The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1921-08-04

~ ARENAS Ward, one of the creates
students of the Psychology of pub
licity, once made the following address!
before the merchants of a small town
in New York state:
A country weekly newspaper doing
business of five thousand dollars &
year is worth fifty thousand dollars
to the business and professional mer
Of the community, and can be made
worth one hundred thousand dollars g
year to them. If you don't believe
that statement, try to get along with.
out your paper.
s To talk about supporting" your
newspaper is about as damphoolish as
to talk about supporting a store, a
bank, or a manufacturing enterprise
You wouldn't be much in the world if
you didn't trade in a store, have a
bank account, and have some outlet
for the energy of the citizens.
3D.. Too many business men look upon
the local newspaper as an incubus, a
sort of charity. Yet the local paper
is as much public institution as the
public library, the churches, the hos
pitfalls, or even the commercial club
with the difference that it gives
more direct returns, in dollars and
cents to the individual and to the
community at large.
! When business man advertises in
his local paper, it is with avowed in
tention of building up his business;
but he really also helps to build up
the town and everything in it. The
professional man does more, because
his advertising helps the town more
than it does him-directly. The man,
business or professional, who does
not pay for his share of the towns
publicity, is a parasite, taking advan-
tage of his fellow men.
u. Can't you tell what sort of town
. place is from the looks of its news
paper? If the paper is of the boost
ing sort, and is backed up by the bust
ness and professional men, doesn't the
town get reputation for being pro-
gressive? 4gar
/. The newspapers stock in trade is
publicity. You would not go into a
store and ask the proprietor to give
you pair of shoes, for instance; yet
too often the publisher is asked to give
away his stock in Misunderstanding
for the individual or the city-or sell
It for less than cost. If you could
keep count of the demands of this sort
made on your publisher every week,
you would laugh. . .a.
IL business or professional man
were to. appear before this club and
ask for more business, you would ask
him why he did not sell something
worth buying, and why he did not adj
xertise. @."a@ E#-a'
20 In proportion to the benefits, in
dividual and general, advertising i
one of the cheapest things in TIL
world. There are men who will tell
you they do not believe in advertising.
Do you know why? They are con-
tent to gather up the crumbs that fall
from the table of the progressive mer-
chant who advertises his business and
his town. Every time one of your
stores advertises a sale it brings peo-
pie into this town; their buying in
stinct is aroused, and they visit other
stores The advertiser gets direct
returns, but the others take advan-
tage of his expenditure without
cent Of cost. =. . ~.,ss
a You expect your publisher to boost
your town as one of the best on Gods
green earth. He is asked to do things
for which nobody will father the re-
sponsibility. Every time there is
civic opportunity, you call on him for
help. You know the functions and
value OF your newspaper as we'll as
l do; so why elaborate?
Let me tell you, positively, that even
a mediocre newspaper is a great fac
tor in the growth and advancement of
a community. There is never a time
when advertising will not pay. If you
do not owe a debt of obligation to
your newspaper, you owe it to your
community. The community has a
right to expect your cooperation in
making the newspaper representative
Of your community.
q Every time your name is published
in a list of contributors to some char
ity, that is advertising-free advertis-
ing that the publisher gives cheerful
~, because it boosts the town.
p Every bit of publicity produce s di-
rect and indirect results for the man
who pays for it; it produces results
for every other business and profess
sional man of the town, whether or not
he eyades his responsibilitv- II nro-