Evening star., 1932-01-26
ADVERTISING HELD
AID TO INDUSTRY
Federation Head Urges Busl-
ness Men to Tell Mes
sage to Public.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
SYRACUSE, January 26.-Company
after company turned the hard times OF
1891 into outstanding profits, using ad-
vertising as their tool, Gilbert T.
Hodges of New York, president OF the
Advertising Federation of America,
member Of the executive board of the
New York Sun, asserted at dinner last
night for the Advertising Managers
Bureau of the State Publishers ASso-
ciation and Advertising Club Of Syra-
cuse.
The dinner followed business ses-
sion at which advertising experts ana
lived current trends. Charles w. Mears
Of Cleveland, an advertising merchan-
dising counselor, conducted clinic and
discussed How Newspaper Advertising
Can Be Made More Effective Through
Merchandising"
Stresses Duty Of Newspapers.
Jerome d. Barnum, publisher OF the
Post-Standard of Syracuse, emphasized
the duty Of the newspaper in the pres
ent business cycle IN presenting con-
structive, informative reports Of current
conditions and activities.
The news columns today, Mr.. Bar
mum declared, are intensely interesting
dtiu HWY dpEColhlS " taiN lNdNSl OAioii
at any other time since the World War.
T. A. Hirschmann, director of pub
licity for Lord & Taylor of New York
said in his address:
II am more firmly convinced today
than ever that the newspaper is the
most direct, most economical medium
for the selling of merchandise by the
retailer. And this is not mere guess
work It is the result of experience in
the expenditure OF millions of dollars
for publicity. How much the news
papers themselves have contributed to-
ward the general good will of depart
ment stores is another matter.
MY suggestion, gentlemen, is for you
to spend little of the time you waste
drafting charts Of your circulation in
Upper Goofus Town and your suburban
circulation and all those beautiful pies
Of red and blue and green and yellow
you insist on dedicating to our waste
baskets and make a visit to the whole
salers. Explain to them how
easy it is for them to slice lump or
two from that huge appropriation for
magazine advertising, that
huge appropriation for radio crooners,
and show how they can make use Of
that money to work through the re-
taller, who is close to their market,
closer than they can ever come. Show
them how they can use the daily paper
the greatest advertising medium of
all time-to drum up real and immedi-
ate and lasting interest in their prod
uct"
Barclay Newell of the J. N. Adams
Co. of Buffalo and other advertising ex-
perts also made addresses.
Advertising Turned Trade Tide.
Mr. Hodges in his dinner speech
called on business men to follow the
innumerable examples he offered, and
by renewed energies turn 1882 into a
successful year. Citing instance after
instance of courageous and aggressive
merchandising which turned the tide
for individual companies, he pointed to
advertising as their outstanding weapon
in the battle Mr. Hodges has been
identified with organized advertising
since 1912, when he was president Of
the Agate Club of Chicago. He was a
director of the Advertising Club of
Chicago and formerly was president and
a director of the Advertising Club Of
New York.
Refusing to assume "the somewhat
frayed robes Of prophet" Mr. Hodges,
none the less, pointed last night to a
number of helpful possibilities" on the
world horizon, predicting that health
ier financial days may come back sooner
than now seems possible" one OF the
most hopeful signs he sees Is the long
postponement of purchases which now
should begin to force new buying.