The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-05-18
(Official City, State and County
Newspaper)
Foreign Representatives
SMALL, SPENCER, BREWER
Uncorporated
CHICAGO NEW YORK BOSTON
Benefits of Advertising


In the Peoples Forum column OF
this issue of The Tribune, reserved
for the editorials of the people
which is what these letters really are
A Producer gives his views on cur
rent questions and, incidentally
blames the high cost of living on "our
being victims Of constant advertis-
ing"
The Peoples Forum column of The
Tribune belongs to A Producer and
the hundreds of others who write
letters to this newspaper. But, even
though we respect his opinion and
grant hiE, the right to hold it if he
chooses, we also reserve the right to
disagree with it.
Economists everywhere have long
since come to the conclusion that ad-
vertising lowers rather than increases
the cost of any given article. BY
widening the consumption of break
fast food, mouse-traps or what have
you, 1t permits an increase in the
volume OF business. This, in turn,
results in economy of production anc
operation. It is safe to say that
business could not exist in the volume
that We know it. even in these
troubled times, were it not for the
ability of advertising to create wide
market.
Take breakfast food as an illustra-
ton. A Producer mentions it and
it serves as we'll as any other article.
Ex-President Coolidge often eats a
breakfast food which he makes at
home. 1t consists of whole-wheat
grains cooked with steam and Is said
to be both palatable and nutritious.
Also it is very inexpensive.
For so cents or SO a man may buy
himself q bushel of this breakfast
food which will last large family
IA long time.
But, II he grows tired of his home
made cereal, the advertising he has
read has acquainted him with the
merits of many prepared kinds and
he can choose that which suits him
best. The cereal manufacturer knows
that he will not choose one of which
he never has heard-and so he ad-
vertises.
AS to the relative prices of grains
and prepared cereals there is an an
ewer to that. too, even though it has
seemed open to challenge at times.
It is that the cost Of processing and
packaging are much heavier than the
cost of the grain used, so that grain
price fluctuations do not have as
much effect on them as might be
supposed. However. it is significant
that there are many bargains to be
had in prepared cereals now. Prices
have come down.
It would appear, then, that the
main value of advertising is to &C
quaint prospective purchasers with
the merits of a product and with
new products, and to inform them
where these products may be pur-
chased. It also insures the quality
of the goods advertised, for there is
no surer way to kill the sale of poor
article than to advertise it. In the
same manner, purchase of an article
with an established trade name gives
assurance of quality, hence the Oft
repeated warning against tax i n g
'something just as good" for an ad-
Nertised product.
Advertising has, also, another val
ue. It is the stimulation of desire
for new or better things. Persons
reading about new devices, inven-
tions or products are spurred with
q desire to possess them. It is this
characteristic of advertising. prob
ably, which A Producer objects to.
The man eating his home made
cereal may be perfectly content with
It until he reads of another product
which he thinks he may like better
II he tries 1t and does find it an i'm
provement, who can be the loser?