New Britain herald., 1928-01-11

|
 llief-churches, labor unions. fra tssnal organizations, political organ ixationa. religious organizations. col leges, social settlements. manufae- turers' associations. shertffs' asso- ciations, firemans' associations. po- lice associations-everythtng in fact capable of organization. with the single exception of m association for Better .Ad' Sw2tters.
 sAs an advertising manager has said each organization has some ex- ceptionally urgent reason why we should advertise In its particular proposition,-every reader or every member . buyer of your product and 50 forth tad infinitum.)
 Churches. clubs, ladies' aid so- cteties, even business mems organiza- tions (who number in their member ship merchants who should fight against tho adoption of such meth- ods) sponsor directly or indirectly their own pet schemes of extracting the merchants, the bankers, the factories dollars from them under the guise of advertising or 'dona- tions.' It is done directly by sending to the merchant, the banker, the factory executive, some member or their organization whom they feel has some particular entry or hold on him a member who for per- sonal or business reasons. they feel will bring home the bacons in the form of an 'ad' or a donation or . contribution or a 'prize' or what ever they are sent out to get from him. The solicitors usual argument is that his organizations members feel duty bound to support those business institutions who back them up in their program or their of ficial publication or their bazaar. or their field day or their this or that Don't you believe it? Ninety nine per cent of the time those members don't even read through their program or publication nor have they any way of knowing, (much less do they care) who do' mated or contributed or fell for their organisations scheme to which they have, through their member ship, become an innocent party Even your own church members. ol : lodge brothers will think none the less of your or your business organ ization if your name does not ap' pear among those who have faller tecause they had not the tspina stamina to say no when approach ed.
 |. "Who gets tho money? Of on thing you may be sure and that | that rarely, If ever does the organ nation soliciting your 'ad' or you contribution get anywhere near 10
 per cent of it. Often times the so 3 llcitor who approaches you is high ly paid on commission basis or h or his employer may have purchase
 the use of the organizations nam
 for | flat sum of money. tho organ
 ization receiving only very nomins 2 amount and the solicitor makes clean up at your expense.
 1 "Then. too, there is the fax
 proposition that must be guarde
 against at all times. Only recent
 we were advised by one of our locs
 business men of an attempt mad ! to collect from him for an 'ad' whic he had never authorized and ft r. which he had never signed. a thought the collector had what I
 claimed was bona fide signed col v tract for the space. It so happene
 that the business man in this cal
 always insists on issuing purcha
 order for all advertising contrac
 and when the collector was aske
 to show the purchase order, state
 he would have to get 1t from h lhome office and would return lat ! with it for his money. Needless
 say he was only too glad to get O
 and that he will not return.
 "On those program or publicatie
 propositions which arc above boar
 and, even though the solicitors a
 not paid for their services. the
 still remains the printer to reckt
 with. We agree he is very necessal
 to the scheme of things and is e 0 titled to every consideration. st - when 1t comes to this question . program advertising. isn't he Il fellow who gets goodly proporti' of your money. rather than the o
 ganization which you thought "
 were helping?
 Every business man consult'
 agrees imm ediately and without al M equivocation whatsoever that t % value of and returns from progra
 advertising are negligible. That b - ing the case, tho merchant doesl . benefit, and we have shown tn n only rarely does the soliciting orga
 ization. which you think you .
 helping. receive anywhere near l
 per cent of the dollar with which y
 pass along. supposedly to them. M Perhaps you think that what y l II give for this kind of advertising -ll a small amount. Observations le
 us to believe that. collectively. wi
 is given in New Britain alone in o ~l year is sufficient to entirely finar
 every activity of the Chamber
 Commerce and with enough !
 over to finance every possible add
 activity with which it might rease
 ably concern itself for the upbui
 ing of the mercantile, industr
 and civic interests of the city. . Article VII section I of the !
 laws of the Chamber Mercan'
 Bureau provide that "No meml T