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The Columbia University Libraries reserve the right to refuse to accept a copying order If, in Its judgement, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of the copyright law. Author: Hall, Samuel Roland Title: Writing an advertisement Place: Boston Date: 1915 '.«*>W»i.'«^-^-v«(r«»»-!* ■•< MASTER NEGATIVE # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES PRESERVATION DIVISION BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED - EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD 253 H147 I W I ■ • *.'r»li, ^'"'"''fff^ m Hall, Samuel Roland, 1876- Writing an advertisement ; an analysis of the methods and the mental processes that play a part in the writing of successful advertising, by S. Koland Hall. Boston and New York, Houghton Mifflin company, 1915. V, il) p., 1 1., 216, i2i p. illus., plates. 19i cm I$1.00 3 1. Advertising. Library of Congress Copyright A 406069 n HF5825.H3 is20i3j 15—12114 RESTRICTIONS ON USE: TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: vs Hth. REDUCTION RATIO: l2x IMAGE PLACEMENT: lA (H^ IB IIB DATE FILMED: l\g>h4- INITIALS vJvJ TRACKING # : AJS// OI1^)f FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES. BETHLEHEM, PA. BIBUOGRAPHIC IRREGULARITIES MAIN ENTRY: Hall. Samuel Roland Writing an advertisement Biblioaraphic Irregularities in the Original Document; 1st all volumes and pages affected; Include name of institution If filming borrowed text. Page(s) missing/not available: .Volume(s) missing/not available: .Illegible and/or damaged page(s): .Page(s) or volume(s) misnumbered:. 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ROLAND HALL SCHOOL EDITION WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY OSCAR C. GALLAGHER HEAD MASTER, WEST ROXBURY HIGH SCHOOL, BOSTON BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY STUDYING THE ARTICLE no difficulty in building a series of interesting advertisements that sold every pound of the butter at a good price. An ice-cream manufacturer, who for years had contented himself with a "standing card" in the local newspaper, — which standing card, like the standing army that Kipling wrote about, "just stood," — employed a trained ad-writer to get up some copy. This ice-cream maker had said in his standing card that his ice- cream was " rich and pure." This statement was concise enough to please the worshipers of brevity, but, unfortimately, the claim for richness and purity was stated in such a hack- neyed way, havmg been said in perhaps just those words by thousands of different adver- tisers, that it made little or no impression on the reading public. The ad-writer began to dig. He was not long in finding out that this maker's ice-cream was, by several per cent, richer in butter-fat than any other ice-cream made m that city. He imearthed the fact that this ice-cream man made tutti-frutti and hick- ory-nut flavors, but never gave any publicity II j^i I WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT to these thmgs, thinking that housekeepers knew them. They did n't. It was compara- tively easy for this man with a "nose for news" to get ice-cream items that made in- teresting reading. He wrote a " Sunday-Din- ner-Dessert-Suggestion" advertisement and others that were equally interesting. There is a great deal in common between the work of a good newspaper reporter and a good advertising man. Each delves into his subject with a view to finding what there is in it that will be of interest to the public. Each makes himself a human interrogation-point and finds that natural questions, why this? why that? asked from the reader's or customer's point of view, afford the quickest and surest way of bringing the essential information to light. Neither ordinarily uses all of the facts found, for some of the facts are likely to be un- interesting or of secondary value. The import- ant thing is first to get the facts. Then the writer must use judgment in deciding what part of the material will really interest the public and make a favorable impression for the goods 12 The unit record desk, shown above, is a concrete example of the Library Bureau Idea. The first desk of this kind was made for a bond house. Their problem was to put several thou- sand cards in shape to be handled by one clerk. The obvious thing was to sell them a flat-top desk and four or five card cabinets. That is the very thing we did not do. We devised the unit record desk —a comb'ination of a card file and a desk. We improved it and altered it so that it can be used as a ledger desk as well as for hous- ing customers lists, credit infor- mation, sales records, price quotations, etc. Then we standardized it and now carry it regularly in stock. You see, dont you, what the Library Bureau Idea is— ORIGI- NATE! IMPROVE! ADAPT! STANDARDIZE! Library Bureau MuuifactutloK dittribuion of Card and filing systems. Unit cabinets in wood and steel. 316 Broadway, New York One of an attention-compelling series of newspaper advertisements Originally two columns wide STUDYING THE ARTICLE or service to be advertised. I have written con- siderable advertismg about Portland Cement, but have never undertaken to tell the general public the chemical constituents of Portland Cement. In the case of cement such informa- tion is not the feature that interests the public. In advertising certain other goods it is advis- able to give some information as to the con- stituents. It all depends on the article. Sometimes it is more essential to study the uses or the service of the goods than the goods themselves. Take an adding-machine, as an example. It would be of little value to the advertising man to have a thorough imder- standing of the mechanics of the machine un- less the machine possessed some very distinc- tive feature that could be "played up." In this case, the service rendered by the machine should be the principal field of investigation. A keen advertising man, studying a shovel manufacturer's selling problem, hit upon the idea of having the manufacturer feature a shovel that would hold just the load that an "efficiency engineer" had recently figured out 13 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT would enable a laborer to do the most work. That idea, strongly advertised, lifted that shovel manufacturer's product out of the rut. Not long ago the advertisers of Trinidad Asphalt brought out the point that asphalt could be made that seemed chemically exactly like the South American product, but went on to argue that the Trinidad material had baked for years under the broiling sun of the tropics. Here was a vital fact that appealed to the in- terest and reason of the readers. So, then, the study of the article goes con- siderably further than the article itself. It comprehends the study of the materials of which the article is made, the process of manu- facturing, the history and development of the business. Somewhere along this route of re- search may lay untouched the vital fact upon which a successful advertising campaign may be based. Probably the safety device of the Iver Johnson revolver was a part of the fire- arm long before some mind was keen enough to recognize in it a feature that possessed won- derful advertising possibilities. 14 STUDYING THE ARTICLE A New York advertising agency, on getting a contract for a large amount of tobacco ad- vertising, as the first step sent a trained inves- tigator and writer to Cuba to study Cuban tobacco at first hand. What has already been said about the study of the article makes it obvious that it is diffi- cult to do successful advertising for a business or a commodity that possesses no distinctive features. This is a fact that is too seldom rec- ognized. Many concerns producing ordinary products or running very ordinary stores seem to imagine that advertising is a magic art that in some mysterious way or another can be made to bring them extra business. Advertis- ing is only the search-light of publicity. It can throw into public view only that which exists. This statement must be immediately qualified by the explanation that it is possible, with false advertising, to temporarily give the pub- lic an incorrect picture of a business. But im- less such an advertiser is far away from his customers or does business only with a scatter- ing few, the false picture that he draws of his 15 m il ^'^ WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT goods or service will in due time be detected and become ineffective. He who hopes to real- ize a handsome investment on advertising should seek to make his goods or his business distinctive in someway — if not in big things, then in little. If this is impossible, he has nothing left to do but to seek what we call "general publicity" — that is, keep his name or the name of his goods before the public con- tinually. It is a generally acknowledged prin- ciple that unless we have some decided prefer- ence for one article over another, we will take the one that seems most familiar to us. Even general publicity advertising makes things familiar to us. Though we have never actu- ally seen or handled certain goods, if the name has been hammered on our memories for a long time, it seems familiar and is likely to be preferred. There are a number of articles for which only general publicity advertising seems possible. Take a five-cent cigar or ordinary laundry soap, as an example. The frank truth about the material of these commodities would be of no interest to the public; indeed, it might i6 STUDYING THE ARTICLE make out a good case against the purchase of goods. So recourse is had to mere "name- advertising" or to some catchy slogan or pic- ture. Sometimes a name itself may possess considerable advertising value — the name of "Sunny Monday" Soap, for example. In the words "Simny Monday" is a suggestion that the soap is one that helps along wash-day, that brightens "blue Monday." General publicity advertising is, however, costly. It gives the public no definite reason for preferring a certain article. It succeeds, if it does succeed, by constant hammering, by sledge-hammer blows, by suggestion or infer- ence. The more the ad-writer can dig up in the way of interesting information about the goods and the more plausible reasons he can create for the purchase of them, the easier becomes the solving of the advertiser's problem and the less will be the investment required. Consequently, the ad-writer could do no more important preliminary work than to study exhaustively the article, its origin and manufacture, and its uses or service. }ii| Ill i 1 lit ff. INSIDE AND OUTSIDE POINTS OF VIEW There has been much discussion in the advertising world as to whether the man with an outside point of view is not better fitted to write an advertisement than the man with an inside point of view. It is argued that the man who has lived with a business a long time gets too close to it and becomes unable to look at it as the outside man — the prospective purchaser — would. It is said that the inside man often takes it for granted that the prospective pur- chaser will understand certain things, they being so familiar to those in the advertiser's business, and so does not bother to make these clear in the advertisements he writes. In other words, the argument against the in- side writer is that he loses the perspective, gets so tied up with inside knowledge of his busi- ness that it is impossible for him to get away i8 POINTS OF VIEW from his personal point of view and look at the subject with fresh eyes. The inside man, on the other hand, is likely to argue that the outside man, unless he hap- pens to be a user of the article to be advertised, or is well acquainted with those who use it, knows too little about the article or business to advertise it properly; that he will take facts of little importance and make them out to be facts of great importance; that he will argue in such a way as to appear ridiculous to experienced users of such products as the one to be advertised. To advertise such an article as the cash register, a piano, a brand of cloth- ing, says the inside advocate, a man ought to know a great deal about the cash register, the piano or the clothing business — about the people that buy such goods and how they buy them, the competition, etc. Example after example could be introduced to prove that both sides in this argument are right. The truth, as is usual in arguments, lies between the two extremes. No man can know too much about a business that he is to 19 if WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT advertise, provided he maintains the right point of view — looks at the business through the eyes of a prospective purchaser. This is by no means easy, but some of the greatest advertisers of the world are those who have "eaten and slept" with their businesses, as it were, and know more about them than any outsider. The most skillful advertiser will make use of both inside and outside points of view, but will be careful always to judge his finished advertisement from the point of "How will this strike and affect Mr. Prospective Customer?" — not "How well does it strike me, the advertising manager of the company, or how will it strike Mr. Blank, the president ? " It is probably within the truth to say that most of the best national advertising of to-day represents the work of the "outside writer** to a greater or less extent. Some years ago a number of leading adver- tising men were asked how they got their ideas for advertisements, how they worked them up, etc. The replies were interesting. Some declared that often the right thought would 20 POINTS OF VIEW come while they were on the train coming to, or going home from, work. One man insists that some of his best ideas come during the morning shave, while an art director who conceived a particularly happy idea says he captured it while in the bathtub! A number gleaned good copy ideas from situations they saw in their talk or dealings with their sales- men or with retail merchants. Letters from users of the product were productive of good ideas. Close study of the consumer's use or need of the article yielded its quota of effec- tive appeals. Some of the most striking Yaw- man Erbe office-equipment advertisements have shown typical office scenes — a vexed office manager saying, "I want that letter right now," followed by argument for the Y. & E. system of letter-filing; a manufacturer exasperated at finding the carbon copy of his price-quotation hopelessly blurred, followed by argument for the roller-copier method of copying letters as against the carbon method. A writer of advertisements for a washing- machine seemed imable to produce appeals 21 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT II that would bring the proper response. One day he tried to put himself in the place of a typical buyer. No sooner had he done so than he concluded that he would have to try a washing-machine before he would buy. So came into being the well-known "30-Days- Free-Trial" appeal of the washer. The advertisers of Pompeian Massage Cream had a large art calendar that they expected to distribute to their customers. There was an argument as to whether many of the readers of the magazine would want such a calendar. So an advertisement was prepared that put this question frankly before readers. It pulled tmusually well. Another concern tried a simi- lar appeal with poor results 1 Some men are noted for the quickness with which copy ideas come to them after they con- centrate on a subject. With others the copy- idea mill grinds more slowly, and their best ideas are likely to come only after extended study, after "sleeping and eating" with the business, so to speak. Temperament evi- dently plays its part. I IV THE PEOPLE It is not enough to know the goods or the service that the advertiser is to offer for sale, important as that knowledge is. Advertising, so far as the commercial world is concerned, is a form of selling, and selling is a transaction that comprehends, not only the man who has something to sell and the thing that he has to sell, but the people to whom he hopes to sell. The prospective customer is the most impor- tant factor in the game. The goods or service to be advertised may be of great value, but, commercially speaking, their value amounts to nothing unless the prospective purchaser can be made to see the value. Value depends on the state of mind of the prospective pur- chaser. The mission of advertising is to de- velop states of mind. Advertismg will always be a work of end- less variety and will never be reduced to an 23 :^ WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT exact science, just because of this "prospec- tive-customer" factor. Human nature is the most wonderful thmg in the world. You, the reader, are just one human being, and you do not even know yourself perfectly. You cannot accurately forecast just what your impressions and actions will be under some circumstances. It is true, however, that there are certain men- tal processes that are common to most people. If this were not true, we could have no science of the mind, no psychology. Because human minds are fundamentally alike, we are able, by reflecting how we ourselves observe, rea- son, remember, and act, to approximate how others will observe, reason, remember, and act. Furthermore, we have acquaintances, among whom there are various types. Our intimate knowledge of these types of people broadens our knowledge of humankind. But tempera- ment varies greatly. Sex, age, education, en- vironment, and other factors give infinite va- riety to human nature. As has already been pointed out, advertis- ing differs materially from face-to-face selling H THE PEOPLE in that the advertising man has no type of customer actually before him whom he can study closely and to whom he can adapt his argument. He must aim his argument at a prospective customer whom he can see only in his imagination. Besides — and this is an- other big difference — he cannot address him- self to one individual even in imagination. Now and then the class of prospective cus- tomers that the ad-writer addresses will be sharply defined, as, for example, in selling to women, or to boys, or to architects; but even within these sharply defined groups, custom- ers differ greatly in temperament, environ- ment, etc. Consequently, the ad-writer's job is that of selling to a group of people and a group that he does not see except in imagina- tion. Probably there is no such thing, strictly speaking, as the "average man" or the "aver- age woman," but when we use these terms we mean a type of customer possessing the most common traits in the group of people that we are addressing, a composite customer, so to 25 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT Bpeak. Mr. Edward Bok, editor of The Ladled Home Joumaly says that for many years he had edited his great magazine ynth a certain type of woman in mind, a composite type, and that he did not meet a woman that seemed to combine all the qualities of his "mental pro- spective customer" until a few years ago. It is very difficult, indeed, for either editor or ad-writer to get away from his own personal point of view and look at subjects as those subjects are regarded by prospective custom- ers. Probably more errors are made in ad- vertising practice through conclusions arrived at from personal points of view than from any other reason. A busy man looks at a bulky catalogue. "Huh," he grunts, "who would read such a thing! I know / never would, and I don't believe anybody does." Annual sales running over fifty million dollars a year seem pretty satisfactory evidence that one mail- order concern's bulky catalogues are read. The trouble with Mr. Busy Man in this case is that he is looking at the catalogue from his personal point of view rather than from the a6 THE PEOPLE point of view of the people for whom the cata- logue was written. We frequently hear remarks to the effect that long letters will not be read, that adver- tising matter sent under one-cent postage will not be opened, that cheap printing will get no attention, and so on — all of which may be true with respect to one class of people, but altogether and absolutely untrue with respect to another class of people. Once in the presence of my wife I held up a conventional annoimcement of a millinery opening, and, without any thought as to the point of view of my criticism, began to explain why the advertisement was likely to be in- effective. I had not gone far in my criticism before the wind was taken out of my sails by evidence that the advertisement had not only drawn the head of my household but a num- ber of her friends. I had been neatly caught in the simple error of criticizing from a man's point of view an advertisement that was writ- ten to appeal to women. For the moment I lost sight of the great difference between a 27 41 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT man's method of buying a hat and a woman's. Men do not attend formal millinery openings. Women find delight in them. One of the Travelers Insurance Company advertisements, showing a widow gazing at a vision of a train wreck, seemed to me to be ideal as a pictorial advertisement. But the ad- vertisement immediately] impressed a woman as being unnatural, because the figure sup- posed to be the widow did not wear a collar or yoke that was appropriate for first mourning or second moummg. This is a good place to record my convic- tion that, on account of the diff'erence between man's and woman's points of view on so many different kinds of goods, and because so large a proportion of the necessities of life are bought by women, — some put it as high as eighty per cent, — the usefulness of women ad-writers is sure to be more generally recognized. Ten years ago the woman ad-writer was a novelty. TcKlay there arc scores of bright women in the business, llie larger stores arc employing them; the advertising agencies arc finding real a8 THE PEOPLE need for them. What man could have the proper appreciation of fine silk petticoats or could put such a subject before the feminine mind properly 1 Some men can get the women's point of view, but it takes effort to study out things that a woman knows intuitively and can work out in a minute. Styles and fabrics — she began imbibing information about them when her hair hmig down in two little plaits, and she has been at it ever since. These things are second nature to her. Her housekeeping and home-making interests began with the little toy house, the tin dishes, and her first doll. The faculty of knowing the woman's point of view is bom in her. Where a man might ad- vertise, "We have a handsome line of infants' apparel," a woman could n't refrain from be- coming enthusiastic over the clothing of the important little personages. She would, to quote Mr. Charles Shearer, say quite natur- ally, "We have here the daintiest, cutest mites of apparel — dear little duds that you unconsciously take up tenderly and caress 29 IP WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT soothingly, pat lovingly — just as if that tiny pink-and-white precious were already snug- gling in the graceful folds." Here is something from a recent advertise- ment of a large dry-goods store that shows how easy it is for "mere man" to miss woman's point of view: — "These stylish messaline petticoats have deep flounces and elastic tops." If Mr. Mere Man had possessed the faculty of talking as woman to woman, he would more likely have said: — "Just what the particular dresser has been waiting for — a petticoat that fits so snugly that the gown or skirt lies perfectly smooth around the waist line. A handsome black mes- saline without a bulky belt or string of any kind, but with a six-inch yoke of strong elas- tic that yields with every movement of the body, thus giving perfect comfort with exclu- sive style." The illustration of the difference between the average man's point of view and the aver- age woman's has been cited here just as one 30 THE PEOPLE example. It would be easy to multiply these examples. Much copy that is written to ap>- peal to farmers goes wide of the mark because the writer does not know farmers. He may picture all of them as " rubes," or