The Coconino sun., 1926-10-29
BUYER PROTECTED
BY ADVERTISING

Time was when advertising did not
occupy the place in the world of trade
that 1t does today. 1t has not been
so very many years ago that the peo-
pie were suspicious Of advertising.
They were inclined to believe that
the merchant was trying to "fooP'
them with his advertising, that he
exaggerated the values Of the merch-
andise he advertised and took that
method Of trying to get them 10 buy
goods that he could not sell by the
old established methods OF merchan-
dising.
Those days are gone. The public
now realizes that it is the greatest
beneficiary of advertising.
Advertising has done more in q de-
cade to establish certain standards in
merchandise than could have been
accomplished in hundred years by
any other agency. The manufactu-
Eer who a few years ago merely made
and sold clothes now makes and sells
Blank brand Of clothes. The man
who formerly just made hats now
makes Blanks hats. And so it is with
everything that one buys today. The
manufacturer, by his advertising, has
built up his business around a trade
name and if ne is to continue in BUSH
ness he must protect that trade name
by maintaining such a high standard
of quality that people, when they
buy his products will know just what
they are getting. The consumer, when
he goas into store today, does not
buy merchandise blindly, with the
HOPE that it will prove to be worth
the money. He buys standard goods
that bear the trademark Of the man
ufacturer who makes them This has
been brought about by advertising.
All this applies to the retail mer-
chants as class but it does not ap-
ply to the mail order business. The
man or woman who buys goods from
catalogue house is not protected by
the manufacturer OF the goods for
the reason that most manufacturers
who sell goods to the mail order
houses do not place. their names upon
the goods and therefore have no rep
utation to protect.
The great majority Of articles list
ed and Illustrated in the mail order
catalogues are included in what is
known among manufacturers as
stencil stuff. These articles bear
the name Of the mail order house
which sells them instead of that of
the manufacturer who makes them.
1t can readily be understood that any
manufacturing concern which turns
out goods that do not bear its name
or trademark is likely to be very
unreliable institution 1t is not build
ing up any reputation on the quality
of it's goods for its products have
nothing to distinguish them from the
! products of any other concern. With
no reputation to sustain and no
chance of creating 9. general demand
for its goods the only concern Of a
manufacturing institution Of this kind
| is to make stuff as cheaply as pos
sible in order to obtain the largest
possible profit on its products.
These facts are chiefly responsible
for the generally prevailing idea that
the home merchants do not sell goods
as cheaply as the mail order house.
They do sell the same quality OF goods
Ia that the mail order house sells as
cheaply as the mail order house sells
| it but thev cannot sell the standard,
guaranteed products of responsible
manufacturers at the same price at
which the mail order house sells it's
nameless, unbranded merchandise.
Standard goods bearing a registered
trademark sell for the same price
the world over and the manufactur-
cr's guarantee stands back Of them
when they are sold in the smallest
Village in the country just the same
as when they are sold in the stores OF
1 the largest cities.
/ This is what the national advertis-
! ing of.the manufacturers has done
! for the consumers of the country It
1 has enabled them to go into their
home stores and buy merchandise
which they know from past expert
ences~ or from the reputation and
guarantee of the manufacturer will
give them satisfaction. They are not
buying blindly and hopefully when
they buy from the, merchants in their
home towns. They are buying with
the knowledge that they are getting
their moneys worth When they buy
advertised brands they are getting