Year: 1875

Orange Judd tells the following story about advertising in the Tribune. He says: Some twenty years ago, having just succeeded from the editorial chail to the proprietorship of the Anerican | griculturist, I decided to ascertain by trial whether advertising would not dc as well for good thing as for patent medicines and other humbugs. Though having small working capital, I re. solved to do what was then rather large thing, viz. to take forty lines under Especial Notices," all in one ad- vertisement. Being unexpectedly de- layed, I reached the Tribune office at three o'clock in the afternoon, with the advertisement still to write, while an en- gagement in the country required me to take the four o'clock boat from Fulton slip. Securing forty lines space at the head of the first column, I went to the little desk on the southwest side of the office, over which had stood the old clock for many years. I intended to write rapidly variety of matter during thirty minutes, and in the next twenty minutes pick out the strong points, and condense to the forty hnes. Keeping my eye on the clock occasionally, I wrote on "letter-backs" furnished at the desk, and pasted them together until I had four feet or more of copy to con- dense from. turned to the clerk and asked if could have line or two more than forty. "Yes," he said, "you have the first place take all the space you want" Chancing to notice the city hall clock. it pointed to ten minutes of four. The office clock had stopped at twenty minutes past three, unnoticed by me. I attempted to draw the pencil through some portions of the manuscript, and in despair threw the whole at the clerk with an order to insert it, and ran for the boat, to save nine-mile night walk.

 The matter troubled me all night, as an ever-hasty thing, and feared to see the Tribune and the probable bill. Starting before daylight the next morn ing, bought the first copy in the hands of newsboy, and counted 196 lines, costing $24. 50 at that time, when ordin- ary advertisements were eight cents and specials twelve and half cents line Q terrible dose for literary man, new in business, and with small capital. Has tening to the Tribune office paid the bill, and slowly and sadly went down to my second-story office, fully resolved to act more deliberately in the future.

 The result The bold advertisement, conspicuously inserted, attracted the at tention of the multitude coming in on the morning trains. Over one hundred dropped in and subscribed on their way to business others sent in messengers, and others called on their way to noon lunch. At three P. M. had received 226 subscribers from that one advertise ment, and more came next day by mail. I repeated the dose in the Tribune and other papers. This experience taught me that if I wanted to move 8 crowd with big rock, would hurl it at them, and not throw it out in bits of pebble or sand. From that day to this I have never been afraid to advertise largely and boldly-the only limit being the time I could devote to preparing good, truthful advertisements and to selecting good mediums latter work of no little difficulty. My success in business has been abundantly satisfactory to my self and, trust, to my patrons also. My rule has been Find customers by free advertising, and then keep them by sup plying good articles and by fair dealing.