he may go to the other extreme and think of them as con- sisting entirely of the prosperous type, all own- ing automobiles, etc. The only safe way to learn people is to study the people themselves, their method of living, their methods of buying, their letters, etc. One may go wrong, in addressing farmers, even with a wealth of information, but he is surely less likely to go wrong than if he starts out with the stage, or the humorous-paper, picture of the farmer. Likewise, if one is to sell an article to den- tists, or to architects, or to retail grocers, he must make a study of dentists, architects, or retail grocers and be sure that his arguments will be received favorably by at least a good- sized group of these people. For the reasons here given, it is a poor plan for an ad-writer to confine himself entirely to 3» flm. i WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT office work. To study psychology by means of textbooks may be well enough, but aroimd him, in the busy world, is a great laboratory into which he can enter and learn day by day. The best study of mankind is man, wrote Pope. Go out and mingle with the people that you hope to interest and to convince. See how they live and what attracts them. A suc- cessful department-store man makes it a rule to spend some hours every week on the street in front of the windows of his store, watching the crowds to see what they find in the win- dows that is of interest to them. He wanders around the sales counters, listening to the re- marks of customers about goods. He goes back to his work with first-hand impressions to keep him away from the quicksand of adver- tising, that shoal of errors and wrecks, the personal point of view. It has been argued, and with some reason, that copy should be written difi'erently for readers in diff'erent parts of even one country — that we should, for example, advertise to New England readers in a diff^erent tone or 3^ THE PEOPLE style from that which we would use for the South and West. It is easy, however, to rate this theory too highly. Undoubtedly some ad- vertisements should be shaped especially for New England readers and put in different form BOYS, LOOK Thu Mitt Only $1 Your toun can't play the game y right unless your catcher has a good M mitt Here's a bargain. Our CRACK- # ERJACK mitt is made on the regular pro« # (essional model, only it isn't so heavy. Back is I soft iflove leather, but ends of fingers are protected I so the fast ones can't hurt. Front is selected heavy ^ buckskin, skilfully padded Vrith good felt. Wrist % baa beel pad. This mitt b put tc«etber to % fUy ; it's doubie-stitched ; will outUst sev. 1 eral cheap mitts: Worth $2, but to get 1 acquainted, we offer it at the low price 1 of #1 postpaid, satisfaction guaranteed I Large illustrated guide and catalog of f sorting goods free Wriu tonight. Say £ vbether you wish mitt for right or left band. ^ f X X Roach, 68 Veiey St, New York for Western or Southern readers, but a great deal of copy will fit one section of the country as well as another. Try sometime the job of writing an adver- tisement directly to a particular group of readers, say, for example, fifteen-year-old boys. The copy above, describing a baseball 23 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT mitt, is a good example of an attractive appeal to boys. Such copy is not as easy to write as it may appear at first glance. "A keen student of people," or "a good judge of human nature," is often put down as the secret of a merchant's success. The same idea applies to the writer of advertising copy. THE CONDITIONS One's knowledge of the article or service to be sold may be excellent, and he may be a keen student of people, and yet he may blunder in advertising if he goes ahead with a poor knowledge of the conditions in the market in which he proposes to sell. Is there really a market for the article.? If there is already strong competition in the field, may it be overcome or can sufficient •while f Are there enough prospective purchasers, able to pay the price asked by the advertiser, to make a permanent business possible? Is the article on sale in retail stores? Is it advisable to seH it that way? If it is not on sale in retail stores, how can it be placed on sale there, and must this not be looked after before the advertising appears, so that the 35 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT reader may be told where he can see the goods? Must an exclusive agent or sales represen- tative be introduced into the plan ? Can the article be sold direct to the con- sumer? If so, what is the easiest way to make the sale to him? Is it possible to make the periodical adver- tisements bring orders, or must the first object be merely to draw an inquiry and a catalogue or other circular be used to turn the inquiry into an order? What action can I reasonably expect of the prospective customer? These and other such questions should be answered. Surprising as it may seem, many costly ad- vertisements have been written and published when no facilities had been provided by which the customer could purchase. A large con- cern selling by mail an article that was priced for $50, some years ago inserted pages of ad- vertising that cost from $500 to ^2000 each, before it had a booklet or a catalogue describ- 36 THE CONDITIONS ing the article. The concern fondly imagined that a plain typewritten sheet of description would bring an order. The magazine adver- tisements were written well enough. They developed interest and produced inquiries, but the campaign was futile because the ad- vertiser did not recognize the conditions and review them carefully before writing and pub- lishing the advertising. If you write an advertisement about flour or soap, you can hardly expect the reader to lay down the paper and make a bee-line for the nearest grocery store in order to buy and try the article you have advertised. Understand- ing the conditions under which such goods are usually bought, you will know that the most you can expect is a trial purchase of your arti- cle the next time the reader is in the market for flour or soap. You can count yourself lucky if any large proportion of the readers of a pub- lication are impressed to that extent. On the other hand, the writer of an adver- tisement about a gun or an automobile may reasonably expect to make such an impression 37 h w. WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT that many readers will at once ask for a cata- logue or write for information as to the name of the nearest dealer or sales agent. At the same time, it should not be overlooked that, even in such cases as these, a considerable advertising value is created among those who are not sufficiently impressed to send the ad- vertiser an inquiry. prospective purchaser before ne will buy or commit himself to buy. All such conditions must be recognized before the advertising appeal can be intelligently written. It is said that an American advertiser has advertised in Chile, using a picture of Santa Claus going down an ice-encrusted chimney, when the weather in Chile at the Christmas season corresponds to the sumamer in the United States and when — still worse — the Chileans do not recognize Santa Claus! An advertisement intended to appeal to civil en- gineers was made ridiculous because the fig- ure In the illustration holding the rod was in a position that no rodman would take. An ad- 38 THE CONDITIONS vertlsing campaign in a section of country where housekeepers put up an unusual amount of canned goods, pickles, preserves, etc., failed to bring proper returns, for the obvious rea- son that the market for the advertised goods in that community was small. A paint manu- facturer found that he lost considerable of the effect of his advertising because much of it appeared in certain sections of the country betiiM tfle pmtmg §6&§6h 6r id6 ht ahead of it. All of these examples are just instances of where advertising failed to exercise its full force, could not exercise its full force, just be- cause those who prepared and published the advertising did not understand the conditions thoroughly. Constructed so as to sway people to move easily and naturally in the direction that they are most inclined to go, advertising can accomplish wonders. But to expect it to overcome hard conditions may be to court disappomtment. Advertising has broken peo- ple of certam habits and even induced new ones, but success is much more likely to come 39 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT if the advertising is so arranged that people may conveniently do what the advertiser asks. "Come to my store to-morrow morning and get a dozen at fifty cents," may fail to bring the reader, because it may not be convenient for the reader to come. "Call me on the tele- phone and tell me to send you a dozen at fifty cents," may tempt the reader to act favorably at once. To get full efficiency from our advertise- ments, we must cap our knowledge of the art- icle and of the people to whom we hope to sell it with a good knowledge of the conditions in the market we wish to enter. VI THE ADVERTISEMENT ITSELF Assuming that we have primed ourselves with a good knowledge of the commodity, that we have a true vision of the group of people that ought to buy the article or service, and that the conditions are such that we can go ahead with our advertising, we are ready to lay the foundations of the advertisement it- self. Much indeed has been done when we have arrived at this state. What shall the advertisement he? It may be well at this point to define what the word "advertisement" stands for. It com- prehends the illustration of the advertisement if one is to be used. It also comprehends the typographical display. But there is not space in a book of this size to consider all these vari- ous phases of an advertisement. A thorough discussion of such a subject as advertise- ment illustration would alone fill a good-sized 41 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT book. The object here is to deal merely with the writing, the literary form, of advertis- ing. Now, as has already been pointed out, an advertisement may consist merely of an at- tractive or suggestive name, or a slogan such as "Don't envy a good complexion; use Pom- peian and have one." It may be a four-line classified advertisement under Help Wanted or For Rent, a kind of advertisement that is actually looked for by a large number of readers. It may be a few words on a sign or forty or fifty words on a street-car card. It may be a four- inch single column newspaper advertisement of ^lOO-bonds that must be worded so care- fully and set up so impressively by the printer that it will force itself into the attention of hundreds of readers. Or it may be a full-page dry-goods store advertisement. Our copy may deal with a subject so commonplace that we can hope to get attention only for a few words boldly displayed, or the subject may be of such inherent interest that, with a single at- tention-attracting feature, we can command 42 THE ADVERTISEMENT ITSELF favorable attention for a thousand or more words set In small type. The very fact that the word "advertise- ment" covers so much makes it difficult to lay down rules. However, for the sake of simplicity, we will disregard those advertisements that a reader naturally looks for, such as Help Wanted, For Rent, and others of this class. Most adver- tisements should be written on the assump- tion that they must be forced mto attention; that the reader bought the magazine or the newspaper for the sake of what appears in the so-called news columns or reading pages and will give his volimtary attention to that; and that we have the task of drawing him away and making it to his Interests to read our message. Manifestly, then, the ad-writer has the same job before him that the story-writer or the writer of a news article has — to produce some- thing that conmiands the attention of the reader and commands it in such a way that the reader will have his interest developed rather than decreased. 43 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT The George Batten Company, a New York advertising agency, has summed up the pur- poses of an advertisement admirably. Accord- ing to the Batten definition, an advertisement has these purposes : — To be seen; To be read; To be believed. And it is added that the most important thing about the advertisement is that it should be believed. I would add "to be remembered," as a fourth important purpose. This simple definition really sums up an entire advertising course. There is no need for other rules as to how an advertisement should begin, how it should be developed, and how it should end. Begin it in such a way that it will be seen, will appear attractive to the eye of the reader and secure a reading. Construct the message so that it will be believed and remembered. This done with a high degree of efficiency is a task worthy of a master hand. The fimctions of an advertisement have been often stated in a way that is somewhat 44 Saks Skeleton Clothes ^They are just ligaments of cloth held together by thread and fused through with Style. f And you can see Saks workmanship exposed at erery seam and thriving on exposure! QEven the waistcoat, in many of our models, is absolutely denuded of every stitch of lining. flAnd the fabrics them- selves, being selected for their lightness of texture, add to the desirability of these wonderful clothes by virtue of what they subtract. fl Candidly, Saks suits this Summer are the lightest creations ever turned out from the tailor's bench producing Comfort by what they omit and Style by what they include. Men's Suits $17.50 to $45 Broadway at 34th Street The " skeleton " idea made this stand out strongly amongcloth- ing advertisements. It sold a Saks suit to the author of this book The new pack of deep sea mackerel are surely fine There are two divisions in the Mackerel tribe. One is the shore fish — such as those that are in onr Fam- ily Kit. The other are the deepseaNorway Mackerel. Somehow, the cold depths of northern waters give to the mackerel a firmness and plumpness of flesh, together with a tenderness that make them mighty appetizing. There is perhaps no breakfast that appeals more keenly to a hungry man on a crisp October morning. These are choicely selected fish. Freshen out well, broil and cover with melted butter. Number 4 PaU 11.25 Number 3 PaU 11.50 Number 2 PaU t2.00 Number 1 PaU 12.50 Our Family Kit is composed of shore mackerel — delicious little fish, running perhaps 13 to 15 lo the kit. $1 the kit Fish foods of high merit Tuna, big chunky meat like the white meat of chicken, the finest of all fish for salads, 25c a tin; 92.85 a dosen. Herring Roe, 18c a tin: $2 dom. Codfish Sfarede, en o w g h for ftxi* people in each pkg., 10c a pkg. Maoonochie Kippered Herring, 15c a tin; $1.75 a dos. Morel's Boneless Sardines, 25o a box; $2.85 a dox. Shad Roe, 25c a tin. Thos. Martindale & Co. 10th & Market EsUblished in 1869 Bell Phones — Filbert 2870, Filbert 2871 Keystone — Race 590, Race 591 An appetizing food adver- tisement This and the Saks example appeared originally as single- column newspaper advertise- ments THE ADVERTISEMENT ITSELF different from the Batten analysis. The fol- lowing are the "steps" most frequently out- lined for an advertisement: — To attract favorable attention; To develop interest; To create confidence; To convince; To induce action. This is merely a more elaborate way of stating the ideas that are concisely expressed in the Batten formula. Observe that " attention" is qualified by " favorable." It is comparatively easy to attract attention if one be satisfied with any sort of attention, but it accom- plishes nothing to attract attention if the ad- vertiser is regarded with derision or suspicion, as he is likely to be when he adopts freakish or sensational schemes. Not every advertisement, however, will in- corporate all of the five steps. Many ad- vertisements do not and cannot induce any immediate action. Many do not really con- vince of anything, but merely catch attention and impress the reader with the name or 45 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT identity of a certain article and stop with that. It would not be judicious to try to make every advertisement perform all of the five steps. Some advertisements present such a brief mes- sage, and flash it so quickly on the reader, that all the various steps that enter into the ad- vertisement are merged into one. Sometimes an advertisement is merely an appeal to curi- osity, as in the case of the following: — What is JOHN MARTIN'S BOOK FOR CHILDREN ? WHte to 5 Wert Seth St., N. Y. Here the advertiser, realizing that it would take considerable space to describe his book, is endeavoring, by merely making it clear that he has something special for children, to draw inquiries with a very small advertisement and then give the full information to interested persons. It is not always possible to do this, and yet the advertisement here reproduced seems to have a fair chance for success. An advertisement may be a complete ex- position of the merits of an article, as, for in- stance, when a house or a business is to be sold. Or it may be just a point or a few points about 46 THE ADVERTISEMENT ITSELF an article. The article may be such that the public would not care to read a long treatise about it. It would be difficult, for example, to get very long advertisements about shaving- soap read imless the soap possessed remarkable features that were described in an imusually interesting manner. Most goods of this class are advertised in series of advertisements, each one of which presents a point or a point or two about the product. Yet the busy man, who probably would not read more than fifty or a hundred words about a shaving-soap, might read five hundred about a motor-boat. So once more we fall back on the principle that the amoimt of information to be given in a single advertisement depends on what the article is and the class of people to whom it is advertised. It would be easy to say that men would not read much matter about a cigar, but Mr. Her- bert Shivers, a mail-order advertiser of Phila- delphia, has succeeded in getting long and closely set cigar advertisements both read and believed. So something depends on the 47 I I! WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT treatment as well as on the character of the article. This is to be considered: the sale of many products cannot possibly be closed by an ad- vertisement. The most that an advertisement can do in cases of this sort is to attract the reader, interest him, and induce him either to write for further information or to go to a retail store or a local sales agent to see the advertised article. In a case of this kind it would be folly to use costly space in a vain effort to complete the sale with the periodical advertisement alone. In deciding about the amount of informa- tion to be given, it is well to remember that the reader of an advertisement Is not impelled by courtesy to read one second longer than the ad- vertisement merits attention. The prospective purchaser in a store may listen patiently to a tiresome conversation by the salesman, but the author of salesmanship in print has no such advantage; he must deserve attention in order to get it, and must maintain the attention until his appeal has made the desired impression. 48 THE ADVERTISEMENT ITSELF As has been suggested, it is often advisable to present the argument in favor of a product in a series of advertisements that tell the full story, rather than risk boring the reader by giving all the details in one advertisement. Procter and Gamble, the owners of Ivory Soap, have used a fine newspaper series, each advertisement dealing with just one special use of Ivory Soap. In such cases it may be well to carry some striking display or central idea in all the advertisements of the series, so that a connection will be established. If the advertiser has a slogan, perhaps that may be used as the connecting link. In some instances the different steps in producing the advertised article have been used as subjects of series advertisements. VII SIGN-POSTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS It is astonishing that so little has been written about the "sign-posts of advertise- ments" — the headlines or principal displays. A great amount of attention is paid to head- line writing in newspaper work; and story- writers give the greatest consideration to the titles of their stories — seeking a combination of words that will awaken interest. The head- line is certainly of as great importance to an advertisement as it is to a news-story or a bit of fiction. It is possible to have an attractive adver- tisement without a headline. When the no- headline form is adopted, however, the open- ing of the advertisement is usually set in a large, clear type that practically takes the place of a headline. Occasionally the ad-writer will depend entirely on an apt illustration to catch the reader's attention. But in most ad- 50 i SIGN-POSTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS vertisements the headline plays an indispens- able part in the exceedingly important matter of securing the reader's attention. The headline is the attention-catcher, the index by which the eye of the reader is caught and brought to what the advertiser has to say. Students of advertismg are often urged to study newspaper headlines as examples of ad- vertisement-headlines, but there is a difference that it is important to recognize. The news- paper serves many different classes of people, and its publishers do not imagine that every article they publish will be interesting to every reader. They aim to publish a little that will attract each class of their readers — politics for those interested in politics, sports for those interested in that department, etc. Conse- quently, the newspaper headline clearly indi- cates what follows. If a reader is not interested in a certain subject, the newspaper editor ex- pects that reader's attention to move on to something else. The advertiser, on the other hand, wants to draw the attention of people to his announce- 51 Pi J t M WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT ment, whether they were originally interested or not. While he is running a grave risk if he uses deceptive headlines (it is generally con- ceded tHat all advertising that deceives, tricks, or p>ro"V"olces the reader Has no sales force when the reader becomes aAvare of the deception.), he must so phrase his headline that the reader "will be impelled to give attention. For in- stance, the headline " The Man Who Knows" has much more pulling power than "New Encyclopedia for Sale on Easy Terms," though the reader does not instantly see that a set of books is being advertised. The incompetent advertiser shows his in- competence by selecting headlines that pos- sess little or no interest value — "Notice," *' Your Attention is Invited," etc. Here, again, p)oint of view must be considered. Don't use a headline just because it suits your particular fancy. Ask yourself how it will appeal to the people you are trying to reach. Good headlines may be coined for even the most ordinary products. Take, for example, this headline from a lumber advertisement: — 5^ SIGN-POSTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS 40,000 Feet of Hemlock Boards at $18 a Thousand TKis is p>erl:inent: and. "woixld. no doubt get th.e attention, of any on.e who covLld mak-e good ixse of svicli boards. One of tHe finest headlines I ever saw -was on an insurance advertisement — "Don't Force Your Widow to Marry Again." It shot an arrow straight to the mind of every married man who had not sufficiently protected his family with insurance. The choice of words is admirable. Think of the meaning behind the word "force." "One Tenth of a Cent Will Buy Prestige'' IS the headline of an advertisement of supe- rior bond letterhead stock. It would be diffi- cult i6 assemble eigkt words tkat would more impressively bring out the point of how little it sometimes costs to go from the ordinary to the distinctive. Even such a staid business as a financial or brokerage house may have a headline or slogan full of interest value. A New York brokerage house advertises itself S3 1^ WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT. freely as "Odd-Lot Specialists" and appar- ently finds that excellent advertising. Students of advertising have frequently asked that certain classes of headlines be de- fined and certain rules laid down. It seems to me that classifications would be confusing, because almost every day a first-class adver- tisement headline pops up that is in a class by itself. The only test worth while is, Will this combination of words surely draw the favor- able attention of a good group of readers to the remainder of the advertiser's message? If the headline will do this, then it is a good headline, no matter what its form is. Some ad-writers prefer the forceful form of heading known as the "direct-command." "Shop in New York," "Save the Agent's Commission on Your Insurance," "Protect Your House from Fire," are examples of di- rect-command headings. The question-form of heading is a favorite one also. Examples: "Do you Want to Go to California?" "Is Your Home Protected?" The question is a form of expression that goes 54 Write Youp Sermons in Shorihahd I n ^\'^ I t ^^ ^'\^'-\r- How easily and quickly shorthand is written. Only eight or ten seconds required to write the above, which in plain print is "And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem." Why You Should Take Our Special Correspondence Course In Shorthand for Ministers 1. To Save Time and Labor. One of the hardest parts of a preacher's work is the writing out of his two sermons each week. After days of study and meditation upon his chosen theme comes the drudgery of giving it verbal form and writing it on paper. Many a preacher seeks his bed at midnight on Saturday after tedious hours of writing. His vitality is not as it should be, at flood tide for his Sabbath day's work. By our method he can write his sermons in less than one-fifth the time, indeed, as auickly almost as he can think, and with scarcely any resultant weariness ; and they will be perfectly legible. 