Evening star., 1921-01-09
BY WILL r. KENNEDY.

i tue UlSSc ttuSCi tiS'"S P-S
osition of the last century,
has given it the most rigid
of tests, and has found that it pays
big.
For the first time he actually recos-
niZed advertising as a high-powereu
commercial motor when he found MS
surplus war materials were either
lying unbid for on his hands or hao
to be sacrificed at prices that knock
the bottom out of the market for go
ing manufacturing concerns. Through
the power of advertising he has SOLD
more than a billion dollars worth OF
this surplus property at unexpectedly
good prices.
from the shrewd old Yankee traders
has for many years appreciated the
desirability of publicity and basked
in all the free sunshine that newspa-
pers, trade journals and magazines
would give to his various activities.
But the only use he ever made of paid
advertising before the war emer-
Gehcy woke him up was to insert a
few lines in small type calling for
proposals" as the law required. He
had no notion of advertising as the
general run of business men know
advertising.
Proof Of Publicity Value.
The big thing about Uncle Sans
conversion is that it stands as monu-
mental evidence of the practical proht
resulting from judicious advertising.
Uncle Sans business is everybody's
business. and his records are open TO
public inspection and are verified. What
he has done through advertising does
not have TO be taken with grain of
salt-it is a proven and attested record.
When the Secretary of War. after
the signing of the armistice. found
the War Department blockaded with
a great mass of commodities of all
sorts not needed for military pur-
poses and more coming in under con-
tract from plants all over the coun-
try. which had been keyed up to un-
precedented production, he started in
to try to get rid of it. With an Army
officer in charge. whose only idea OF
advertising was the small type no.
tice for proposals." the task seemed
hopeless.
Experts Advice Taken.
Experts in all lines-textiles. ma
chinery. explosives, electrical equip
ment. etc.-were called into the office
of director OF sales. Besides being
experts in their respective lines. these
men were all good, practical business
men. and they knew the value of ad--
vertising. First the office director of
sales essayed to salvage some of the !
war surplus through printed schedules
which were sent to interested parties
who wrote in for them. But the es-
sentia; weakness of this policy was
soon apparent. because there was no
actual demand created for the COM
modities that made up the vast sur
plus.
Finally representatives of advertis- |
ing agencies. publishers. editors of /
trade journals. etc. We're called in for ;
conference. They did not have to sell |
any advertising program to the ex- I.
perts in the Office of the director of |
sales, who were all ready for adver- !
tising-and so scheme of advertising /
was soon worked out They went to I,
the director of sales, and lad to sell" j
him advertising. just as they would /,
a new kind of engine 1t was sold to !.
l.
ii. and pay for it out of the extra |
money it earns for you. i
That's how Uncle Sam came to make |
such d notable test of the power of !
advertising. All advertisements have
been paid for out Of the money re-
ceived from sales brought about by
the advertisements. There the pub
fishers performed a notable patriotic
service by waiting for their money
at a time when most of them could
get cash in advance for all the space
they had.
Conservative Undertaking.
AS a matter of fact, the government
has gone into advertising very con-
seryatfvely. The sales promotion sec
tion Of the office of director of sales.
War Department. really spends only
one-half of per cent of the appraised
value OF the property in advertising it
for sale. where most commercial con-
Germs estimate from 2 to 5 per cent.
The one big advantage that the Of
fee of director OF sales had over COM
merciai concerns in the utilization of
advertising was that it did not have
to make a name first The United
States government was behind the ad-
vertising campaign. SO that while in
commercial advertising the company
has to be sold" first to the public
and then the commodity that the COM
pany produces, In Uncle Sans case
all that had to be sold were the
commodities-the surplus property.
Before the advertising section was
organized the chief of the surplus
property division was selling goods
during a time when there was big
demand for everything. Practically
all machinery had been turned upon
government contracts. and the civilian
supply cut off. And yet the chief re-
ported that the sales made through
,L~ h,,Y1atiu SySfep, then e,nptovad