The Nome nugget., 1941-10-10

We hear a lot about merchants these days express ing the opinion that there is point in advertising
 They base this conclusion the fact that with gov eTnmen agencies exercising their priorities for sup plies of various sorts and with shipping tied up del livery of orders is almost impossible there is just thing to advertise
 National manufacturing concerns have the same complaint to lodge. Motor car companies, their produc ton going into tanks planes and other equipment especially insiStant that they have nothing to sell and therefore can't spend money advertising it. In many instances, this is merely complalsant attitude taken by smiling ndustralistS who have abundance of war orders locked in their safes-orders in many cases which 1t will taken them two years to fill.
 For different reason this same attitude extends to the grocer and clothing store owner the jeWeler butcher and liquor dealer who finds himself often these days with empty shelves which not be immediate ly replenshed because of transportation teups gov ernment supplies in transit are given priority over civ ilan needs.
 Certainly if these manufacturers and these mer- chants intend to stay in bushes after the defense boom has played itself out, 1t only common sense that they would wish to keep up their advertising Public figures who have retired into oblivion for few years then tried 10 make comeback testify that this American public is tickle crowd And the same ap- plies to business The business house which fails to keep it's name before the public finds that some enerprsing competitor has seized this period of pub Hclty laXness to steal away many customers.
 Seldom have we seen this question commented up- on more aptly than in a recent statement by B. C. Forbes noted eastern business analyst who called the present tendency to slack off on advertising pinhead philosophy"
 Advertising is a vital necessity now as never be- fore to retain the good will of customers Forbes point ed out. Following is portion of his statement:
 From now on, it is going to be more difficult than ever before for corporations and other busi- nesses, to retain the goodwill of their customers It is relatively easy to give satisfaction when all orders can be promptly filled. But many concerns will not be able in the nearby future to fill custo- mers requirements This means a delicate prob lem, calling for the else of business statesman ship of the highest order
 "Farsighted arrangements realize that they must put forth supreme efforts, all through these temporarily abnormal times to build strong found- atons for the future, that they must leave undone nothing calculated to placate customers whose needs they cannot adequately fill, to keep their company and it's products prominently before the public, to explain all along why, because of their patriotic work for national defense, they have been deprived of the materials and facilities nec- essary for properly filling non-defense demands of even their most cherished peacetme customers.
 The costliest of saving in the long run would be to curtail stop institutional and pro- duct advertising, to dismiss sales1nen and thus cut down calls on customers clamoring for undeliver- able goods.o