2. To Gather Material. In a shorthand vest pocket note-book the busy preacher may carry a working reference library of useful thoughts, extracts, apt quotations, illustrations, suggestions, headings,outlines,references, etc., to which he can add daily, on the instant, as the spirit moves. 3. To Save Space and Bulk. The preacher who uses the manuscript of his sermon in his pulpit little knows, oftentimes, how the continual turning of the leaves, be it ever so skilfully done, wearies a portion of his congregation and causes them to long for the last leaf. A sermon may be written in shorthand on very lew sheets of paper. A comprehensive outline may be written on a single sheet or card. A sermon thus written will occupy much less space in the desk. A year's sermons may be placed in one small box. The saving of paper alone, becomes an item. Prayer-meeting talks can be written on a small card to be held in a hand Bible. 4. To Aid Fluent, Vigorous Composition. The ntarked difference between extem- poraneous preaching and reading a written sermon is caused in large measure by the slow process of writing out the discourse. The mind flashes ahead faster than the hand can follow. By the time the words come from the pen they have lost something of the fire and fluency of the mind's first conception. A sermon written by our rapid shorthand method approaches more nearly to the extemporaneous utterance, and thus carries greater power and conviction. Every minister would learn shorthand if he ^^■■■■■■■^■^■■■■^■I^HH realizecl the immense value of the accomplish- ment and the ease with which it may be ac- quired. Read the enthusiastic testimonials of ministers in our catalogue. WE TEACH ONLY BY MAIL. Instruction is based on experience in pro- fessional shorthand work. For more than two years we did a large amount of shorthand reporting for the Law Department of the City of New York. Highly endorsed by leading shorthand experts. Three vears' experience in teaching by mail. Successful pupils in our own city and in every part of the country. Send the Inquiry Coupon opposite, and secure full partic- ulars concerning our methods of correspondence teaching and our special short course tor minis- ters. Costs nothing to try a lesson. Send to-day. MANHAHAN REPORTING CO. Jan. SEKD THIS INQUIRY COUPON. Manhattan Reporting Co., 450 Nassau Street, New York. Gentlemen : — Please mail me a catalogtie, giving full particulars of your Special Correspondence Course in Shorthand for Ministers as advertised in Current Anec- dotes. I would be pleased to receive a free Trial Lesson in shorthand* Name. Address (Tnct Sacialy BuiMiat) 150 NASSAU STREET NEW YORK Magazine advertisement of unusual pulling power Reduced from 55X8 inches li ■ \\ *! INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT. freely as "Odd-Lot Specialists" and appar- ently finds that excellent advertising. Students of advertising have frequently asked thai certain classes ol licadlines be dc« fined and certain rules laid down. It seems to me that classifications would be confusing, because almost every day a first-class adver- tisement headline pops up that is in a class by itself. The only test worth while is, Will this combination of words surely draw the favor- able attention of a good group of readers to the remainder of the advertiser's message? If the headline will do this, then it is a good headline, no matter what Its form is. Some ad-writers prefer the forceful form of heading known as the "direct-command." "Shop in New York," "Save the Agent's Conunission on Your Insurance," "Protect Your House from Fire," are examples of di- rect-conmiand headings. The question-form of heading is a favorite one also. Examples: "Do you Want to Go to California.?" "Is Your Home Protected?" The question is a form of expression that goes 54 Write Youp Sermons V tai Shorthand How easily and quickly shorthand is written. Only eight or ten seconds required to write the above, which in plain print is "And Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city of Nazareth unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem." Why You Should Take Our Special Correspondence Course In Shorthand for Ministers 1. To Save Time and LAbor. One of the hardest parts of a preacher's work is the writing out of his two sermons each week. After days of study and meditation upon his chosen theme comes the drudgery of giving it verbal form and writing it on paper. Many a preacher seeks his bed at midnight on Saturday after tedious hours of writing. His vitality IS not as it should be, at flood tide for his Sabbath day's work. By our method he can write his sermons in less than one-tifth the time, indeed, as quickly almost as he can think, and with scarcely any resultant weariness ; and they will be perfectly legible. 2. To Gather Material. In a shorthand vest pocket note-book the busy preacher may carry a working reference library of useful thoughts, extracts, apt quotations, illustrations, suggestions, headings,outUnes, references, etc., to which he can adddaily, on the instant, as the spirit moves. 3. To Save Space and Bulk. The preacher who uses the manuscript of his sermon in his pulpit little knows, oftentimes, how the continual turning of the leaves, be it ever so skilfully done, wearies a portion of his congregation and causes them to long for the last leaf. A sermon may be written in shorthand on very few sheets of paper. A comprehensive outline may be written on a single sheet or card. A sermon thus written will occupy much less space in the desk. A year's sermons may be placed in one small box. The saving of paper alone- becomes an item. Prayer-meeting talks can be written on a small card to be held in a hand Bible. 4. To Aid Fluent, Vigorous Composition. The marked difference between extem- poraneous preaching and reading a written sermon is caused in large measure by the slow process of writing out the discourse. The mind flashes ahead faster than the hand can follow. By the time the words come from the pen they have lost something of the fire and fluency of the mind's first conception. A sermon written by our rapid shorthand method approaches more nearly to the extemporaneous utterance, and thus carries greater power and conviction. Every minister would learn shorthand if he ^H^HI^^^^HHi^HBI^^Hii^HBI realized the immense value of the accomplish- ment and the ease with which it may be ac- quired. Kead the enthusiastic testimonials of ministers in our catalogue. WE TEACH ONLY BY MAIL. Instruction is based on experience in pro- fessional shorthand work. For more than two years we did a large amount of shorthand reporting for the Law Department of the City of New York. Highly endorsed by leading shorthand experts. Three years' experience in teaching by mail. Successful pupils in our own city and in every part of the country. Send the Inquiry Coupon opposite, and secure full partic- ulars concerning our methods of correspondence teaching and our special short course for minis- ters. Costsnothingto try a lesson. Send to-day. MANHAHAN REPORTING CO. Jan. SEND THIS INQUIRY COUPON. Manhattan Reporting Co., 450 Nassau Street, New York. Gentlemen : — Please mail me a catalogue, giving full particulars of your Special Correspondence Course in Shorthand for Ministers as advertised in Current Anec- dotes. I would be pleased to receive a free Trial Lesson in shorthand. Name. Address (Tnct Society Buildias) 150 NASSAU STREET NEW YORK Magazine advertisement of unusual pulling power Reduced from 5^X8 inches I! M SIGN-POSTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS straight to the mark, and typographically it seems to draw imusual attention. In retail advertising headings very fre- quently contain the name of the article adver- tised and sometimes something about its qual- ity and price. Examples: "The New Fall Coats are Here,'* "Big Value in $3 Waists," "The Double Spoon Gets 'Em," " Butter That Takes You Back to the Old Farm." A Curtis Publishing Company advertise- ment, headed "A Young Man was Earning $18 a week and needed $30," proved to have unusual pulling powers. The headlines de- picted a condition in which many readers find themselves and was strongly suggestive of a good himian-interest story. The shorthand-course advertisement fac- ing page 54 affords a fine example not only of an effective headline, but also of well-worked up copy throughout. This advertisement bought inquiries at from thirty to forty cents each, whereas inquiries for a subject of this sort usually cost from onCr dollar to three dollars each. Note how the headline connects with 55 II i WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT the minister's work and how the thought of the headline is illustrated by the comparison of shorthand writing with the ordinary method of representing words. The canvass in favor of shorthand is logically presented. The reader has a coupon for his convenience and can get a trial lesson free. This advertisement illus- trates well the various steps of getting atten- tion, developing interest, creating confidence, and inducing action; it has practically every- thing in its favor, and it is not to be wondered at that it drew business at a low cost. It is a fine example of special argument directed to a special class. Whenever the advertising man can group his readers into a sharply defined class, he has a better opportimity to work out an appeal that will fit closely. It is a good thing to have slogans, whether they are used as headlines or as other displays, include either the name of the product or the name of the advertiser. I have put the ques- tion, "Whose ham is the ham *what am'?'* to many people and have had a number express doubt as to whether it is Armour's or Swift's, 56 SIGN-POSTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS and have had others answer that it is Swift's. I cannot be sure what automobile company requests you to "Ask the Man Who Owns One," and I am a prospective automobile pur- chaser at that. On the other hand, we cannot forget that it is the Eastman Company's prod- uct when we remember the slogan, "If it is n't an Eastman, it is n't a Kodak." The words that make up a headline ought to be those that can be grasped instantly, and the grouping ought to be carefully arranged. Compare the following examples: — The Best Way To Keep Files Out THE BEST WAY TO KEEP FUES OUT The first example is superior because "The Best Way" is a natural phrase that goes well together. When one of the words is cut off and put on another line, the eye has difficulty in instantly catching the import of the seven words. 57 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT This book is not a treatise on typography, but the subject of headlines can hardly be passed without a warning that the printer of advertisements should be required to set head- ings in an easily-read face of type and to so arrange them that they will stand out. Print- ers in the smaller offices particularly will often so obscure a heading by setting it in imattrac- tive or hard-to-read type and by surrounding it with decoration or jim-cracks that its force IS seriously impaired. A few plain faces of type are very legible in capitals. Generally speaking, however, head- ings should not be set in capitals, but will be much more legible if only a capital letter is used for the first letter of each of the principal words in the heading, including the first word and the last. It is also important to know that a two- line heading can be taken in by the eye more quickly than a three-line heading and a three- line heading much more quickly than a four- line heading. The eye takes in a much shorter space vertically than it does horizontally. If 58 SIGN-POSTS OF ADVERTISEMENTS possible, main headlines, those that are de- pended on to capture attention, ought to be single lines or composed of only two lines. Don't have many display points in your advertisement, especially if it is small. When an advertisement of moderate size has half a dozen or more display lines, the layout or de- sign becomes a mass of display lines that does not allow anything to stand out. But if the displays are carefully selected and so arranged in different parts of the advertisement that they themselves tell a brief story, then the writer has his advertisement so arranged that it will appeal to the hasty readers — the mere glancers — as well as the careful readers. For instance, on a beautiful picture of a con- crete road, appeared the words "The Road Everlasting" lettered at the top. At the bot- tom of that page-advertisement appeared the display line "Specify ALPHA and be SURE.'* These display lines gave the advertisement the value of a poster advertisement even if the attention of the reader could not be held for the details in smaller type. 59 i i fi WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT The following is another excellent example of the "poster arrangement." Only the top part of the advertisement is reproduced. ¥w the Man With a Tough Beard And a Tender Skm there is no ihave ao utiafaotory, none that feels ao clean, none that leaves the face so free from irritation as a shave with THE DURHAM DUPLEX RAZOR This is because the Durham Duplex is constructed on scientific principles that permit close and even •having with the correct diagonal stroke. Headlines have a great deal to do with the success or the failure of advertisements. Look- ing well to your "sign-posts" means greater likelihood of getting on the road to success. VIII POINTS OF CONTACT The general secretary of a Young Men's Christian Association once taught me a good advertising lesson. He explained how the As- sociation drew different classes of young men by the use of different "points of contact." One class of yoimg men was attracted by the athletic features of the Yoimg Men's Christian Association. Another class was drawn by the evening school. Still another class was drawn by the amusement room. Still another class, by the library. That is a fine phrase — "point of contact." Some people in the advertising business refer to it as the "motor principle." Mr. John E. Kennedy calls it the "responsive chord." Other well-meaning, scholarly gentlemen label it as "stimulus" — plural, "stimuli"! We are all referring to the same thing. There is a point of contact about the article 6i WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT you have to advertise that will connect you with your group of readers, if you can find it. Maybe there are several points of contact, but one that is stronger than any of the others. What is it? That is a most important thing to decide. People buy goods sometimes because they afford pleasure or because they make liv- ing more convenient. They often buy for rea- sons of economy; hence the great mass of " bar- gain advertising." Many purchases are made because of the appeal the advertiser has made to the appetite. Successful appeals are made to parental love, to one's regard for health. The point of contact is occasionally an appeal to vanity. Within recent years advertising clubs, ad- vertising classes, and even the colleges have made experiments in order to determine the relative strength of different forms of appeal, of different styles of writing in advertisements, of different styles of typographical display, and different styles of illustration. The con- clusions, however important they may be to individual advertisers, are not far-reaching. 62 POINTS OF CONTACT The advertiser of Campbell's Soups may be able to demonstrate that the convenience ap- peal — the idea of always having the canned soup ready for quick service — may be the strongest appeal; but this conclusion does not necessarily apply to all canned goods. In fea- turing other foods, the appeal to the appetite may be far more powerful than the conven- ience argument. Therefore, no attempt will be made here to classify various forms of ap- peal or to indicate which forms are the strong- est for all of the many lines of goods that are freely advertised. That is a matter of great importance with which each advertiser must experiment. The Curtis Publishing Com- pany says frankly that it spent thousands of dollars and years of effort before finding out that the appeal to boys to earn money was not the most powerful "point of contact" in secur- ing agents for The Saturday Evening Post, The most successful appeal was the appeal to the parent to start the boy in work that would give him something useful to do and develop his character. 63 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT Suppose the subject is life insurance? Some people cannot save money imless they buy somethmg like a life insurance policy on which fixed payments must be made. Here, then, is one "point of contaa." "Protection for Loved Ones" is perhaps a much more power- ful point of contact. A particularly fine form of policy with imusual provisions might appeal strongly to people who are already familiar with insurance, but who, after all, constitute a most valuable class of insurance prospects. Thus subject after subject could be taken up and analyzed and various points of contact brought out for consideration. A good example of how an effective appeal may be brought to light through study of the uses or service of the article is afforded by a series of advertisements of the New Inter- national Encyclopedia. The books themselves did not constitute the principal appeal. A scene was shown in which an ambitious office employee is depicted in the act of giving his elders some xmusual information that they wanted. The keynote of the advertisement 64 S 2J 2 o c « .« ft ..«•«-• - « ^> c • p rt ? 'Vi .2 CT3 2 ■; c ji s I i ►»n c »- c 5 o V ^ JS ^ G >>« — « *J CO O O M ►»«= 3 « <=:= g]g W.2 rSE ^ J-.' V _ uS 6 4«.S 3*3 B 5 O « 4» Ml"^ cS •« — i «« »i - c « *> «« M 5.S, :c Mrs . « s S^ ** c i; *2 ■ ^ — j, O J3 Q > .S5L«o.S £ C-O^tJ ^c > z e'^-o 2 o o ? c« ct w u u «3bcO >kblluO iSrt E 0.0.(« M o c J= 4^ > o !tl O B u ?J S CO o o Z i! o X rtOCC«Op,j5^ ft •- — •!-• ^ "^ K be ^ V V ft ™ c u C o E - c« '•""i 8 S « « •5>>«!>l)3S^>j- e k ^ 'C to « - 04 - "O *> o o <« P V 3 „ o o >« E c c ft.2 if ^ > •- jC is P C 3 "o IB*; >»ti^js -- C ^1 = c g. h c vc *- i: c G S «« rt h 2-Ox 2 ^ rt* g P >»§^| V g - s '*o.>t:^ *'§:2 2^ t»s-3 6.5 o 2 _ a S w ft — 4» « •C .2 «« ^s * -C I .- 3-ji o bo c -•S--0 .5 Ji.'o o 2i be ^ <» 2 - ?> «* E * ^o, o « J, c ^« 3 E p £ E." c ^ . jg . S « ;^ * be ^ S o bo'rt g « 4, ^ "S '5 6.** 3 •£, b rt o c ^^ -C £. 4> S 1 A 'S c».t! ♦^ * P S ^ bC 0) I 0) c Ifr^ INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE P|! WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT Suppose the subject is life insurance? Some people cannot save money imless they buy something like a life insurance policy on which fixed payments must be made. Here, then, is one "point of contact." "Protection for Loved Ones" is perhaps a much more power- ful point of contact. A particularly iine form of policy with unusual provisions might appeal strongly to people who are already familiar with insurance, but who, after all, constitute a most valuable class of insurance prospects. Thus subject after subject could be taken up and analyzed and various points of contact brought out for consideration. A good example of how an effective appeal may be brought to light through study of the uses or service of the article is afforded by a series of advertisements of the New Inter- national Encyclopedia. The books themselves did not constitute the principal appeal. A scene was shown in which an ambitious office employee is depicted in the act of giving his elders some imusual information that they wanted. The keynote of the advertisement 64 r i V S 2 •« « tfl « j- 2 o c «^ V V V O <>• rt 6 >^u §0? c « > ^-^ 5^ g 2 « b 2 o . •c S S 5 o c i W 5 § •3 3 {J JS w •'•o «> «^ 5 o (A I -S M *- u, ? I- H ^ U oj ^ O .2 2§ o o ; -C o.rt.S2 (0 ♦> — wo 15E M bcp v> be , Jw . rt-S. . c ops . ^^ : .0 iv, . H r i "^ 2 n Is c lu -s e *• *; : "^ •*- "be*- N be . "^ J; 73 ^ bes S >»•£ 5 « ft ♦"* 2 «■»• .5 w C > P y *«M «M .^ O O M S J* »i o c M ^ C TS «j O o ? e( c« (« u U Im a (A 9 O XbOjO «rt E 0.0. c« c c O Q Q. *~ j» to Q QQ c ^ :s3 III §5$ ■c ^ ^ ^^ e G u its o a d o X -t be buboes ^ e B c V rt S B •" ■" o « — e« .*:: B o n CO ♦S >.« boa c is -r s j3 "C w « o « be {3^ o B O E d 3 b B O V "S ^ iS *S 73 ^ <« v ^ S* o 3 « ^•i S I/B B ee t 73 C cJ •;: _ w .- — u M 8 > «- 3^ *< Bow B W B bec> u iiT3 ^x •^ «« bO ►»' - «< s •- O-ft §! = " o 2 M S O V B (A S C •o B w S 4) M C (A 2S B 3 B « o E o •-■ aStJ 4) »A « 1=^ tc E ed o « ft . o « J= U 5n3 >^B K^S O.St*;*" V (A *- 3.S o ox> a^ „ _ v* ^2 g bo-5 h C CO B >- 3 CQ ^ k » X O..X. V CO .S^.wio-J^obi ^-> B ►.P'O-i* B «< -,=; 2-C b.2 j-.a " 0,=: «-c t;.2 rt rt rt ** ^"^ O f> ?*2co-2«o"'ft B 5 w c .2 .ti £ "^ * £? *» B ^ . w ft ♦^ 3 .5 t'-o o be bo« 7 bo ^ <*> cx> abo O * « B o £ g, C 2 . S " s^ « CO ^ •Q A e« B ^ B "O >« bO^ S O bjj'rt g « 4, £ E u tJ »- (0 u C; &i«* s a 8 -a = S 8 s to (U 0) > 0) ao s s u I 'Ho G C/2 I |iij|: *• ''Send for imURPHY HE Knows^* Are you the man that is sent for when txpert information is wanted ? Such a m»n is always in demand at a big salary, because he knows, because he's TRAINED. Training it the one great essential to success. Nowadays, no ambitious man need remain in the "dollar a day" ranks. So long as you have the ambition to rise and can rtad and write, there is no limit to the success to which you can attain through the help of the International Correspondence Schools. If you want to be the man "sent mmmmmmmmmm mrcMtnoMi conESPomocE scwmu Bex 86^ M ScraaUB, Pa. "•••e *Kpl»tD,withoutrurther oblipaiicii on my part, **•* I can qualify for emplOTmetit or advaaceueot Id the poiition before which I have itinrkfl X for" get in touch with the I. C. S. Lack of capital need not hinder ; it doesn't matter how little schooling you have had ; age is no barrier ; it is immaterial where you live or what youdo i you don't have to leave home or lose a day's work ; there are no books to buy. The attaclied coupon will lead the way. Cut it out. Mark it— mail it now. There's no charge for the ad- vice it will bring. During September, 228 students voluillarily reported salary increases and promotions secured wholly through I. C. S. training. The Business of This Place is to Raise Salaries. Bvvklreepcr ■tcaocrapber AdrerttaeBeat Mrlter Show CmrA Writer Window TrlaiH«r Camairrrlal Law lllHalrit(«r Cltll Kervlor I'bvialat Tcttlle Mill Kh|>i. KI^Ftrlrian I'-lec. F.nKlnr^r MeehaH* I Draflaaiaa Telcphoae tac*c«r Elee.l.iKhllnc»apt. Mcfkan. Ktirlnevr laaker A Maaa PIttar Stalioaary fcaaiaefr CIrll tlnflnrrr Ualld'c roNlrarlor Arehilrr' I llranaaiaa Arrklterl Stryelural Ea^aear llaaklar IHIwlin Kagtafrr Ifamc- Strong because true to life Size of original, 4^ X 8 inches INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE !K#a: r^ r .