The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-09-26

Dealers were found to be buyipe
slowly and in small quantities. vet
most OF them were Of the opinion
that business would soon pick IN.
The public also, 1t was disclosed
was exhibiting great reluctance In
buying new tires. apparently be- ,
lieving that If it only waited long
enough prices would come down.
In this connection it was pointed
out that cars had been used more
extensively that year tkan ever be-
fore owing to the mild winter: that
tires we're being patched up to
their last extremity by car owners.
and that even with no effort On
the part of the manufacturers to
revive business. natural wear and
tear would soon make pressing de-
mands on the dealers.
Demand for Tires Seen.
This conclusion was basSd upon
actual figures sent in from Fort
Worth. for instance. stated that
there were only $500 tires of all
kinds in that community. while
10000 cars were registered and in
use at that time. st. Louis re.
ported a total Of 1900 tires
against an estimated requirement
for the spring season of $4,000
In short with this report in hand
the tire manufacturer could cal
culate with pretty fair accuracy
the tire demand, town by town, for
the coming year. Incidentally he
could see that 'well-planned
newspaper advertising compaisn,
advising the public that tire prices
had reached their irredueible min ,
imum, would undoubtedly greatly
accelerate that demand.
In the past Few years the bureau
of advertising has investigated the
markets for all sorts of products
from laundry soaps and linoleums
TO gloves and jams. Although in
some cases the inquiry is made at
the request of a single manufac-
turer, the results . are always
placed on file in the bureaus Of
fees for the benefit of the entire
trade.
The object of the inquiries is not
simply to prove the desirability
of newspaper advertising for the
products Investigated, Rather it
is to give the manufa cturer a COM
prehensive view of market condi-
tions with the idea OF helping him
solve his production and selling
problems. In most cases, it is
true, the facts seem to point to TIE
wisdom of a newspaper advertis-
ing campaign, but to campaign
In which the advertising copy is
scientifically distributed as the
forces of an army are scientifically
distributed, after a survey of the
territory, and according to defi-
mite plan.
With one of the bureaus trade
reports before him, a manufacturer
can take a map of the United
States and mark off the strategic
! points, for advertising much as a
general selects the strategic points
for locating his troops. If he has
discovered how helpful diagrams
are to logic, he may draw circles
around certain areas and mark
them with letters of the alphabet.
! Those marked "a" represent the
most favorable markets, because
of their advantageous location to
1.-THE plant, insuring low cost Of
travelling, freight and express
rates and the like, and because the
| buying habits of the people in
these communities are favorable to
the product.
! f"B" markets are those which are
advantageously situated SO far as
the location of the plant is con-
cerned. but the buying habits OF
the people IN these localities are
not favorable to the product and
the proportionate amount spent
upon sales and advertising runs
away with the profit. sc" markets.,
on the other hand, are not favor
ably situated SO far as the plant
is concerned, but this disadvantage
is Offset by the extra-favorfble
buying habits of the people in the
community. I'D" markets are al
together hopeless, not only be-
cause they are unfavorably To-
Gated. but because they contain
people whose buying habits are
against the ready sale of the pro
duct. The result is that the sales
and advertising effort is virtually
lost on them. s.'
/ Each one Of these markets is a
logical market for some line Of
products. but only some OF the
markets are the best markets for
one line. The wise national news
! paper advertiser knows this and
carefully picks his markets-wita
the help of the bureau of advertls-
ing.