. however.
During recent years the Latin Ameri
can has had a splendid opportunity o.
acting the role OF a connoisseur with
the most exacting taste. The American
pudding has survived the acid test, anC
moro lis in demand. It Is up TO Americs
TO furnish II, and along with 1t al
aggressive campaign of publicity and ad
vertising crammed with meaty informa
ton and invulnerable from the point o
cold logic.
Publicity and advertising will brini
about a policy of intensive cultivation
Every inch of marketable territory viii
be exploited. Our goods will be know
from one end OF Latin America to tn
other The situation will not be Xix
that experienced by an American II
Chile recently when he searched nearl.
an hour for an article as we'll known II
the United States as President Wilson
and could not md II. Publicity and ad
vertising should place American-mad
goods In every store in Latin America.
Publicity and advertising must be &c
cepted by American manufacturers a
n potential factor In developing bushes
as IL has done in our own country.
"Rut how are we going to do IL.