^ ^\K ''-^ ''Send for H/IURPHY HE Knows'' Are you the man that h sent for when expert information is wanted ? Such a ni«n is always in demand at a big salar\ . because he knows, because he's TRAINED. Training ii the one great essential to success. Nowadays, no ambitious man need remain in the "dollar a day' ranks. So long as you have the ambition to rise ana can read and write, there is no limit to the success to which jou can attain through the help of the International Correspondence Schools. If you want to be the man "sent for" get in touch with the I. C. S. Lack of capital need not hinder; it doesn't matter how little schooling you have had ; age is no barrier ; it is immaterial where you live or what you do; you don't have to leave home or lo.e a day's work ; there are no books to buy. The attached coupon will lead the way. Cut it out. Mark it — mail it now. There's no charge fur the ad- vice it will bring. During September, 228 students voluntarily rei>orted salary increases and promotions secured wholly through I. C. S. training. The Business of This Place is to Raise Salaries. IIITERII«TION/ll CORRESPONDnCE SCHOOLS Itox 860 M KrraBtoB, Pb. Flem«" eipiaia.witbuutfurlher ohli^atii n on tiir pmrt, how 1 cao qualify (or einplormetit or atlvaDi-f'uit'Dt in tlie iiottition h«»rore whi'.-h I ?iriw inrirkcl X Sooklrceper fttenosraplier AdtrHUrariil Uriirr f^boir <'Br«l \\ rlter U'tnilow Trimmer CommerrlBl I*bw illuatriilur 4'l» II ^er% Irr t'hfmUt Trtlllr fllll Supt. ICIeolrlclBil I'.leo. Fdeliterr Mrcliaii' I Piannaiao Telephone Kn^'rer Klec. I*l|{lintie ^upt MefhBii. I nirlfteer Plonb^r * gtraa Fltt»r SCationarj Inuinrt-r i'Uil f:nr(neer llulidV < oiitmetor trrhttrr* I llrnflaaian Arrhlterl ^^trurlural Favlor^r ItaiiLInf IHIiilfte Fnjrineer I Namc^ Street anil No.. Cllr- - _ 1 Strong because true to life Size of original, 4^ X 8 inches ■; mi POINTS OF CONTACT was "The Man Who Knows." Instead of fea- turing the set of volumes as a desirable pur- chase, the writer of the advertisement very skillfully brought out the suggestion that the man who keeps storing his mind with useful information is likely to win position and power. Hence, the appeal was made more pointed. The International Correspondence Schools' advertising is all along this line. They do not advertise "Home Study Courses for Sale.'* They realize that the idea of study is attractive to only a few, that the thing they must play up is the benefit of study, the rewards that technical knowledge will bring the possessor. Of course, in both the cases here cited, the books or the course of instruction are finally brought into the argument, but they are kept secondary to the main appeal of the advertise- ment. The talking-machine was not a wonder- ful success commercially so long as it was ad- vertised in a mechanical way. When the entertainment possibilities were realized, and entertainment was made the keynote of the 6s ?. WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT advertising, the advertising was much more effective. Powder as powder has n't a great deal of interest for the average reader, but advertise it as a means of enjoying the sport of trap- shooting, or as an effective way of getting stumps out of land, breaking the hard pan of soil, blasting ditches, etc., and inmiediately a broad field of interest is opened. Waldo P. Warren, advertising manager for Marshall Field & Co. for a number of years, says that one day he visited the children's- clothing department to gather material for a children's-clothing panel for one of his forth- coming advertisements. The buyer gave a lot of data about the assortment of the goods, the materials, the good quality of workmanship, etc., but still it did not seem to Mr. Warren that any point that had been presented stuck out strongly. Finally, he blurted out: "Why is it, when you have such splendid offerings here, that a great many more women do not buy these children's outfits?" "That's easy," replied the buyer: "they 66 i ' ■ ! POINTS OF CONTACT have become so accustomed to buying goods and making up their children's clothing that It is hard for them to get out of the habit or for us to get them out of it." There was the strong appeal, and the leading thought m that section of the Marshall Field advertisement a day or so later was that it was folly, a sheer waste of time, to make children's clothes at home when such assortments and such values as the Field store offered could be had. The pomt of contact had been foimd. This "point-of-contact" idea is such a broad one that it covers many of the details of an advertisement such as the headline, the illustrations, etc., subjects that will be consid- ered separately in following chapters. The writer of advertisements that are to be inserted in magazines, newspapers, street-cars, etc., need not give much thought to introduc- tions. It might almost be said that there are no introductions to advertisements, for, while usually there is a preliminary of some kind, — a point of contact made before we thrust forth the purely conmiercial object of the adver- 67 » " WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT tisement, — this preliminary is such a vital, inseparable part of the message that it would be misleading to call it an introduction. If the opening language is not vital to that which follows, if it could be easily separated and would leave the succeeding copy with an inter- esting opening, then it may well be questioned whether or not the so-called introduction is not mere verbiage, generalities of interest may- be to the one who wrote them and possibly also pleasing to the manufacturer or merchant who is to pay for the announcement, but of no in- terest to the people expected to read the mes- sage. Some ten years ago the advertisements of the department and dry-goods stores were adorned with long or pompous introductions. Nowadays the preliminary talk of the experi- enced advisers is short and pointed. The "Baby Letter" here reproduced is merely an advertisement in letter form. Sales letters, whether written singly to different people or written along general lines so as to appeal to a group of people, should conform to all the requisites of good copy-writmg. In 68 Traders National Bank SCRANTON. Pennsylvania Dear Toung Priend: ThiB bank belieres In working for the future, and 80 the other day when we saw In the paper that you had come to town to stay we made up our mind to send you a little letter. Of course. Just now everybody is fussing over you. trying to make you comfortable and trying to decide whether you look most like Papa or Mamma, or whether you are Just the image of Grandpa. But don't you let the grown folks worry you. Just kick up your heels and have a good time, for there is lots of fun ahead of you. Tou don't need money now, but you will some day, and .80 you can't start too early to save. Just tell Mamma and Papa the best you can by winks and blinks that the next time either of them comes downtown we want a call, for we are laying aside a nice littla home-savings bank for you. Mamma and Papa can put in odd change for you. It will count up like everything, and by and by when you are bigger you will save nickles and dimes, too. If Papa comes home and says he forgot to call here for your bank, you set up a howl, and the next time he won't forget. We will be watching out for him, because if he isn't already a depositor here we want to show him the kind of service we give folks who do their banking business with us. Oood luck to you, and may you grow up to be healthy, wealthy and wise. Most truly yours, TRADERS NATIONAL BANK Printed originally on embossed " baby size " stationery INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE •ifr WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT tisement, — this preliminary is such a vital, mseparable part of the message that it would be misleading to call it an introduction. If the opening language is not vital to that which follows, if it could be easily separated and would leave the succeeding copy with an inter- esting opening, then it may well be questioned whether or not the so-called introduction is not mere verbiage, generalities of interest may- be to the one who wrote them and possibly also pleasing to the manufacturer or merchant who is to pay for the announcement, but of no in- terest to the people expected to read the mes- sage. Some ten years ago the advertisements of the department and dry-goods stores were adorned with long or pompous introductions. Nowadays the preliminary talk of the experi- enced advisers is short and pointed. The "Baby Letter" here reproduced is merely an advertisement in letter form. Sales letters, whether written singly to different people or written along general lines so as to appeal to a group of people, should conform to all the requisites of good copy-writmg. In 68 Traders National Bank SCRANTON. Pennsylvania D«ar Toung 7riend: This bank believes In working for the future, and 80 the other day when we saw in the paper that you had come to town to stay we made up our mind to send you a little letter. Of course. Just now everybody is fussing over you. trying to make you comfortable and trying to decide whether you look most like Papa or Mamma, or whether you are Just the image of Grandpa. But don't you let the grown folks worry you. Just kick up your heels and have a good time, for there is lots of fun aiiead of you. You don't need money now, but you will some day, and so you can't start too early to save. Just tell Mamma and Papa the best you can by winks and blinks that the next time either of them comes downtown we want a call, for we are laying aside a nice littld home-savings bank for you. Mamma and Papa can put in odd change for you. It will count up like everything, and by and by when you are bigger you will save nickles and dimes, too. If Papa comes home and says he forgot to call here for your bank, you set up a howl, and the next time he won't forget. We will be watching out for him, because if he isn't already a depositor here we want to show him the kind of service we give folks who do their banking business with us. Good luck to you, and may you grow up to be healthy, wealthy and wise. Most truly yours, TRADERS KATIOHAL BASK Printed originally on embossed " baby size " stationery ¥. POINTS OF CONTACT this case the letter was addressed to newly bom babies about two weeks after birth, the names being taken from the daily papers and afterwards checked off with the deaths so that no letter should be sent to a home where the baby lived only a few days. The plan here, of course, was to reach the parent through the child and through the new plans and ideals that come into a home on the birth of a child. Some people do not learn the full lesson of responsibility imtil they have children. This letter arrives, then, at a psychological mo- ment, so to speak. Printed attractively on em- bossed baby noteheads, it has been used suc- cessfully. It is just one more of many scores of diflferent kinds of "points of contact." 1 S IX INTEREST VALUE AND THE NEWS ELEMENT While the ground has been taken that most advertisements must be forced into attention and should be prepared on that assumption, I have little patience with the idea that there is not a great deal of inherent interest in ad- vertisements of worthy products. The interest of people generally in the so-called reading- pages of the newspapers and magazines is con- ceded. Yet many of the matters dealt with in the advertising columns are just as vital and as interesting, if treated properly, to groups of readers as any other kind of so-called news. What is of more vital interest to the housewife than attractive clothing and furniture, than good food.^ What is closer to a man than his farming machinery, his blooded live-stock, his office equipment, improved drills for his quarry work, a new golf stick, etc.? With such subjects treated skillfully and with stale, 70 THE NEWS ELEMENT general advertising decreased, we can make the advertising section of a publication as interesting as the part in which the editors labor. The story of Kipling and the advertising sections of magazines may or may not be cor- rect, but it contains a kernel of truth. As the tale goes, an American friend sent a package of magazines from which the advertising sec- tions had been cut lest the distinguished author be bored or annoyed by sordid commercial writing that fills space worth from ten dollars to over a hundred dollars per column-inch. Kipling responded, it is said, "Next time send me the advertisements; I can write stories myself." For the sake of good advertising, publishers should discourage uninteresting appeals and should by all means refuse all offensive or fraudulent copy which, sad to say, still parades impudently in many publications. Consider for a moment an advertisement of the Lehigh Valley Railroad announcing that day coaches would be made a part of the 71 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT THE NEWS ELEMENT t' \ ! ^^^gmiT^ H - W^M Black Diamond Express. This train is a fam- ous train on which thousands of people like to travel. Formerly it consisted of Pullman cars exclusively. The mere annoimcement that day coaches would be added was an item of great news value to thousands of travelers. I was once discussing advertising with a manufacturer of wire rope. He admitted that he was probably not advertising in the most skillful manner; "but what," said he, "can you really say about wire rope, after all. It is just wire rope, and about all you can do is to say that the Blank Manufacturing Company makes wire rope." A few minutes later he gave the information that the wire rope of his com- pany was being installed in the then tallest building of New York — a building that per- haps hundreds of thousands of people had read about and that was of particular interest to the big builders. Here was a chance for this man- ufacturer to tie up his advertising to a building undertaking that was coming in for a great deal of expenseless advertising. He did n't see it at all. He had no "nose for news." 72 A real-estate man called on a clever adver- tising woman to discuss advertising a very attractive suburban tract. It was a beautiful hill, well wooded. Early in the conversation the real-estate man dropped the information that he was having the trees cut oif. "Of course," said the advertising woman, "you are leaving some on each lot. Do that and we'll call it Bimgalow Hill." The real-estate man grabbed the telephone and shouted a quick order to stop the cutting of the trees un- til he gave further instructions. Odd as it may seem, he had overlooked the possibilities that the person of keen advertising nose saw im- mediately. Of course no rules can be laid down as to how a writer may put greater "interest value" into his copy. That is his problem. He must look at his work with fresh eyes, must avoid the hackneyed and the commonplace. In a sense, he must be original; and he can afford at times to be daring. A Denver store some years ago adopted a plan of having a clever writer go through the various sections or depart- 73 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT |fi m ments as a visitor would and write only about the goods that particularly attracted her. One day, for example, she described the vacation goods that she saw, another day, the things that a newly married couple would probably find interestmg. This feature of the day's advertisement was written up in such a chatty, newsy style that many readers thought it was a news department of the paper instead of a mere section of a large advertisement. The novelty of the treatment evidently com- manded several times the usual attention. Had many stores been nmning a feature of this sort, there would have been nothing novel about it. Style, whether in clothing, furniture, or something else, has a powerful interest or news value with certain classes of readers, particularly women. It is likely that style advertising will replace bargain advertising to some extent as time goes on. The bargain offer has had more "interest value" than any other appeal that retail advertisements ever incorporated; but it has been grossly mis- 74 ™f THE NEWS ELEMENT handled, and reforms will come with the better class of stores. Service is full of strong interest value. The information and cooperation that some con- cerns give as a part of what they sell to the purchaser is so valuable that it becomes the appealing part of the advertising. Mr. E. St. Elmo Lewis, of the Burroughs Adding- Machine Company, demonstrated this when he changed the advertising of the Burroughs Machine from a straight sales message about the machine itself to a message about a well- written practical book entitled "A Better Day's Work." Of course the book dealt with the way that a Burroughs Adding-Machine makes a better day's work, but Mr. Lewis is authority for the statement that the new style of advertising pulled much more strongly than the former style. A manufacturer of fine stationery offers a book on "Letter Etiquette." Thousands of people want hints on social letter-writing and send for the book. The book itself gives an ideal opportimity to do the necessary adver- 75 I WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT tising work for that manufacturer's brand of linen stationery, but the point is that the little book possessed infinitely more " interest value " than a manufacturer's selfish argument about the merit of his paper. Timeliness and seasonableness are merely variations of "interest value." When the. United States took possession of Vera Cruz, immediately the interest in the United States Navy and in naval and military topics greatly increased. Probably five or six times as much attention was given to these subjects as would ordinarily be given. Realizing this, I featured the new Naval Academy Armory at Annapolis in an Alpha Portland Cement advertisement with the heading, "Where the U.S. Gov- ernment Builds Men for the Navy — Built with ALPHA CEMENT." This is just one of many examples of how advertisers may seize the opportime moment for making a deep impression. Turning the thought of a great group of people in the direction you want it turned is no easy imdertaking. It costs a great deal of 76 h lerG the US.Governmen Guilds Men y6r the Nav HE United States Government, in making the Naval Academy improvements, built with materials that stood for strength and permanence as well as for beauty. The imposing Armory in which the Naval Academy cadets will assemble for generations to come typifies the strength and permanence of the Government that the structure represents. ALPHA Portland Cement was used exclusively in this building. ALPHA Portland Cement has for twenty-three years been manufactured on a "high- quality" policy. There-has never been -any second grade ALPHA ; only one grade is made, and that the best that human skill and the most modem equipment can produce from quarries that are famous in the cement-making world. ALPHA Portland Cement is tested hourly by chemists throughout the process of manu- facturing. In composition, thorough burning, fine grinding and proper seasoning it is an exceptional cement. It is guaranteed to more than meet U. S. Government and all other- standard requirements. You can always be absolutely sure of ALPHA quahty. Capacity, 25,000 barrels a day; storage for 2,000,000 barrels. Six great plants on six trunk-line railroads; one plant with private docks directly on the Hudson River, ideally sittiated for canal, coast and export shipment. Eight branch offices at yoiu" service. Alria Bdriland Cement Co. Gentml Officii EASTON. PA, Branch omces NEW \DRK. CHICAGO. PHILADELPHIA. BOSTON. BUFFALO. PITTSBURGH. BALTIMORE. SAVANNAH Timely because published when the U.S. Navy was guarding Vera Cruz Size of original, 7 X 10 inches INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE P WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT tlsing work for that manufacturer's brand of linen stationery, but the point is that the little book possessed infinitely more " interest value " than a manufacturer's selfish argument about the merit of his paper. Timeliness and seasonableness are merely variations of "interest value." When tha United States took possession of Vera Cruz, immediately the interest in the United States Navy and in naval and military topics greatly increased. Probably five or six times as much attention was given to these subjects as would ordinarily be given. Realizing this, I featured the new Naval Academy Armory at Annapolis in an Alpha Portland Cement advertisement with the heading, "Where the U.S. Gov- ernment Builds Men for the Navy — Built with ALPHA CEMENT." This is just one of many examples of how advertisers may seize the opportune moment for making a deep impression. Turning the thought of a great group of people in the direction you want it turned is no easy undertaking. It costs a great deal of 76 levG theUS-Governmen iuilds Men y6r the Nav »i built with ALPHA clw^ '%7igh^terldofQuabm HE United States Government, in making the Naval Academy improvements, built with materials that stood for strength and permanence as well as for beauty. The imposing Armory in which the Naval Academy cadets will assemble for generations to come typifies the strength and permanence of the Government thai the structure represents. ALPHA Portland Cement was used exclusively in this building. ALPHA Portland Cement has for twenty-three years been manufactured on a "high- quality' ' policy. There-has never been any second grade ALPHA ; only one grade is made, and that the best that human skill and the most modem equipment can produce from quarries that are famous in the cement -making world. ALPHA Portland Cement is tested hourly by chemists throughout the process of manu- facturing. In composition, thorough biuning, fine grinding and proper seasoning it is an exceptional cement. It is guaranteed to more than meet U. S. Government and all other, standard requirements. You can always be absolutely siu^ of ALPHA quality. Capacity, 25,000 barrels a day; storage for 2,000,000 barrels. Six great plants on six trunk-line railroads; one plant with private docks directly on the Hudson River, ideally situated for canal, coast and export shipment. Eight branch offices at your service. AifflA Portland Cement Co. General Offices EASTON. PA, Branck Offices NEW WRK. CHICAGO. PHILADELPHIA. BOSTON. BUFFALO.PITTSBURGH,BALTIMORESAVANNAH . Timely because published when the U.S. Navy was guarding Vera Cruz Size of original, 7 X 10 inches !)