Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-02

washington, ~. u, sept. ZS.-AQ-
vertising as a force is not new. It
is very old, as old as the race itself,
but advertising methods are constantly
changing as improvements are dis
covered and introduced. Applied ad-
vertising is the latest method to be
adopted by progressive business men.
After years of wasteful, misdirected
J efforts, they have learned to apply
their advertising to selected markets
instead of scattering it e~xtravagantly
broadcast.
They are aware that the buying
habits of the people in various sec
tons of the country differ widely, be-
cause of well known differences IN
local conditions. They know that in
many cases climate has an important
influence upon the sale of a product.
So they study their markets first.
If a man is the maker of electrical
appliances, he must consider the fact
that in one section of the country 10
per cent of the population live in cleo
trically wired homes, while in another
only "a per cent enjoy this advan-
tage. He must also bear in mind that
many communities are supplied with
electric current only during the night
time. If he is a manufacturer of auto
mobiles or automobile appliances he
must know the per capita distribution
of cars, which is as high as one for
every II persons in one section and
as low as one for every 81 persons in
another.
The manufacturer of a luxury must
select his markets with the aid of fig
ures showing income tax returns, bank
clearings. wages, rents and other sta
tistics of earning and spending power.
On the other hand, the maker of a
laundry soap or appliance will be
chiefly interested in the character of
a community's water supply. One
such soap maker, for instance, has
popularized his product in Jacksonville,
Florida, where the water is extremely
hard, by advertising The Only Soap
That Will Lather in Jacksonville
Water
The expert business man of today
will not consider placing an advertising
contract until he has made a preliml-
nary investigation of market condI-
tions showing him his opportunities.
section by section, for selling people
the kind Of goods they want and can
use, and giving him an idea OF the
amount of business he can expect.
Then when he has been able TO esti-
mate his probable profit. he sets aside
u certain percentage for advertising
costs. In other words, he distributes
his advertising ACCORDING 10 d Duusce
plan.
Reduced to a Science
Contrast this method with all the
others tina have one before It, and
YOU perceive that advertising at last
appears to have been reduced TO an
exact science. Originally, advertising
was defined as the art OF making
known: later. it became the art OF
making known to the largest number
of people, and today it has become the
combined art and science of making
known to the largest number OF Sc
lected people.
The first form of advertising de-
veloped by the race was probably
gossip. The early cave men doubtless
! depended largely upon their wives to
advertise their proves and posses
sions. Women, because of their nat
ural loquacity, inquisitiveness and
practically, it is thought, did the adj
yertising for their tribes. The tribal
artists were also advertisers, as they
made known in picture form the GUS
toms. pursuits and possessions OF their
clans.
Later on when the art of lettering
was developed, the poster advertise
ment was introduced. The Greeks and
Romans were especially fond OF tins
form of publicity, and the thorough
fares of some of their citleS-notably
! Pompeii and Herculaneum-were lined
with picturesque hoardings announcing
plays and gladiatorial shows; descrlb-
| ing the joys of the fresh and salt baths,
and informing the public OF real es-
tate sales, of articles lost and found,
OF the disappearance of runaway
! slaves and Of ~absconding debtors, and
of the latest police regulations.
Tho nuhlIc prlpr also haIu u DOSi-
ton of great importance and dignity
in ancient days. He was a parsonage
who made his rounds in state accom-
panied by a musician. and delivered his
announcements with flowery eloquence.
Through the Middle Ages the office of
| public crier was likewise held IN high
J esteem, but as commerce expanded the
position deteriorated until eventually
hawkers and employed apprentices
! took over the greatest part OF his
work, making their announcements
directly TO the public.
Press Advertising NoiseIess
In this connection it is interesting
to note that the average city of
medieval times was not the quiet haven
romance has painted it, but was quite
as noisy as any modern metropolis.
Compared TO the incessant, raucous
| clamor of the street hawkers and APP
prentices of those days, indeed, the
rear of our twentieth century street
traffic is probably mild. Press adver-
Using has greatly mitigated the noise
of our modern cities. Back in the
eighteenth century people lived in a
perpetual babel Of advertising.
The birth of press advertising dates
from 1477. when William CaXton in
PRODUCED his printing press into Eng
land. He started out by printing ad-
vertising posters and pasting them on
the walls Of taverns, town halls and
churches, where they created a tre-
mendous sensation. Printed pamph-
let's and sheets were the next step
until the civil war between Charles !
and Cromwell, when the need for news
concerning the combatants Of both
sides became so acute that weekly
journals came into existence as Il mat
ter of course. 1t is recorded that II
Nathaniel Butter was the first editor
to accept a trade announcement,
thereby %inventing one of the greatest
sources of revenue ever known.
The Importance Of Mr.. Buffers
example was not lost upon his col
leagues, and the acceptance of trade
announcements soon became a general