Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-04-29
ELLEN YOUNG
DOCTOR OF SALES
by Ruth Leigh
Author OF -rhs Human Id Of Re.
tall selling" 1.-THE A D c Of Retail.
ing" etc.

/ proudly held before her proof OF q cut
representing a man watching ar
automobile race. with speedily run
ning machines whizzing by In tbs
foreground.
] did YOU say that was a shoe ad-
vertisement?" Ellen Young looked
\ puzzled,
Yes. See. the idea is this: My
headline says. The Nobbiest Dressed
Men at the Races are Wearing Our
Saddle Strap Oxfords.'" The youth.
full advertising manager was Wis
IDLY expanding with pride over whai
he considered a brilliant advertise
ment.
Ellen Young began gently. well
wouldn't you say that the cut was .
little far-fetched? l mean. all one
sees are pictures of automobiles
You can't see the shoes this mar IL
wearing. because they are hidden by
the automobile which Is supposed to
be rushing past him. Looks to me
that one might we'll employ this cut
for an advertisement of racing auto
mobiles, or to advertise the races to
amusement seekers, but as an Illus
tration of a shoe advertisement,
question It's value. 1t is simply dis
tracing. that's ALL"
The young advertising manager
began to look crest-fall-n.
You see, Ben, an advertisement
illustration must perform the same
function as a picture in a book. II
must illustrate the text matter. Now
yours doesn't. 1t simply carries away
the readers thought to automobile
races and their fun. They surely
wouldn't think of saddle strap OK
fords, as o want them to-"
sptft thA .goa1iottAa 81 fAn~-B
began Ben doubtfully.
why. there is no association in
this case. The average reader isn't
going to trouble his brain to asso-
ciate automobile races with shoes.
That's the trouble with a great many
advertising illustrations today. They
don't hit the subject. 1 have seer
/ retailers use cuts in their advertis-
Ing Just because. being subscribers
to a cut service. they deemed 1t
economical to use all the cuts that
went with the service. Why. In my
opinion, it is far better to have a
well-written advertisement with no
cut at all than one with a mislead-
ing, unsuitable illustration"
But suppose i wanted to use the
idea of sports oxfords for men. and
to link 1t with some sport, such as
automobile races?"
well. II yon wanted a cut show
ing automobile races, you should
have kept the automobiles decidedly
in the background and have shown
several well-dressed men in differ
ent attitudes, all wearing the shoes
you're trying to sell, right in the
foreground. You must subordinate
everything else in an advertising
illustration to the immediate selling
idea. A pretty girls face in an ad-
vertisement, for example, has no ad-
vertisfng value other than to attract
pleasant attention. II that girls face
isn't, in some sense, linked with the
message that the advertiser ia trying
to convey, he might as we'll have had
no picture there at ALL"
"And the headline? 2" ventured the
young advertising man.
Should be the link between the
illustration and the Copy. 1 should
tell the point of the advertisement
quickly SO that a reader who doesn't
stop to read all the rest of the copy
at least grasps the message convey
ed by the illustration and the cut"
"Um-m. Guess i better not use
this picture" began Ben. drawing
his blue pencil through the cut.
"Um-m. Guess you're right"
mimicked Ellen Young, as they both
riaughed.
The Sales Manager Of the Gotham
Willow Furniture Company shook
his head desperately over some
orders.
Make me sick, some Of these
statesmen of mine. Write their orders
SO carelessly and then wonder why
customers kick about wrong goods"
"
Ellen Young's reply contains some
very practical advice to statesmen
about making out orders. 1t will
pay you to read 1t.
Let Miss Leigh answer your bust
ness questions on buying, selling. ad-
vertising. employment, etc. Ask
your questions clearly and give all
the facts. Questions requiring tech
meal answers will be sent by mail.
Others will be answered in this
column.
Business Questions Answered
Do you think 1t wise to allow a
boy of sixteen and a half to leave
school and go into business? Ny
boy simply refuses to go to school
any longer. He insists that he
wants to earn his living. ! want him
to get a good education. yet he Is
so determined that I know it is
useless to stop him. I would APP
| preciate your advice,
ANXIOUS PARENT
81 understand your ambition for
your boy. yet il he Is determined to
earn his living. you may perhaps be
doing wrong to stand In the way of
his ambitions. The best thing for
you to do is to let him leave high
school II he is so determined and
get a position. Then. sfter1 he Sc
cures that, try to make him see the
~advisability of going TO night school.
or at least Of taking some courses
that will better his education in
fundamentals. Get some successful
business men to urge on him the
desirability of doing this. Don't
ask him to accept your advice alone.
II he is eager to succeed in bust
ness. he will probably heed the ad-
vice of other business men and may
be induced to go to night school. At
any event, 1t Is often notNa good pol
icy to force an ambitious boy to go
to school il he shows decided incli-
nations the other way. and IL he can,
in some way, make up at night the
education he should be having in
the daytime.
Copyright. 1922, by Public Ledger
Company
THE COMMERCIAL PRESS