■ i ;i f-^^i THE NEWS ELEMENT money. Consequently, when the attention is naturally turned the way you want it, when there is a state of mind that has cost you noth- ing, but which perhaps you could not create without the expenditure of tens of thousands of dollars, surely it behooves you to make the best possible use of that state of mind by featuring things in your advertising that are timely. The connection should be logical, how- ever. At the beginning of the European War, a number of advertisers attempted to trade on the interest in the war by introducing "war talk" into their copy when there was abso- lutely no connection. This is idle or worse. When Colonel Roosevelt returned from his African hunt the advertiser of Gold Dust made a hit by the use of a large poster, showing the distinguished hunter landing, while behind him came the smiling Gold Dust Twins. The word- ing was "Roosevelt Scoured Africa — We Scour America." When the baseball player is at the height of his popularity, the tobacco company arranges to have him confess how dearly he loves to 77 1: 1 » 3 Hi cash price. If you want to borrow the money to pay for it we will lend it to you at 6 per cent, interest a year on the unpaid balance. Cash or time, the price is the same. We will sell you, at the spot-cash price, any piano you may select, and give you 20 to 30 months in which to pay for it. Suppose you tried to save the money to pay cash. Could you doit? W^iw/rfyoudoit? Let us talk with you. Come in and see what we have. No tricks, no guessing contests; the only one-price, no-commission piano and music house. J. W. JENKINS' SONS MUSIC CO. 1013-1015 Walnut Street Nothing about the goods, but a forceful appeal Single-column newspaper advertisement INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE t H III m WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT smoke a certain brand that this concern makes, and the public at that certain time is much interested in the famous pitcher or hitter and reads his opinion about the tobacco with more than the usual interest. This is timeliness com- bined with that general interest that himian beings have in other well-known human beings. When the eyes of the sporting world in America were centered on the 1913 World's Series between the champions of the National and American Baseball Leagues, the adver- tisers of the Victor Typewriter broke into the New York newspapers with advertisements explaining why the reporters of these exciting games were using Victor typewriters. Here the advertisers deliberately "cashed in" on an interest that they probably could not have created with ten thousand dollars of their own money, and it was legitimate even if a few wise readers suspected that the stage had been fixed for the advertising. Seasonableness is a form of timeliness. At different seasons of the year the thoughts of groups of readers turn naturally to certain 78 Plain Piano Talk Why don't you settle that much- mooted question in your family by buying a piano NOW? Talking about it won't put it into your home — will not stop the Importunities of the young folk. Let's guess why you are pro- crastinating. You want a piano; you feel the need of it; but you can't spare the money to pay cash just now, and yon think you can save money by waiting until you can spare it. And you wait and wait. You are wrong. No man, no matter what his station In life, can buy a piano in our store for less money by paying cash down than the man who takes advantage of our little-a-month plan, with inter- est at 6 per cent, a year. Every piano on our floors Is marked the spot -^ cash price. If you want to borrow the money to pay for it we will lend it to you at 6 per cent, interest a year on the unpaid balance. Cash or time, the price is the same. We will sell you, at the spot-cash price, any piano you may select, and give you 20 to 30 months in which to pay for it. Suppose you tried to save the money to pay cash. Could you doit? Would you do M Let us talk with you. Come In and see what we have. No tricks, no guessing contests; the only one-price, no-commission piano and music house. J. W. JENKINS* SONS MUSIC CO. 1013-1015 Walntit Street Nothing about the goods, but a forceful appeal Single-column newspaper advertisement THE NEWS ELEMENT subjects. At such times, seasonable advertis- ing has great additional interest value. "Hunt- ing Season Just Three Days Off " hits the bull's- eye with probably every lover of hunting who even glances at the page on which this adver- tisement appears. Perhaps fishing-rods can be sold at Christ- mas, but they can be advertised to much greater advantage when the air begins to have the feel of the fishing season and the passer-by sees the swift leap of the trout or the bass from an alluring brook. N I-. i .!■ X THE APPEAL OF PICTURES The ad-writer has no greater aid than good illustration. Pictures possess strong inherent interest value. The child is attracted by pic- tures long before printed words mean any- thing to him. Everybody likes to look at pic- tures. Pictures give the argument or the descrip- tion at a glance. They show what perhaps could not be fully described in five hundred or a thousand words. Boss Tweed, of New York, it is said, declared that he cared nothing about the word-criticism of him that the newspapers published, but he shrank from having the peo- ple see cartoons of him; they could understand the pictures even if they did n't read edito- rials. And it is generally conceded that Nast's pictures put this political boss out of business. Besides their great value as a means of 80 "Is There a Great Difference Among Portland Cements?" ^vT ;>4 ■•t7Tf :;«;-: i » « -J~* tt •--: 0^0 'Jfy. v_ p r> o r) ^ ^ '^ O n u^^i i:^40^c^ fA —J ':Z(. »: J^ .ult-every bag of ALPHA CEMENT goes out guaranted to more than melt all fTandard ihrrTr K ^^V^*; ^'"^y^'l'^P^"^ o- alpha cement being correctly proportroned thoroughly burned, finely ground and properly aged. jj"i"uuea. Used in buildmg Bush Tenninal. P. R. R. New York Terminal, New York Aqueduct Gal- veston Sea Wall. Detroit Tunnel, and scores of other famous engineering undertakfngs Capacity 25.000 barrels a day; storage for 2,000,000 barrels. Six great plants on six trunk hne railroads, one plant with private docks directly on the Hudson nf^er ideal Js^tuateHr canal, coast and export shipment. Eight branch offices at your service. suuatea tor cr^le\vo"rk.^ '^^^ "^ ^^^ ^^^"'^ ^^^' ^"'^""'"K ^^\n^h\^ information on cement and con- ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT CO. General Offices: Easton, Pa. ■r.„rhOfllr«: N« York CW««o Phlladelphta Bo.»„ Pl,r.bur4h BuBalo B.ltt»or. S.»M,a,h '^^^^J^^ ■ 'Ciridiiiie^ A conversational appeal Size of original, 7 X lo inches I INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE X "Is There a Great Difference Among Portland Cements?" ?-»_« iitr-s-ssrif; t J Si n r\ r\ 'Ji\ V o ^ ^ o r>^2.2_pn THE APPEAL OF PICTURES The ad-writer has no greater aid than good illustration. Pictures possess strong inherent interest value. The child is attracted by pic- tures long before printed words mean any- thing to him. Everybody likes to look at pic- tures. Pictures give the argument or the descrip- tion at a glance. They show what perhaps could not be fully described in five himdred or a thousand words. Boss Tweed, of New York, it is said, declared that he cared nothing about the word-criticism of him that the newspapers published, but he shrank from having the peo- ple see cartoons of him; they could understand the pictures even if they did n't read edito- rials. And it is generally conceded that Nast's pictures put this political boss out of business. Besides their great value as a means of 80 iSii! »- ^ - boring of the rock Chemical and efficiency engineers oversee the burning and grindine Result-every bag of ALPHA CEMENT goes out guaranted to more than melt all Sard requirements. \ ou can always depend on ALPHA CEMENT being correctly proportioned thoroughly burned, finely ground and properly aged. H"inonea, Used in building Bush Terminal. P. R. R. New York Terminal, New York Aqueduct Gal- \eston Sea Wall. Detroit Tunnel, and scores of other famous engineering undertakings. Capacity 25.000 barrels a day; storage for 2.000,000 barrels. Six great plants on six trunk line railroads, one plant with private docks directly on the Hudson Rrver. ideally skuated i^or canal, coast and export s.hipment. Eight branch offices at your service. creU^vS * '^^^ °' '*'*' ALPHA txjok, containing valuable information on cement and con- ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT CO. General Offices: Easton, Pa. ■ranch Ofllce.: Nr- Vort Chicago PhUadelphU B<>.n>n Pitt.bur«h BuS.io Baltlmoc Sanuuiah -,-->..v,v.vr-..-„.^.,-. --A.. — ::.^»'yM;-jj»i-i.gff. v -.<--- ■•.'-■■■■ ;^?^j^ andS be A conversational appeal Size of original, 7 X lo inches 41111 I'H I THE APPEAL OF PICTURES catching the attention of readers, Illustrations may depict the goods themselves or demon- strate their use or operation. As has been already Indicated, It Is not the purpose. In this volume, to attempt to deal comprehensively with such important divisions of advertising as illustration, typographical display, the choice of advertising mediums, etc. But as illustration is such an Important component of copy In most cases, it Is impos- sible to consider thoroughly even the writing of copy without Including consideration of the illustration. "Wouldn't the appeal to the reader be much more effective If the advertisement were illustrated?" is always a good question for the copy-writer to ask himself. Instances can be cited where Illustration is hardly required — as, for example. In the case of an offering of bonds; but most advertisements profit by the Introduction of illustration. The picture Is far more attractive to the eye than plain type. Good Illustrations made especially for use 8i IJi; till I r WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT in just one advertisement are likely to increase the cost of the advertisement considerably. That, no doubt, is why a great many occa- sional advertisers content themselves with all- type messages, or use what are known as stock cuts or syndicated illustrations, which are de- sighs made up in such a way that they can be used by diiFerent advertisers in the same kind of business but located in different sections of die country. Some really good illustrations are sold in this way. Cuts of clothing, hats, shoes, etc., are those sold most extensively on th.e stock or syndicate plan. By the use of these, an advertiser can for a dollar or two, maybe less, use illustrations that, if made for him alone, would cost from five to twenty-five dollars. The weakness of most stock illustra- tions is that they do not usually illustrate faithfully the exact goods advertised. Being made for general use, they are likely to be general rather than specific. They are useful mainly to retailers, and the best of them are the designs made up by manufacturers for the use of retailers of their goods and usually fur- 82 Get Your Uniforms And Play Ball The nine must have uniforms in order to make the proper showing. We have just received our full line of samples. It means a great deal to say that the colors are even pret- tier than those of last season, but they are; and prices are no higher. Come in and get samples to show the team. The style book this year suggests good color combinations. Copies free. Complete suits — cap, shirt, belt, trousers, stockings, and shoes, $6, $8, $10, and $13.50. The $6 and $8 suits are the best we have ever offered at that price. Get in your order early and get your suits early. Suits for whole team lettered free. REINHART, 10 WASHINGTON AVENUE J Copy written to fit an inexpensive stock cut Originally a double column newspaper advertisement INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE I I WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT in just one advertisement are likely to increase the cost of the advertisement considerably. That, no doubt, is why a great many occa- sional advertisers content themselves with all- type messages, or use what are known as stock cuts or syndicated illustrations, which are de- signs made up in such a way that they can be used by different advertisers in the same kind of business but located in different sections of the country. Some really good illustrations are sold in this way. Cuts of clothing, hats, shoes, etc., are those sold most extensively on the stock or syndicate plan. By the use of these, an advertiser can for a dollar or two, maybe less, use illustrations that, if made for him alone, would cost from five to twenty-five dollars. The weakness of most stock illustra- tions is that they do not usually illustrate faithfully the exact goods advertised. Being made for general use, they are likely to be general rather than specific. They are useful mainly to retailers, and the best of them are the designs made up by manufacturers for the use of retailers of their goods and usually fur- 82 Get Your Uniforms And Play Ball The nine must have uniforms in order to make the proper showing. We have just received our full line of samples. It means a great deal to say that the colors are even pret- tier than those of last season, but they are; and prices are no higher. Come in and get samples to show the team. The style book this year suggests good color combinations. Copies free. Complete suits — cap, shirt, belt, trousers, stockings, and shoes, $6, $8, $10, and $13.50. The $6 and $8 suits are the best we have ever ofifered at that price. Get in your order early and get your suits early. Suits for whole team lettered free. REINHART, 10 WASHINGTON AVENUE Copy written to fit an inexpensive stock cut Originally a double column newspaper advertisement i THE APPEAL OF PICTURES nished complimentarily; these show the exact design of the hats, shoes, etc., and enable the retailer to undertake illustrated advertising at reasonable cost. National advertisers and advertisers of spe- cialties must have special illustrations drawn or photographs taken if they want to intro- duce the picture element into their announce- ments effectively. Irrelevant and so-called humorous illustra- tions had better be kept out of advertising. The new advertiser is often tempted to intro- duce silly pictures or those that have no con- nection with the product to be advertised. Occasionally we see reminders of illustrations that were plentiful enough a dozen years ago: furniture tumbling over Niagara, illustrating "a flood of values " ; a camel bearing the letter- ing "a humping opportunity." In the hands of the clever advertiser the himiorous or quaint picture may be turned to good account, but cheap wit, poor puns, and grotesque figures are dangerous as illustrations. Have the il- lustration as attractive as possible, but let 83 N ^ ; n Ml i WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT it have a sensible connection with the subject of the advertisement. This does not mean that an illustration may not be cute; many illustrations of children are cute and very effective. As to whether photographic views or draw- ings are the better, I feel like replying, as the little girl did when asked whom she liked the better, papa or mamma. She replied, "Both." Photographs are stronger in realism, and you can usually get the details faithful in photo- graphs if you have good posing. On the other hand, drawings can be staged better, so to speak, and you can put emphasis on the im- portant point somewhat better in a drawing. Take, as an example, the cement advertisement showing the two men before the railroad bridge. It would have been practically impossible to secure the right sort of photograph for this advertisement. In fact, the argument was thought out first and the illustration had to be made to fit the idea. Cuts made from draw- ings are of more general use than half-tones from photographs. But both kinds of illustra- 84 Bringing Down 100,000 Tons of ALPHA Cement Rock Tbis picture was taken at the Uftr- tin's Creek (Pa.) ALPHA plant at the time of firinc lOS tont of dyna- mite l^tadfl in thirteen f>-inrh holes, bon-d I7*> feet deep, down the entire farrof the quarry. lOO.OriOtons of the finest cement rock were dislodged. This rock bat just the proportions (or a perfect Portland Cement. In CTery ALPHA plant there is the •tame rigid te<^tinR of every boring and the same carefu) mixing of the rock- Ifiapertions of the product are hourly. day and nlicht. ALPHA chemists an^ chemical eriKineers are real bosses. In composition, thoroueh burning, fine grinding and correct aging ALPHA Portland Cement represents thehigh-water mark of quality. Every bag of ALPHA is warranted to more than meet standard specifications. Six great plants on six trunk line railroads— one plant with private docks directly on the Hudson. Daily capacity of ?S.0<)0 barrels: storage for ?.00n.000 barrels ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT CO. General Office*: EASTON. PA. SALES OFFICES: N«« York. Cliicxo. Phil»d. Pilbburili. The novelty of this illustration arrests the eye Size of original, 7 X 10 inches INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE W' WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT it have a sensible connection with the subject of the advertisement. This does not mean that an illustration may not be cute; many illustrations of children are cute and very effective. As to whether photographic views or draw- ings are the better, I feel like replying, as the little girl did when asked whom she liked the better, papa or mamma. She replied, "Both." Photographs are stronger in realism, and you can usually get the details faithful in photo- graphs if you have good posing. On the other hand, drawings can be staged better, so to speak, and you can put emphasis on the im- portant point somewhat better in a drawing. Take, as an example, the cement advertisement showing the two men before the railroad bridge. It would have been practically impossible to secure the right sort of photograph for this advertisement. In fact, the argument was thought out first and the illustration had to be made to fit the idea. Cuts made from draw- ings are of more general use than half-tones from photographs. But both kinds of illustra- 84 Bringing Down 100,000 Tons of ALPHA Cement Rock Thik picture was taken at the Mir- tio's Crrek (Pa.) ALPHA plant at the time of fitinc ]Q'i tont of dyna mite loadH in thirteen ^-i^rh holes. bored 170 barrels: storage for lAtrm.OOO barrels ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT CO. General Offtc«a : EASTON. PA. SAIXS OFFICES: N«w York. Chicago. PhiUdelphU, PiHaburgk. Boston. Buffalo, Balltniorv, Sav The novelty of this illustration arrests the eye Size of original, 7 X 10 inches m i ■ I' m THE APPEAL OF PICTURES tions are indispensable in the advertising busi- ness. Whether one or the other is the better depends on the particular thing or argument to be illustrated. The "Big Blast" cement advertisement fac- ing page 84 is a first-class example of how an unusual picture can be introduced in order to capture the reader's attention. Of course here the picture has nothing to do with the quality of the cement, but as it shows some of the operations in cement-making, it connects per- fectly with the argument in the mortise of the advertisement. It may be remarked, in pass- ing, that pictures showing action are generally regarded as having more attractive value than "still-life views." An old rule among illustrators seems to be, when you cannot get anything else that is better, show a good-looking woman or a bright child. Both subjects are attractive in life, so in advertising they are used liberally. Just because, however, pretty women and children can be used as attention factors in many advertisements, there is a tendency to 85 199 11 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT use such illustrations at times when they seem out of place. A fire-arms company has re- cently used an illustration of a smiling yoimg woman holding a repeating shotgun out to the reader. It seems that the figure of a hunter would be more in keeping with the atmosphere of a gun advertisement. If the advertisement were designed to encourage the purchase of the gun by women or for women, the situation would be different. One of the automobile- tire manufacturers has long used the picture of an attractive young woman in its magazine advertisements and window cards and argues that it attracts people just as an attractive young woman in a store would draw attention to herself. Women take a greater part in au- tomobiling than they do in himting or in the buying of tires. It seems that the introduc- tion of the woman into a tire advertisement is not nearly so pertinent as it would be in ad- vertisements of household goods or complete automobiles. The association with the latter subjects is logical. One error that the writer unused to having 86 Compels attention because of its simplicity and directness Originally a back cover page of the Saturday Evening Post . I . % THE APPEAL OF PICTURES m illustrations made is exceedingly likely to fall into is that of having the pictures show too much. If a vacuum cleaner is to be shown in action, it is not necessary that the parlor table, the bookcase, the andirons, and the cat be shown in the picture. The main feature of the illustration should be brought out strongly and nothing but the most necessary details included. The fewer the details, the stronger the main feature can be brought out. Study the best examples of human-figure advertis- ing — particularly among the small advertise- ments — and you will observe that often only a part of the human figure is included. We do not need to put all of a woman's body into the picture to show her using a meat- chopper; in fact, half of the figure will do well, if we have her hands and her face in the picture. Refer again to the cement ad- vertisement entitled "Is There a Great Dif- ference Among Portland Cements.'*" What would have been gained here by including the figures of the men down to the soles of their shoes? 87 ■' s il i!! ¥ WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT The Old Dutch Cleanser advertisement op- posite page 86 is a remarkably fine example of how the human figure can be introduced into an advertisement without at the same time bringing in parts of the figure that are unnec- essary as illustration. If the entire figure of the woman were included in this case, the hands would have to be much smaller. The floor-scrubbing scene would then have to be subordinated so as to accommodate the full figure of the woman. As the advertiser has it, the hands and face of the woman stand out strongly, and attention is focused directly on the scrubbing scene — the thing that the advertiser wishes to draw attention to. The imagination fills out the remainder of the picture. There are probably no better examples of illustrations of strong interest value coupled with conciseness than the pictures in that se- ries of Kodak advertisements entitled "There is a Photographer in Your Town." One could scarcely turn the page without stopping to look at the quaint picture of "Mother" and 88 u c 3 O 3 n It (I I -° 3 « -9 •- I V bO >- c -u "^ o- u 2 u Ji o «" o >-^ *- « E bO c u n u C BO O O JS o U a. . 3 7 O .2 ■o t a " a. E -5 g So •* o O < u 3 -. E - « 5 "^ -5 ■- a. O n ;> t- tp tsO '- I J H a. o ^ - a. c3 VC 3 C O •- >-> O u- -o o n u 6J0 - C -a c a. c o E .S Z <5 U c n E 4) ~ "re C '" £ (U -J 3 2 10 «^ s ce c k" on N fS &0 E fJ E « ^■£ u u bO > £ S > _ bO V^ n n C In SQ U W " Om "" c •5 <« S « O « -= c n J3 " o <»' t: j: >^ o _ j: -a a. n c c E u E -a S ■• u E 60 •:: s: u b. < bo _ i ^2 ^S a. > u 2 ^ 3 o c u n bO • g • c n I e" o c E W en V 'C u tn T3 O E o ^" (3 X (U 60 C o u ■*-• (A < E o •o w 9 (A c > IS o 25 ! INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT The Old Dutch Cleanser advertisement op- posite page 86 is a remarkably fine example of how the human figure can be introduced into an advertisement without at the same time bringing in parts of the figure that are imnec- essary as illustration. If the entire figure of the woman were included in this case, the hands would have to be much smaller. The floor-scrubbing scene would then have to be subordinated so as to acconmiodate the full figure of the woman. As the advertiser has it, the hands and face of the woman stand out strongly, and attention is focused directly on the scrubbing scene — the thing that the advertiser wishes to draw attention to. The imagination fills out the remainder of the picture. There are probably no better examples of illustrations of strong interest value coupled with conciseness than the pictures in that se- ries of Kodak advertisements entitled "There is a Photographer in Your Town." One could scarcely turn the page without stopping to look at the quaint picture of "Mother" and 88 Mi!^ i| o I - n u u i « E - o n E u U j: ■ o T3 C iJ n ^ •'■ I. ja o u S 2 Q. U _ 1- c ex. tH n O O J= c ^ "u 'E a. E < 3J E So it "~ 3 ^ U -I ^ n > 1- >^ o ^ n o ^5 c — 3 = 2.E S o ■- a. O B u ■- u bO VC 3 = O — >-. t^ = -o rt I- O C s ^ ;; n ^ 2 ^ a. n c S ;: £ >^ « -a ^ c — c. n a. c ^ 5 — 3 •" c 1- 0.