The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1928-03-23
heCherry
" Where with our
we tell the truth
about many things, sometimes pro-
fOundly, sometimes fiippantl-
sometimes recklessly. !.

Once upon time someone wrote
song about the idea that 81 want
what | want when | want it." There
are great many persons like that.
They go out slam-bang for what they
want when they want it and if they
don't get it something has got to
happen. There has got to be a reason
why
This determination to get what you
want when you want it is called de-
termination, or perseverance, or some
thing energetic like that. 1t is consid-
cred fine trait-it signifies character
and is supposed to go along with a
deep, gruff voice that blares all OBJ
stacles right out of the path
It's all very funny.
In a great many of the wants of life
original personal desire has nothing
to do with the case, although, of
course, in basic or elemental things it
may have a great deal to do with it.
|
Some figures happen to be at hand
that in way illuminate the matter
They are from Editor and Publisher.
In 1927 business firms doing national
advertising spent $225,00O, O,000-two
hundred and twenty-five millions-in
daily newspapers alone. A lot of per-
sons who boasted that they wanted
what they wanted when they wanted
it had their wants created by that ad-
vertising expenditure
Here are more specific figures. -Four
tobacco companies are this year
spending $66,000,000 in promoting the
sales of four brands of cigarettes
Here is how minds are made up. OLD
Gold was brought from practical OBJ.
scurity up to fourth place in point OF
sales within six months. Newspaper
advertising alone did this
A lot of free and independent
Americans are now going around be-
clouded in the fond delusion that they
made up their minds to smoke this
brand of cigarettes. They did moth
ing of the kind. A tobacco company
did that for them. Enough minds
were changed within six months tc
bring the brand up to fourth place in
the scale of best sellers
The average American thinks he's a
very canny person about the kind OF
automobile he buys. He rants anC
raves about his good judgment. Well
26 makers of automobiles and trucks
spent a little more than $26,000,00C
in newspapers alone to make up the
average Americans mind for him be.
fore he bought his particular make OF
Leaping Lena.
1t begins to appear that if the
shouting is loud enough the average
American will fall for anything.
Shoes, ships and sealing waX-all
travel much the same path to popu-
larity or obscurity. Even in the high
er strata there is the same phenome-
non. Two of the best sellers of the
year have been DR.. Will Durant's
Story of Philosophy and Trader Horn
written by Ethrelda Lewis and Trader
Horn, which is not his real name.
These two books are excellent
books. They rate high in everything
that should mark out good book
But their vast popularity is due to
the fact, unquestionably, that they
were published by a firm possessed
of striking advertising ideas.
The population was told that there
were two books to be wanted and the
population straight away proceeded
to want them. Half the population
probably stopped reading half way
through each of these best sellers
Individuality is rapidly becoming a
standardized thing, which means that
individuality is getting to be lot of
hooey, blah and hokum.