-"= is >. 2 « o >- o 3 >N U "^ X) a ^ Q- « I 2 2 > bO (A CQ „ « o c O >-, i- E u E -a s ^ o E 60 'Z ■i; 3 60 O- o O a. 3 ^ > S 60 5 COO- : !^ -2i Ml J Z 5i > C^ •S z K uT St u »* ♦- C> ■■A ^ Jl ,st ^ T» oi \ c ^ a. ^ E ^ Q s> ^ i ^ O <5: UJ c E u c u I— 4 1^ CO. 0) N n o > S <-• h tn rt 4> — 3.2 CO w C I- M .,- 3 tc 60 i ( 1/3 'C en (« T3 O Jl E o t- 'a. ^" c« X V 60 C o s c e M u > •a n o 1 I I THE APPEAL OF PICTURES ii I ^11 i to read about her being a beauty in her day. These advertisements were true to life. Study the Pratt's Food advertisement for a moment. This is a simple idea — the enclos- ing of a message about poultry food in the SAVE ALLCmCKS by feeding for the first three weeks PRATTS Baby Chick Food It carries them safely through the danger period, prevents dilate, insures quick grovrth and early maturity. .^SM M Moaey Back Gaar >ir Dealers El -"M-Hnii^.r^ A small advertisement that sticks out outline of a baby chick, but this illustrative feature made a small advertisement stand out on a page like the proverbial sore thumb. The hands by themselves — used in hold- ing things, pointing to features, etc., — have 89 i I i| WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT been used to good advantage by illustrators. There is something very human about a pair of hands when we catch sight of them in a pic- ture, and we stop and look to see what it is all about. That well-remembered Knox Hat ad- vertisement that showed a Knox held by Colo- nel Roosevelt had the striking view of a hand as well as the personality of an interesting man as attention-drawing features. Every one knows how business details can worry a man and keep him awake. The Bur- roughs Adding-Machine Company wanted to build an advertisement that pictured the woes of a man who did not have an adding-machine. So they produced the view of a restless book- keeper tossing on his bed at midnight while over him danced hob-goblins made up of col- umns of figures. As most people have had simi- lar experiences, the illustration hit the mark. The Park Hill advertisement shows how pictures can lend to copy tone that could hardly be imparted by words, no matter how skillfully written. Just because an illustration is to be a fea- 90 \ c ^ k^a^ L'M jOgj r?-' 1 PARK HILL Oi\-tKe -Hudsoa •*THE SUBURB BEAUTIFUL'' is & completed and restricted community of artistic horfles and the best improvements situated at an elevation of 300 feet, overlooking the famous Palisades and the beautiiiil Hudson. • o tr TSough thoroughly protected from intrusion by its location, Park Hill has within easy reach the churchcs,schoolsandmarketsofYonkers, enjoying ail the protection and advantages of this progressive city of 70.000 inhab- itants. In convenience, beauty, healthfulness, social life and everything that taakes a home location attractive, Park Hill, "The Suburb Beautiful." presents a combination of city and country advantagps that cannot be surpassed. On the very northerly edge of New York City, just beyond Van Cortlandt Park, in the direct path of the city's greatest growth, it is reached by 3 rapid transit lines, 45 minutes from the Battery, and 30 minutes from the shopping districts. With the extension of the Subway up Broadway and the electrification of the Putnam Division of the New York Central. Park Hill will enjoy the cheapest and best transportation service of any suburb around New York, free from all annoyance of fogs, ferries, bridges, transfers, tunnels, etc. You could want no better, more attractive, more convenient location for » real home, and you could hardly find a more desirable investment. The time to buy to the best advantage is now. Choice plots are offered on easy terms. Write to-day for booklet, map and full inform.ation. AMERICAN REAL ESTATE COMPANY 5th Avenue & 44th Street, New York 503 Night and Day Bank Bulldiog. Telephone, 3S86-i8th Street An unusually high-grade example of an illustrated real-estate advertisement Newspaper advertisement reduced from three columns wide \ \ INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT been used to good advantage by illustrators. There is something very human about a pair of hands when we catch sight of them in a pic- ture, and we stop and look to see what it is all about. That well-remembered Knox Hat ad- vertisement that showed a Knox held by Colo- nel Roosevelt had the striking view of a hand as well as the personality of an interesting man as attention-drawing features. Every one knows how business details can worry a man and keep him awake. The Bur- roughs Adding-Machine Company wanted to build an advertisement that pictured the woes of a man who did not have an adding-machine. So they produced the view of a restless book- keeper tossing on his bed at midnight while over him danced hob-goblins made up of col- umns of figures. As most people have had simi- lar experiences, the illustration hit the mark. The Park Hill advertisement shows how pictures can lend to copy tone that could hardly be imparted by words, no matter how skillfully written. Just because an illustration Is to be a fea- 90 'i:^-:^"-"v.:^:> • ' pauk hill Oiv-the -Hudsoa •*THE SUBURB BEAUTIFUlT is & completed and restricted community of artistic horfles and the best improveraenU situated at an elevation of 300 feet, overlooking the famous Palisades and the beautiinl Hudson. Though thoroughly protected from intrusion by its location, Park Hill has wiihin easy reach the churches, schools and markets of Yonkers. enjoying all »he protection and advantages of this progressiN-e city of 70,000 inhab- itants. In convenience, beauty, healthfulness, social life and everything that taakes a home location attractive, Park Hill, "The Suburb Beautiful." preseata a combination of city and country advantages that cannot b« surpassed. On the very northerly edge of New York City, just beyond Van Cortlandt Park, in the direct path of the city's greatest growth, it is reached by 3 rapid transit lines, 45 minutes from the Battery, and 30 minutes from the shopping districts. With the extension of the Subway up Broadway and the electrificatioa of the Putnam Division of the New York Central. Park Hill will enjoy the cheapest and best transportation service of any suburb around New York, free from all annoyance of fogs, ferries, bridges, transfers, tunnels, etc. You could want no better, more attractive, more convenient location for a real home, and you could hardly find a more desirable investment. The time to buy to the best advantage is now. Choice plots are offered on easy terms. Write to-day for booklet, map and full inform.ation. AMERICAN REAL ESTATE COMPANY Sth Avenue & 44th Street, New York S03 Night and Day Bank Bulldiog. TeUphooe, 3586-38th Street An unusually high-grade example of an illustrated real-estate advertisement Newspaper advertisement reduced from three columns wide I THE APPEAL OF PICTURES ture of your advertisement, don't neglect the part that is to go into type. Let both the wording and the picture be of one hundred per cent strength and fit into each other har- moniously. i I ^1 1^ & i I XI IMAGINATION IN ADVERTISING Good advertising requires considerable im- agination on the part of the writer and also re- quires that the imagination of the reader be appealed to. We have seen that the value of language in advertising depends on its picture-creating power. Before the reader comes to the point of deciding to buy his Fox gun or his Overland automobile, there have been created and re- volved in his mind pictures of himself owning and enjoying his gun or automobile. Imagination is a wonderful thing. In a twinkling it jumps hundreds or thousands of miles. It paints in faithful colors and in great detail anything in the mind of the reader that he himself may will to put there or anything that some one else may suggest to him. When we say that "anticipation is sometimes better 92 Ifl IMAGINATION IN ADVERTISING than participation," we are merely paying a great tribute to the power of the imagination to create pictures. A few words rightly chosen may be enough to start trains of thought in a reader's mind that will create vivid and impressive pictures. "As Imperishable as if cut out of Solid Stone," wrote some one, referring to a reinforced con- crete building. Immediately there arises be- fore the mind a building hewed out of solid stone. The words "Contented Cows" puts before those of us who know cows a picture of sleek Jerseys standing hoof-deep in pebbly, shady streams or grazing in rich meadows. Take President Wilson's "watchful wait- ing" expression as an example of suggestive language. It put before the American nation a picture of a policy that could not be better described in five thousand words. Its power is illustrated by the manner in which the expres- sion was caught up and passed along through- out the country and perhaps the world. There is great opportunity in advertising for the man who can write copy that appeals 93 I I } liii 1, ! WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT strongly to the imagination — that in a few- words will start trains of thought and begin pictures that the imagination of the reader afterwards completes. Such copy is econom- ical copy, for in a few words it accomplishes as much as hundreds of words of another sort could accomplish. The International Correspondence Schools* style of advertising is a fine example of the appeal to the imagination. Pictures and head- lines are used that strike home, that catch attention, first of all, by making the reader feel that "that is my case," or, "that means me." 'Are Your Hands Tied?" is one of the best-known I. C. S. advertisements, and it is illustrated with a pair of hands at the top of the advertisement with the wrists wrapped tightly with rope. Having caught attention, the text of the advertisement proceeds to draw a picture of how the man with hands tied, so far as ordinary methods of gaining an educa- tion is concerned, may by the home-study plan become a free man. This is an inspiring vision to put before the masses of people who 94 n li ' r;fl Hands Tied ? Do you want to get on- SUCCEED — earn more money ? Is there a cer- tain line of work in which you think you could do better— if you only had the training? Or a certain kind of position you would like to hold- only you fear your "hands are tied?" Don't let your ambition die ! Don't think your hands arc tied ! Don't think that you can't strike out for advancement and success — that you do not dare, because you must eke out your daily bread— that you must go on in the same old rut as long as you live. Get out of the crowd of ordinary un- trained men — whose each day's work puts them no further ahead. Start your advancement NOW — mark the coupon with a cross opposite the occu- pation you prefer, mail it to-day, and let the International Correspondence Schools give you full information on how they can he/p yeu to succeed — costs but postage— you incur no obligation. Simply let the I. C. S. tell vou how they can assist you to become an EXPERT in your chosen work — in your spare time— at home no matter where you live or how little you now earn. It's a winning game for you — if you will only enter. ^^ More than 400 I. C. S. students monthly VOLUNTARILY report increases in pay due to I. C. S. help. The world owes you success if you demand it— the world owes you nothing if you do not. Mark the coupon— begin NOW ! This Coupon is for YOU i?te?naTionalcorrespondenFe schools' _ , . B"» . SCRANTON, PA. nxplam, aithont further obligation on my pirt. how 1 can qualify for the position before which I mark X AataMAhii* RaaalBf Minr Nup^rifllrMtfeat Mine i''or(*man llaabiiic, Kirav Kiltiar laarmr r«i*lraeti«a t Ivll Knii:lnr«-r Trilllr Maaahrlariat MallunarrUnsliMwr Telephone Expert Meelian. Enir>ne«r M'-fkaair-al braftvaaa JUIeotrlcnl Kniiinrrr i:ier. LIrh tins 8upi Agriculture Ele«-lrlc Kullwara ftlraetaral F.ariae^r It. K. <'on»truoiioii Metal MInInc Encilah Itranchea 4ia« Knrineer Foremiin Plumber CItII Servloe , MruM Architect J tnmtk riiemlat /i firnaai Laiifruare*/ ( luliaa CaM Mt rgial Earl>«h Bulldinc C ODI ractor Arrkiteetarml Drallimaa Inesiriilnr faaiMrrfial lllaRtrmliaK V% Indow Trtnimlnr Show Card V% riUnc A4v»rti*larltaa Menorrapber Bookkeeper Cmtum Mualartariat Waai^B Maaafartariac Toolniaklnr Fouudr> Work Patirm Makln« Blarkninl thine Surveyor Poultry Fannlnc Pn««ent t>crui>atioa Street and No CiW . f»t«te_ 11^ ; An advertisement that was published a number of times with excellent results Size of original, 5j X 8 inches INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE 1 rfsMS WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT strongly to the imagination — that in a few words will start trains of thought and begin pictures that the imagination of the reader afterwards completes. Such copy is econom- ical copy, for in a few words it accomplishes as much as hundreds of words of another sort could accomplish. The International Correspondence Schools' style of advertising is a fine example of the appeal to the imagination. Pictures and head- lines are used that strike home, that catch attention, first of all, by making the reader feel that "that is my case," or, "that means me." 'Are Your Hands Tied?" is one of the best-known I. C. S. advertisements, and it is illustrated with a pair of hands at the top of the advertisement with the wrists wrapped tightly with rope. Having caught attention, the text of the advertisement proceeds to draw a picture of how the man with hands tied, so far as ordinary methods of gaining an educa- tion is concerned, may by the home-study plan become a free man. This is an inspiring vision to put before the masses of people who 94 Are YOUR Hands Tied? Do you want to get on- SUCCEED —earn more money ? Is there a cer- tain line of work in which you think you could do better— if you only had the training? Or a certain kind of position you would like to hold— only you fear your "hands are tied?" Don't let your ambition die ! Don't think your hands arc tied ! Don't think that you can't strike out for advancement and succest — that you do not dare, because you must eke out your daily bread— that you must go on in the same old rut as long as you live. Get out of the crowd of ordinary un- trained men — whose each day's work puts them no further ahead. Start your advancement NOW — mark the coupon with a cross opposite the occu- pation you prefer, mail it to-day\ and let the International Correspondence Schools give you full information on how they can help .!•« to succeed— costs but postage— you incur no obligation. Simply let the I. C. S. tell vou how they can assist you to become an EXPERT in your chosen work — in your spare time — at home no matter where you live or how little you now earn. It's a winning game for you— if you will only enter. More than 400 I. C. S. students monthly VOLUNTARILY report increases in pay due to I. C. S. help. The world owes you success if you demand it— the world owes you nothing if you do not. Mark the coupon— begin NOW ! This Coupon is for YOU '" WTERNATlO?ALCORRESPONDENrE schools' "^ IT, 1 • ^J' . *_ SCRANTON, PA. can qualify for tha losition lufore which I mark X latawakilr Raular U\m* Haa^riatvadrat Mine Foreman llawbiat. »!»»■ Killiac imntrt'tr raantrurlfaa <'ivll Knjfliieer TrKilr NRNufartoriac Matlonarj Knelneer Telephone F.xpert Mcelinn. Knrlneer Mrrhaairal Urartawaa Uectrlcal Kni.'lneer i:iee. IJrhllnc!^upt Agriculture I^leetrie Itnllwaya Htrartaral tiairiarrr II. K. (onKtruetlon Metal Mlnlnc I^:nirli"h Itranchea rcui«lion Street and No I 2'1 "'""• An advertisement that was published a number of times with excellent results Size of original, 5| X 8 inches "I i« II WANiRE D I "^e TM30M3TM .'fl J«1U2 Waoted-Men to FiU Good Positions The iNTBRNATiONAt CORRKSPONDENCE ScHOOW, that great institu- tion that has done so much in the past and is doing so much every minute for working men and women, offers you a direct and easy way to help yourself to a most desirable position m the trade or profession that best suits your taste and ambition. The I. C. S. plan enables you to help yourself right where you are, without losing an hour's work or a dollar of pay ; without changing positions until you are ready to step into the one you desire ; without obligating you to pay more than your present salary will afford no matter how small it is. Special SeU-HeI|i Offer— Start Now! To assist those who have been hesiuting, the I. C. S. has inaugu- rated the most remarkable plan of self-help ever conceived. Between May 15th and July ist, everyone asking for information will be entitled to a special discount if they decide to enroll. This gives you every advantage the I. C. S. has to offer at a cost so small and terms so easy that the last barrier is removed. There is absolutely no charge for in/or- mation. Simply select from the list the kind of occupation you prefer, writing a postal card to the Internationai, Correspondence Schools, asking how you can become a suc- cess in that position. By return mail you will receive books, litera- ture and helpful advice that will surprise you. Write the postal card to-day. INTER- NATIONAL Corres- pondence Schools, Box ii98,Scranton,Pa. Here is a List of Good Positions Select tlie one you prefer, write a postal to The International Correspondence Schools, BoxllM Scranton, Pa., and ask how you can qualify to fill it at a gooil salary. Be sure and mention the position you. prefer: Bookkeeper Mechanical Drjftiman Stcnofrapher Forcnian Plumber Advertjicment Writer tlec. Lighting Supt. Show Card Writer Window Trimmer Commercial Law for Stenogiaphers Illuitrator Civil Serrice Chemiit Textile Mill Supt. Llectrician E.lec. Cnfineer Mechan. Lngincer Surveyor Stationary Lngineer Civil Lngineer Building Contractor Architect '1 Draftiman Architect Structural Engineer Bridge Lngineer Mining Lngineer ■ I Strong in human interest Magazine page reduced INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE WANiRED I n e Tii3o>'iTii '"• I'iu-' Waoted-Men to Fill Good Positions The International Corrbspondence Schools, that great institu- tion that has done so much in the past and is doing so much every minute for working men and women, offers you a direct and easy way to help yourself to a most desirable position in the trade or profession that best suits your taste and ambition. The I. C. S. plan enables you to help yourself right where you are, without losing an hour's work or a dollar of pay ; without changing positions until you are ready to step into the one you desire ; without obligating you to pay more than your present salary will afford no matter how small it is. Special Selt-Heli) Offer— Start Now! To assist those who have been hesitating, the 1 C. S. has inaugu- rated lAe most remarkable' plan of self-help ever conceived. Between May 15th and July 1st, everyone asking for information will be entitled to a special discount if they decide to enroll. This gives you every advantage the I. C. S. has to offer at a cost so small and terms so easy that the last barrier is removed. There is absolutely no charge for infor- mation. Simply select from the list the kind of occupation you prefer, writing a postal card to the International Correspondence Schools, asking how you can become a suc- cess in that position. By return mail you will receive books, litera- ture and helpful advice that will surprise you. Write the postal card to-day. Inter- national Corres- pondence Schools, Box ii98,Scranton,P«. Here is a List of Good Positions Select the one yoti prefer, write a postal to The Inlernatlonal Correspondence Schools, BoxllM . Scranlon, Pa., and ask liow you can qualify to till it at a j,'()o(l salary. lie sure and mention the pmition you prefer : Bookkeeper Stenographer Advertisement Writer Show Ciia Writer Window Trimmer Commercial Law for Stcnogiaphen Illustrator Civil Service Chemist Textile Mill Supt. electrician Llec. Lnfineer Mechanical Draftsman Torcman Plumber Llec. Lightinji Supt. Mechan. Lngineer Surveyor Stationary E-ngineer Civil engineer Building Contractor Architect'I Draftsman Architect Structural Lngineer Bridge Lngineer Mining Lngineer Strong in human interest Magazine page reduced IMAGINATION IN ADVERTISING are dependent on their weekly wages and who in reality have their hands tied. "Wanted" is another strong I. C. S. head- line, accompanying which is a view of an empty office chair. This tells the whole story of the lack of men for big positions — a truth that every well-informed man at heart ac- knowledges. To draw in the reader's mind pictures of pleasure and comfort, of happy homes, of ap- petizing foods, stylish clothes, satisfying tools and the like — this is the task of the ad-writer who would draw large compensation for his labors! But he, too, must have imagination, for though he may understand the value of every word in the dictionary, he cannot use them in painting pictures that he does not first see in his own imagination. No man who can- not see in his own mind the rare sport of coming up behind a setter, rigid as a statue as he points the place where lies the partridge; whose heart does not thump at the sight of the great brown bird hurtling up through the brush and soaring off down the hillside; whose 95 4 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT nostras do not in imagination catch the tang of the powder as the quick roar of the gun rings out and the heavy bird, with feathers cut loose and drifting lazily off , goes headlong to the ground, can ever draw vivid pictures of hunting joys for others. He who can see in a Thermos bottle only a vacuum affair with non-conducting walls to keep out hot or cold for several days will never make a good copy-writer. He must be able to see, in his mind's eye, what a Thermos filled with cold lemonade means on the picnic or on the dusty roadside as the machine is stopped for a look into the hamper of grub. He must be able to appreciate the comfort the Thermos is to the mother on a cold winter night when the milk is readyfor the little one without the bother of getting up and heating the bottie. The following introduction to a Thanksgiv- ing grocery-store list of offermgs was written by a young student of advertising who a few weeks prior had no knowledge of the business of writing. It shows how atmosphere can be created even by a novice: 96 I IMAGINATION IN ADVERTISING Thanksgiving, Home day of feast and fun! Sir Gobbler struts no more, but king at last, brown-roasted and bursting with royal dress- ing, — fragrant, spicy and savory, — for his brief hour he reigns, the center of attraction. No wonder youngsters, pop-eyed with hungry longing, are almost too eager to wait. From orchards "way back on the farm" come rosy, juicy apples. Then there are vegetables, piping hot, crisp celery, golden pumpkin pies and crinkly-crusted mince ones, tart cranberry sauce as of yore, and smoking fruit-puddings. Candies for a sweet tooth and nuts to crack with jest and story — such goodies once more make children of us all. We don't want to miss them. We've gathered all these toothsome things here from the markets of the world, and the variety is big enough for every appetite and purse. Let them call you a dreamer if they will, but take comfort in the fact that they who cut new paths in advertising efforts are those who dream dreams and see visions. When you put an advertisement before a superior for consideration or approval, it is best to make it as complete as possible. Some 97 4« WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT people have little imagination and will not be able to grasp what you really intend to advertise unless the layout, or diagram of your argument, illustration, etc., is fairly complete. Because this is true, advertising agencies some- times go so far as to set advertisements up in type and submit first-class proofs. XII STYLE, AND STRENGTH OF APPEALS Le style c'est Thomme (The style is the man himself). BUFFON. I HAVE seen many baseball pitchers pitch and many tennis players serve, but I have never seen two that brought their arms over in precisely the same way. Every man has some little movement all his own, and no one of them could perhaps swing or strike just as some one else does, and play as well as usual. It IS, therefore, undertaking a great deal when one attempts to lay down anything but the most fundamental prmciples in discussing style in composition. One of the most striking newspaper stories written for the New York papers during the last ten years was the story of the murder of a policeman which was told almost entirely in the language of his Irish mother. That narrative was wholly outside of all accepted rules and styles of newspaper 99 ^ !li " i WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT writing, and still it was admirable work. One of the most popular books of the present gen- eration appeared in the form of the letters of one man to a younger man. Not every writer can write a successful book in just that style. Furthermore, when many books written in that style are appearing, the style loses its effectiveness. A New York writer some years ago wrote an imusual advertisement on the printing- press, in which the personified printing-press told its own story, beginning with the dec- laration, "I am the Printing-Press," as a heading. Immediately other "I am" adver- tisements began to spring up over the country until the writers and publishers of them began to receive derision. There is little need of discussing another ob- vious truth, that the style of the copy-writer must be adapted to the subject. He cannot write of small boys' clothes in the same style that he would write of stocks and bonds. He cannot sell cemetery lots and cigars with the same style of copy. Nor can the mail-order ICO STRENGTH OF APPEALS advertiser of cheap jewelry advertise success- fully by methods that would be entirely appro- priate for Tiffany & Co., the famous New York jewelers. There is one sure thing, however, about this subject of style, and that is, that the writer must be able to produce matter that IS interesting to his group of readers. If he is able to command the coveted favorable atten- tion and interest, it matters little what the style is. The formal announcements of Tiffany & Co., the well-known New York jewelry house, are probably just as effective in their concise, hand-lettered, all-capitals style as is the bree2y conversational talk of Herbert Shivers and the Prince Albert tobacco people to their re- spective "audiences." It is easy to criticize and to give reasons why certain advertise- ments should be different from what they are. Much of this criticism is well founded, because there still exists a great deal of very poor ad- vertising; but considerable criticism that is apparently logical is based on a mere personal lOI WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT point of view. Time and again the caustic and humorous criticism shoots wide of the mark, for the very good reason that the critic does not know enough of the inside workings of the advertising campaign to criticize intelli- gently. Who, outside of the photographic business, for example, is in a position tp know, without painstaking investigation, the value of that series of Kodak advertisements which told nothing about the Eastman product, but which encouraged the taking of frequent pho- tographs and wound up with "There is a photographer in your town"? It is evident that the advertiser was aiming to cultivate the good-will of photographers and photo- graphic dealers by this advertising, and maybe the good-will thus cultivated was well worth the money expended. The critic of advertise- ments should proceed with caution and with breadth of view. More than one gleeful fault- finder has come to grief when he attempted to improve the pulling power of some homely- looking advertisement that possessed unsus- pected strength of appeal. The business of 1 02 m STRENGTH OF APPEALS the critic, it is said, requires less capital than any other business or profession ! If he really has "capital" — the brains with which to make the advertising dollar bring a better re- turn — the advertising field has plenty of room and plenty of need for his services. Lack- ing such capital, he does well to amuse himself in fields other than that of the mail-order — to pick advertisements whose value is a matter of opinion anyhow rather than those that are keyed or checked. There is another sure thing in connection with style. A writer cannot command favor- able interest and make a good impression un- less he is natural and sincere. We are wiser than we can explain, and the writer who is superficial, unnatural, or insincere is more than likely to betray himself and defeat his own purposes. There is still considerable adver- tising that could properly be referred to as clever, but smart writing in the advertising business Is waning. In our shopping we are fearful of being cheated by the salesman who is too smart, and we do not care to deal with 103 ii WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT those who are fresh. It is somewhat the way with printed salesmanship. As the George Batten Company has said, the most important purpose of the advertisement is to be believed, One may be bright, picturesque and cheerful, and even breezy, if the subject permits, but he must be natural and sincere if he is to make the desired eilect on readers generally. The so-called "breezy style" of composition has many admirers, and it is well adapted to some subjects. Men's clothing, tobacco, and commodities of this sort are written about attractively in a breezy and even slangy style. But it goes without saying that this style can- not be applied to every subject. Says Mr. George L. Dyer: "When Caesar spoke, the people said, 'How great is Caesar.* When Demosthenes spoke, they said, 'Let us go against the Macedonians.' " It may be worth very little to have a reader exclaim — "What a clever advertisement!" What we want them to say is, "There is something that I want to buy!" Subordinate the writer and play up the product. 104 STRENGTH OF APPEALS Realistic descriptions are needed, but if the writer overreaches and tries to make the reader believe that every tomato used in the making of Smith's Tomato Soup is picked at sunrise while the dew is on the vines, and is inspected carefully for faults by an expert, the argument becomes unbelievable and ineffect- ive with thoughtful people. The earnest, frank salesman seems to com- mand our interest and confidence without effort and without realization on our part that he is selling something to us. He seems rather to be helping us to find out something that we really want to know or ought to know. It is much the same way in advertising. The ad- vertisement must be distinctive enough to catch attention, but, in general, the most win- ning copy is that which rings true as to natural- ness and sincerity. This is not a mere tribute to honest advertising nor only a personal opin- ion. An increasing number of advertising men are of this mind. One of the largest adver- tising agencies, the Taylor-Critchfield-Clague Corporation of Chicago, has issued a treatise 105 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT '^1" on "Sincerity First," from which the follow- ing extracts are quoted: — The big fact is that sincerity — one of the least- referred-to qualities in advertising — outshines them all. The world is just coming to realize this. Frauds, snares, published forms of graft, are being weeded out by wholesale. But insincerity goes deeper — spreads farther. It is the most costly error in advertising. We honestly believe that more campaigns have been wrecked by manifest exaggeration in copy and salesmanship — by insincerity — than by any other cause. We believe that a single false note often has turned the public wholly against an advertised product. Advertising is personality in print. Please get the full force of that. Your advertising either reflects or distorts your character — the character of your business. What you say to a thousand is exactly one thou- sand times as important as what you say to one. Can you, who consider your personal word your bond when dealing with an individual, per- mit your advertising to multiply to hundreds of thousands the impression of insincerity, exag" geration, bluff, bluster, and buncombe? The florid, fluent salesman who exaggerates the facts does not compare in sales force with 1 06 STRENGTH OF APPEALS the quiet sincere chap who gets believed. And the bombastic, blatant advertisement fails in comparison with simple, earnest copy that has sincerity shining right out of it. To have a forceful appeal, copy should be reasonably logical. I say "reasonably," be- cause I believe that the reading public makes considerable allowance for an advertiser's en- thusiasm and does not take literally all state- ments made. For example, no one believes that Sapolio ever made a "Spotless Town." In this case a clever advertiser has merely cre- ated a mythical town and associated his clean- ing preparation with it. His creation is an appeal to the imagination, and readers enter into the story good-naturedly, as people do at a play. They do not feel that they have been deceived because conditions are idealized. Some one, arguing against all deceptive state- ments, has cited the claim of the IngersoU watch that it "made the dollar famous" and declared that the claim is an untruth — that the dollar was famous long before the watch was! This reasoning shows little discernment 107 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT of the public mind. That the dollar was fam- ous before dollar-watches were ever made does not lessen the probability that the Ingersoll product has made the dollar more famous so far as its purchasing power is concerned, and it seems little short of ridiculous to argue that the claim is a deceptive one. It is likely that nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine readers out of ten thousand would good-na- turedly concede to R. H. Ingersoll & Bro. the right to feel and state that their watch has made the dollar famous. Yet if we go too far away from the path of reason, there is real danger that the reader will sense the lack of logic in the argument. Lately there appeared a dentifrice advertisement en- titled "A Moral from the Movies," a novelty so far as form goes and imdoubtedly of strong attractive value. Progressive scenes were shown just as in a moving-picture show. As the story goes, the hero was careful to buy the ad- vertiser's dentifrice and to keep his teeth and digestion in good order. When the college game came off, the regular pitcher of the baU io8 STRENGTH OF APPEALS team, having neglected his teeth and conse- quently his digestion, made a poor showing and had to be taken out. The hero was put hi and won the game. Hurrah for our dentifrice! It is a rather far cry from the beginning to the sequel of this story, and it is a question whether the advertisement meets the requirement here- tofore put down as the most important — that It be believed. It is a matter of opinion, for no one can accurately gauge the effect of this par- ticular advertisement. At the same time, it is certainly well for an ad-writer always to question whether or not the story or the argu- ment that he puts before the public will be received as being true to life or, if an ideal, as a reasonable ideal. If in doubt, it is best to change to some other appeal that he Is certain will be both received and believed. Some advertising, particularly that of low- priced sUple articles, depends on a catchy form of appeal, which may be cute, lively or even amusmg. "Fish bite while the East is gray; Big Ben will get you on your way" — Is a fair specimen of a number of advertise- 109 f! WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT ments of an alarm clcDck that has won prestige and large sales by this distinctive style of publicity. Giving the clock an attractive name and describing its service by catchy references to the early-rising habit, the morn- ing bath, being at the office on time, etc., earned for the advertising an interest that could never have been secured by tame presentations of the service of an alarm clock. It will be ob- served that all of these Big Ben truisms deal with familiar subjects; the reader is likely to say or thmk, "That'$ right." So, the Big Ben publicity is an illustration of the value of na- turalness as well as of a catchy form of appeal. : Perhaps no product was ever advertised more catchily than Sapolio. Most verse adver- tismg is poor and a sign of the novice. But Sapolio advertising proved to be the exception to the rule. The clever verses caught the pub- lic eye generally and doubtless commanded more attention than any plain statement of the merits of the product could ever have done. The advertisement facing this page is a fair example of the Sapolio street-car card series. no This brilliant man walks up and down Upon the streets of Spotle5.s Town. The jflitter of his shininjf star Arrests attention irom afar. It lijrhts the beat and jjocs to show- That naugltt can beat SAPOLIO Reduced street-car card. One of the few examples of successful verse advertising Much trouble is saved by paying bills with checks. The check acts as a receipt for payment. Put your money in the Dime Bank, subject to check, and avoid ugly disputes. "I certainly paid that!" "Beg your pardon, you didn't!" "But I'm sure I did!" Don't rely on memory! You can prove that you pay your bills if you pay by check. Put your money in the Dime Bank, pay by check, and avoid ugly disputes. i I Observe how the change from the tame language of Example i to the chatty style of Example 2 strengthens the interest value These advertisements are also reduced street-car cards INTENTIONAL SECOND EXPOSURE WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT ments of an alarm clock that has won prestige and large sales by this distinctive style of publicity. Giving the clock an attractive name and describing its service by catchy references to the early-rising habit, the morn- ing bath, being at the office on time, etc., earned for the advertismg an interest that could never have been secured by tame presentations of the service of an alarm clock. It will be ob- served that all of these Big Ben truisms deal with familiar subjects; the reader is likely to say or thmk, "That's right." So, the Big Ben publicity is an illustration of the value of na- turalness as well as of a catchy form of appeal. : Perhaps no product was ever advertised more catchily than Sapolio. Most verse adver- tising is poor and a sign of the novice. But Sapolio advertising proved to be the exception to the rule. The clever verses caught the pub- lic eye generally and doubtless commanded more attention than any plain statement of the merits of the product could ever have done. The advertisement facing this page is a fair example of the Sapolio street-car card series. no This brilliant man walks up and down Upon the streets of Spotless Town. Tho jrlittcr of his shininjf star Arrcst.s attention from afar. It Hjfhts the beat and Roes to show- That nauj^ht can beat SAPOLIO Reduced street-car card. One of the few examples of successful verse advertising Much trouble is saved by paying bills with checks. The check acts as a receipt for payment. Put your money in the Dime Bank, subject to check, and avoid ugly disputes. "I certainly paid that!" "Beg your pardon, you didn't!" "But I'm sure I did!" Don't rely on memory! You can prove that you pay your bills if you pay by check. Put your money in the Dime Bank, pay by check, and avoid ugly disputes. i Observe how the change from the tame language of Example i to the chatty style of Example 2 strengthens the interest value These advertisements are also reduced street-car cards I I iH STRENGTH OF APPEALS It is well to observe that most of the success- ful catchy style of advertising has dealt with low-priced articles. It would be hazardous for the advertiser of such commodities as insur- ance, automobiles, bonds, engines, etc., to attempt being clever or cute, for the considera- tion of these commodities is too serious a mat- ter to admit of very light treatment. Some one has compared styles in adver- tising in the following manner: — Ancient Style: Jones' Hats. Mediaeval Style: Jones' Hats are Best. Modern Style: Jones' Hats are best because, etc. (giving reasons). Most Modern Style: Wear a Jones Hat. They are best because (giving reasons), and they may be obtained from (giving name of dealer). The large amoimt of advertising that merely affirmed superiority for the product or service without giving reasons that appealed to a logi- cal mind was sure in time to cause the creation of another style of advertising. This new style was not altogether new, but It was much talked about some eight or ten years ago, III i \ WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT » LflU ^^m ^^m m when it was referred to as "reason-why copy. Such names as "data-built copy" were also used. Mr. John E. Kennedy was a stanch advocate of the "reason-why advertisement." Mr. Kennedy was and is a genius for digging up strong selling argument and for putting this argument into convincing language. His missionary work in the cause of adver- tisements that give the " reason why " bore good fruit, though it seems likely that for a time some ad-writers erred in the direction of trying to throw too many reasons into the reader's face at once and in too forcible a manner. Some advertisements must gain en- trance into the reader's mind quietly and by the easiest way. To attempt to carry the bat- tle by storm with an imposing array of selling argument may be to fail altogether. It may be expedient to run a series of advertisements with only one selling point, or perhaps two selling points in each, in preference to running a great deal of argument in one advertise- ment. Indeed, an advertisement may be a real "reason-why advertisement" while at 112 STRENGTH OF APPEALS the same time being concise. A painted sign may advertise, "Alpha, the Hourly Tested Portland Cement." In these six words, a good reason for purchasing the cement is given — that it is tested hourly. A great deal of copy is very properly of the "atmospheric" or "suggestive" variety — that is, advertisements that by apt illustra- tion and skillful text cause the reader to get a very favorable impression of the goods when perhaps direct statement would not accom- plish the purpose. Take the advertisement that features the picture of Colonel Roosevelt waving his Knox Hat. It Is not necessary for the advertisement to say that the Colonel regards the Knox hat as the best hat made. The fact that he has bought one and wears it speaks for itself. The inference, the sugges- tion, is stronger than the direct assertion would be. I have advertised that the Pennsylvania Railroad used over a quarter of million barrels of Alpha Cement in building the great New York Terminal, after putting cement to the most exacting tests. It would be ridiculous to "3 I WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT argue that no other cement could have been used with good results. The reader may gain, from the simple facts, a much stronger impres- sion than it would have been advisable to convey to him by direct statement. Fine silverware, fine furniture, and the like are described in language befitting the class of goods and illustrated with pictures that build up the desired atmosphere. It is a good thing for the inexperienced writer of advertising copy to resolve that whenever possible he will get in a reason for the use of the products that he advertises and not content himself with mere name publicity. When the reader has a reason in his mind for the purchase of a particular commodity, he is much less likely to accept a substitute than when he undertakes to make a purchase with only a familiarity with the name of a product or a general impression of its good quality The "yo'i" style of advertising also has come in for a great deal of attention. Cer- tain writers were able to get attention and good results by a forceful style of copy ad- 114 STRENGTH OF APPEALS dressed to the reader as a letter would be, in which the pronoun "you" was freely used. It was "You, Mr. Reader," " You Need This," and so on. So much of this style of advertising has appeared that good judges of copy have felt that readers were getting somewhat tired of being "you'd," and have fallen back to the quiet impersonal method of expression. It is apparent that styles in writing are much like styles in dress and other things. If the style is radical and is overworked, it soon loses its effectiveness. If it is sound and in good taste, it may be used indefinitely with safety. The "conversational" advertisement is a style that has long been used with success. Conversation looks interesting in print, and anything that looks interesting starts with a strong pomt in its favor so far as advertising is concerned. It is absolutely necessary, however, that the conversation between the charac- ters shown or suggested by the advertisement be perfectly natural. The advertisement fac- ing page 80 is a good example of the conver- sational style. Here, the conversation between "5 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT the two men about cement brings out a point that would not be easy to bring out in direct statement, and the illustration in the back- ground gives fitting support. The testimonial style of copy is of great variety. The success of patent-medicine ad- vertising was due, first, to the tendency of people to be over-concerned about their per- sonal ills or imaginary ills, and, secondly, to the shrewd use of testimonials. That some one else was ill in just the same way and evi- dently believes that Dr. Fakem's Resuscitator cured him or her means much more to a reader than the advertiser's assertion as to the merit of the preparation. Testimonials from people near the reader mean more than testimonials from people in far-away points. Testimonials are by no means confined to patent-medicine advertising. Pointed expres- sions of opinion as to the service or value of the article make interesting and possibly con- vincing copy. There is something about the opinions of other people that attracts. We expect the advertiser to blow his own horn, ii6 STRENGTH OF APPEALS and we discount what he says. What an ap- parently disinterested user says, however, is looked on in a different light. The "story," or descriptive-article, style of advertisement is a form that has come into favor rapidly during the last year or two. This kind of advertising usually runs into a lengthy story of from two to four or six pages. The writer deals with the article or business to be advertised much as he would if he were writing it up for the so-called reading-pages of the publication instead of the advertising- section. No attempt is made, as would have been made in former years, to make the reader believe that the article is not advertising. The pages are frankly marked as advertising- pages by the publisher, but this does not in most cases rob the material of its value, pro- vided it is written in an interesting way. Late- ly, very effective "story advertisements" of the H. J. Heinz products, the IngersoU Watch, the Ostermoor Mattress, and other nationally known advertisers have appeared in the maga- zines. The most effective advertisements that 117 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT Elbert Hubbard has written have taken this story form. It is a highly effective form if the treatment is skillful. The bargain offer has been for many years one of the most powerful appeals in advertising, and it has been used without rest in the retail field. It appeals to the desire to get something for nothing or for less than it is worth or for an imusually attractive price. The bargain offer takes a great variety of forms. The busi- ness man who gets a "bonus" of common stock with the share of preferred stock that he buys is responding to a bargain offer; so is he who buys a set of books at a time when a special stand or an index volume is offered as a special inducement. Readers seem rarely to figure out that they pay for the extras or the premium that comes with the pur- chase. The bargain offer has appealed strongly be- cause it has news value and stimulates the im- agination. We are interested in reading of how the store got the special lot of cloaks at a low price, or how merchandise in certain lines has ii8 STRENGTH OF APPEALS run down to odd sizes which will be sold at cost, etc. Some keen advertising men are predicting the end of bargain advertising, but I do not think we shall ever see the end of it, for the simple reason that buying is no more an exact science than advertising. There will always be left-overs, odd sizes, slow-selling goods, etc., in every store, and the only way these can be cleared out and the original investment of the merchant regained is to put low prices on these goods. Such bargain advertising has a powerful and a logical appeal to it. Make- believe bargains — that is, bargains whose values are misrepresented, and bargains that are put down to a low price merely as a bait to draw customers to buy other goods — are likely to appeal less and less to the well-in- formed people. The irresponsible merchant will probably continue them as long as he can find victims, and that will be for many years. Brill Brothers, a large New York concern, some years ago announced that they would eliminate "comparative-price" advertising and 119 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT offer their goods at original prices. That is, instead of advertising "^25 Suits for ^19,'* they would explain to the public just what they could offer for $20, $25, or ^30, as the case might be. They felt that with the special- price style of advertising it was necessary to use more and more space all the time in order to impress a public that had grown weary of bargains, bargains, bargains. The new style, they believed, would enable them to cut down the amoimt of space; plain truth takes less space than elaborate tales. Their new style of advertising was commented on favorably, but after about a year of experience with it, Brill Brothers went back to the comparative-price offerings — not quite the strong style of for- mer years, but a bargain appeal just the same. So it is obvious that a change in advertising styles cannot be rapid. The public must be educated slowly. Price is sometimes a strong appeal and then again it is not. Whether the price of the com- modity should be advertised depends solely on whether or not the price is an attraction. Price 120 II STRENGTH OF APPEALS is surely an attractive point in the advertise- ment of a typewriter that seems to do all that any other writing machine will do, but sells at ^50. In such a case it would be well to "play up" the price in the headmg. On the other hand, it would be folly for the Burroughs Adding-Machine Company or the publishers of a high-priced encyclopedia to advertise the price. In these two Instances price is an ob- stacle to the sale rather than a help, and is very properly kept in the background until the Interest of the reader has been built up and the machine or the set of books has been inspected. Two well-defined cases have been compared — one in which it is clearly advis- able to publish the price and the other in which price should be kept back as information to be given In the catalogue or the "follow-up," or by the salesman. Between these two ex- tremes are cases in which it is not so easy to decide about the including of price. Some- times only experiment will settle the question. It Is one of the curious traits of human nature that sometimes even high price is an 121 II p I I: WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT attraction. There are those who want the ^5000 automobile, and the ^3 cravat and who are impressed by learning at the very outset that the commodity advertised is something that only a few can aflFord. As women are usually keen on values, prices are used liberally in advertising foods, cloth- ing, and household necessities. The style of the little advertisement shown below has been aptly called the "telegraphic style." It is a simple "reader" run at the bot- tom of a colunm of news. Space is limited and every word must count. A great deal is told in these three lines. Ideal Home for Fall & Winter. Hotel Mont- clair, Montclair, N. J., 42 minutes out. Steam heat; open fireplace*; aun parlon. GoU; dancing. — Adv. Writing such advertisements is good practice, as is also the writing of advertisements for street-car cards, where the writer is limited to about fifty words. He learns the great lesson of picking just the words and sentences that with the least attention of the reader will drive home the sales message. Negative statements have been regarded 122 mm STRENGTH OF APPEALS by some advertising writers as being inferior to affirmative statements — that is, "Don't Ruin Your Eyes" as a headline is thought to have less force than "Preserve Your Eyes." The fact is, however, that various advertisers have used copy displaying negative state- ments that experience proved to be unusually strong. Therefore, something must depend on the degree of the negative effect. If it IS not negative to the point of turning the reader's thoughts into the wrong direction, but on the contrary has strong attractive power, then the usual argument against it would not prevail. It will not be amiss, in this connection, to discuss "association of ideas" briefly. Psy- chologists, who have given considerable atten- tion to advertising, have argued for the use of such words, figures of speech, illustrations, etc., in advertisements as will connect instantly and favorably with the product advertised. "Carnation Milk," for example, suggests to the mind the sweetness of the carnation, a very desirable association for milk. The name 123 J5 1 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT of the "General Grant'* cigar has been criti- cized for the reason that General Grant died from throat trouble thought to have been caused or aggravated by excessive smoking. The association of ideas in this case Is not pleasant to those who know the facts. The ad-writer who dwells on the weaknesses of com- petitors, or takes up much space telling about the faults that his product does not possess, may, through the association of ideas, actually instill suspicion as to the merit of his goods. However, the extent of the effect of a negative statement or an unpleasant association of ideas depends on how long it is kept before the reader. Some of the most successful advertis- ers of the past were patent-medicine advertis- ers whose advertisements often opened with exaggerated representations of certain ills and conditions. This was plainly an attention- attracting device. When the attention had been caught, the advertisement led on to praise of the preparation. The method proved to be effective. If, however, the attention of the reader had been held on the negative or 124 STRENGTH OF APPEALS impleasant side of the subject for a long time, disgust or disbelief might have been aroused. Unagreeable association of ideas does not necessarily prejudice. One of the most effec- tive advertisements of the proper treatment of tuberculosis is a street-clock sign that tolls a bell at the end of the average interval be- tween deaths from tuberculosis in the United States. There is nothing agreeable about the tolling of a bell or the thoughts of death from tuberculosis, but this seems to be the only way that the educational work against the great white plague can be done. People just have to be shocked into paying attention to this im- portant matter. A college professor once criticized the head- Ime "A Shovel Married an Idea," which was used over a publisher's account of how a shovel manufacturer took up a new plan of advertis- ing and made a success of it. The professor declared that the thought of a shovel "marry- ing" an idea was incongruous, that the associa- tion was illogical, etc. But the advertisement pulled remarkably well, and later on, when the 125 m ft WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT professor himself took an active part In the copy-work of an advertising agency, he frank- ly admitted that he had changed his opinion regarding the effectiveness of the headline re- ferred to. The fact is that the novelty of the headline commanded attention; it did not ac- tually turn the thoughts of the reader away from the advertisement and to matrimony. There is no valid objection against either negative statements or preliminary unagree- able association of ideas, so long as these de- vices actually command attention and do not disgust, deceive, or bore the reader, but leave him in a favorable state of mind for reading what follows the negative suggestion or the in- congruous or imagreeable association of ideas. In case of doubt, adopt the affirmative form of appeal. A concern that spends a large apn propriation and whose tests are known to me has had some advertisements of the negative or imagreeable-association class that have been good pullers; on the other hand, averag- ing several years' advertising, the affirmative appeals take the lead in returns. 126 STRENGTH OF APPEALS It is much easier, as Professor Walter Dill Scott has so well pointed out, to get people to act if we can strike an emotional or sentimental point of contact. "We are late at the pew but early at the bleachers," says Professor Scott; "we put off writing to cousins and aunts, but the fiancee is answered by return mail. The dictates of reason may be resisted, but not the promptings of sentiment and emotions." Ad- vertisements that possess a strong human appeal sometimes astonish us by their pulling power. Perhaps the most famous charity advertisement was that one run by the New York Association for the Improvement of the Condition of the Poor, which, in place of the usual dry statistics of expenditures, needs, etc., featured a typical case of how the association could help the poor by means of a seaside home. The illustration of the advertisement, a view of "Smiling Joe" strapped to a board, drew a great deal of favorable attention and consideration. The story of the advertise- ment is told in the following lines: — 127 ^ \ 'tui WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT SMILING JOE That was what they called him, and the name fit mighty well, For though things went " agin" him, it was not his style to yell; Oh, no! he just looked at you, and his face was all aglow With a grin that went straight through you — he was always Smiling Joe. There was something or other the matter with his stunted little spine. You see, he lived up in the slums, where there 're ills of many a kind. He did n't have the air and sunshine that most of us enjoy. But the lack o' that did n't keep him from being "the smiling boy." They strapped him to a board, so as to keep his body still; But even that did n't still his smile; it went on like a mill A-grinding out the happy grins through all the weary days. It was enough to make us healthy folks ashamed of our ways. His little bony backbone was n't guaranteed to wear; But there's the other kind of backbone, and the other kind was there. 128 STRENGTH OF APPEALS And when the surgeons saw his smile, they were wise enough to know That there was more'n a fighting chance for little Smiling Joe. "We must get him to the seashore, where there's plenty of air and sun. And plenty of sand to play in, when he's well enough to run." But though there was plenty of seashore and plenty of air and sun. Getting the money to buy such things is never a job of fun. But one who saw that happy face of Joe of Cherry Street Saw in his smile the magic touch to make hearts everywhere beat. And so instead of figures about the troubles of the poor, They published little Joe's picture and his story — not much more. Then Smiling Joe no longer smiled just to folks around his bed, He smiled all around the world in the magazines you read. And when people saw that winning smile, they could n't pass it by; It gripped them; it swayed them; it almost made some cry. 129 I WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT Checks and drafts came through the mails as thick as autumn leaves, With words of cheer for little Joe as plenteous as you please. And soon there was enough to buy that Home down by the sea, Where Joe and others like him could have some weeks of glee. Joe was soon much better and out a-digging on the . shore; He had more sand than most of us, but still he wanted more. And when again they kodaked him and put him into print, He looked so well that those who gave were glad they did n't stint. And now we see it in the paper that Joe is ill again, That they can't coax that little spine to stay right on the mend. But smiling Joe is smiling on with that bright face of his, And I'm dead sure that he'll pull through with that good-natured phiz. So here's to you, Cherry Street Joe, and to your cheery smile. That's got Quaker-Oat grins and other grins beat out by more'n a mile. May the long night be far from you; we need more of your style. May the years be long and plenty, with you a-smil- ing all the while. 130 STRENGTH OF APPEALS Should the information in the advertise- ment be technical or of a popular nature? Should it deal with the details of the commod- ity or the broad general feature of its service? These questions, like most questions in ad- vertising practice, cannot be answered in gen- eral. There are cases where it is judicious to give considerable technical information about the details of the commodity — a close, accu- rate description. There are other instances where these details are of no particular inter- est to the reader — where the strong appeal is the service of the commodity. It would be idle for the advertisers of the adding-machine or the cash register to advertise merely the gen- eral mechanical features of their machines. The service of the machine, the part that it plays in the conducting of business, is the proper appeal. On the other hand, some auto- mobile advertisers have found it advisable to give the reader a great deal of detailed infor- mation as to what he gets for his money when he buys one of their machmes. The manufac- turer of a popularly priced automobile strad- 131 *.: i ! mgm WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT died the fence on this question admirably. His illustration was a striking view of a stream close by a road. The happy automobile owner was engaged in landing a trout, while his wife was hurrymg over from the machine with the landing-net. The introductory copy pictured the joys possible when the family owned an automobile and could steal away at the close of the day for little trips of the sort depicted. Then, in a secondary section of the advertise- ment and set in smaller type, was the techni- cal, or mechanical, mformation about the car. This advertisement was adapted to the man who needed the general argument about the desirability of buying an automobile, and was also adapted to the man who was already "sold" on that idea, but was interested in learning where he could get the most for his thousand dollars. People interested in advertising are fond of asking a lecturer or a writer on advertis- ing subjects, "How would you advertise such- and-such a product?" A man once did me the rare honor to give me sixty-seven words of in- 13a STRENGTH OF APPEALS formation about a product that he referred to as "Cedarine" and to ask how it should be advertised. He did not say whether it was a machine or cedar sawdust, whether it was sold in ten-cent packages or by the barrel, whether it was on sale in retail stores or had not been distributed to the retail trade. Yet he im- agined that somehow all this essential infor- mation could be dreamed by the advertising man. The man who could give correct adver- tising advice offhand, even if put into posses- sion of the essential facts, would be a wonder who could make his fortune in a short time and retire. Very often the winning appeal or plan is found only after careful experiment. Field Marshal von Moltke of the German Army said: "It is a delusion to believe that a plan of war may be laid for a prolonged period and carried out at every pomt. The first collision with the enemy changes the situation en- tirely according to the result. Some thmgs decided upon will be impracticable; others which originally seemed impossible become feasible." ^33 1 |1 i i WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT ft This observation on war methods fits adver- tising methods well. The lesson, then, is that successful style in advertising, even if we hold the application strictly to copy-work, must to some extent be a matter of experiment. Appeals must be gauged as accurately as possible. Conclusions should not be arrived at from exceptional hap- penings or opinions. Maybe the first expres- sion of opinion about an advertising appeal will be that it is very weak, when in truth it may be just the reverse. An actual try-out is often worth many opinions. An apt sentence, written perhaps on the spur of the moment, sometimes proves to be an appeal of unusual value, one that can be repeated indefinitely. When we play on the human mind, we are touchmg the most won- derful instrument in the world, a harp of a thousand strings. That is one of the charms of the advertising business. There is always variety and enough uncertainty to give zest to the chase. Every success and every failure brings its lesson. XIII DRESSING THE IDEA It has been well said that there is very little that is actually new in the way of ideas — that usually the things that attract us are old ideas which some one has merely put into new and attractive form. The most striking philo- sophic utterances of to-day can usually be traced back, so far as the kernel of truth in the utterance is concerned; only the method of expression is new. "Must I not be original ? " is a question often asked. Yes, and no. Originality in itself does not necessarily count for much. One may be original and still not effective. And, as has been pointed out, there is very little of real originality, anyhow, except so far as the cloak of the idea is concerned. But to get attention in advertising, one must study to put things, whether in words or picture, in graphic, im- pressive form. It should not be forgotten, 135 Iff WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT though it often is, that the reader of printed language is impelled by no courtesy to read further than his interest is maintained. Usu- ally, interesting reading matter is close by, and if the advertisement does not command and hold attention the reader passes on to something else. The curse of most advertising is stereotyped, dry expression — saying things in exactly the same words or in about the same words that himdreds have used and which therefore have become as boring as an oft-repeated joke or story. For example: "Come early and avoid the rush." This has been said in just this way so many times that it has become abnost humorous; yet retailers still work this sadly overworked veteran of an expression which should have been retired long ago. If a re- tailer were to say: "These waists go on sale at eight o'clock and there are not likely to be any left at noon," he would say something in a simple, direct way that would probably be read with interest and believed. Advertising is full of this general, monotonous language 136 DRESSING THE IDEA that is just words, words, words — no inter- esting facts, no fresh, lifelike descriptions. Take the following for example: — Buy our hams once and you will buy them always. All of our meat is from young hogs, and is not tough, but is high-grade. Nothing but corn-fed stock is used. We guarantee the quality. We use good sugar in curing our hams, the best quality of saltpeter and some salt. The result is a natural flavor that can't be beat. We chal- lenge competition. GDmpare this dull presentation of good hams with another word-picture which is, I believe, from the pen of Mr. John E. Kennedy, one of the most forceful writers who ever filled advertising space: — This mark certifies that the hog came from good stock, that it was corn-fed in order that it might be firm and 'sweet — that it was a barrow hog, so that the meat would be fully flavored and juicy — that it was a young hog, making the ham thin-skinned and tender — well condi- tioned and fat, insuring the lean of the ham to be tasty and nutritious. The mark certifies that the ham was cured in a liquor nearly good enough to drink, made of granulated sugar, pure 137 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT saltpeter and only a very little salt; this brings out all the fine, rich, natural flavor of the care- fully selected meat, and preserves it without "salty pickling.'* Of course, it follows that to write mterest- ing, convmcing language, one must have the facts and must do some thinking about them. Many people are lazy mentally and do not concentrate enough to create new arguments and new ways of expressing the argument. Men like Mr. Kennedy are noted for their exhaustive study of the subjects that they expect to write about. How could he draw such a true picture of a fine ham and the way it is cured imless he did? Mr. Kennedy has written advertisements about such subjects as lard and water that command a great deal of attention. The Simon Pure Lard advertise- ment facing this page is another example of his work and is a masterpiece. To repeat : such an advertisement represents not only thorough research but concentrated thought. The Mar- tindale Food advertisements, run in Philadel- phia newspapers, are of this interesting, appe- 138 M / S/mo/i'-Piire £m^ JUST try thai once, Madam ! A little three pound pail of it will do. The result will delight, and surprise, you. When you take the cover off be sure to note the beautiful Crisp, waxy, and wrinkled, appearance of this Queen of Shorteners. , What is it? Just purified Lard. Nothing added to it, but a great deal eliminated. All excess of greasy charac- teristics removed. It is made from the few crisp, dry, flakes of kidney Fat found in each Hog. These are, as you know, the choicest of Lard. But a clever Armour Pro- cess makes it choicer still, by extracting every undesirable element, and leaving a rich creamy odor and flavor in place of the porky kind. The removal of these ele- ments naturally lessens the' weight of the Lard. That's why "Simon-Pure" Lard must cost you a trifle more than the commoner kinds. But, -the Pastry it makes ! Tender, light, Digestible, and deliciously toothsome. Being less Greasy than ordin- ary Lard it works into flour ouicker, and goes further, so tnat its slightly higher cost is more than offset in this, and the finer quality of the Pastry it helps to make. Grocers and Butchers every- where sell it, in three pound, five pound and ten pound pails. 'S-, %l / ^4 '\ >s:- ^*v 'S \i»< ^ i \\ \^ / \\ Every Hour our staff of chemists inspect ALPHA Portland Cement throughout each stage of its manufacture, to see that the raw materials are proportioned exactly right ; to be sure that the burning is thorough , that the grinding IS finer llian required by sundard specifications; that the finished product is as good Portland Cement as can be made ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT The High-Water \fark of Quality is then stored for proper seasoning^. \\c Iiave facilities for storing 2.000,000 barrels of ALPHA. Not ^ bag of cement is shipped that is not properly seasoned — that we do not guarantee to more than meet every standard test. ALPHA is an exceptcmal cement, made by a company of twenty-three years* experience whose po'icy has always been to manufacture the best, strongest safe Portland Cement that can be produced. Six great plants on ?ix trunk Iinei — one plant directly on the Hudson, with private docks, ideally situated for Coast, Canal and export jhipment — enaMe us to render ALPH.\ service that IS on a par with the high quality of ALPHA Portland Cement Alpha Portland Cement Co..GeBeral OffioeirEMtoa. Pa. S4let 0 ^S. %^ / ^ \ ^'V R ^' 1^1 / V %^/ 1\> Every Hour our staff of chemists inspect ALPHA Ponland Cement throughout each stage of its manufacture, to see that the raw materials are proportioned exactly right ; to be sure that the burning is thorough , that the grinding IS finer than required by standard specifications , that the finished product is as good Portland Cement as can be made ALPHA PORTLAND CEMENT The High-Water Mark of Quality is then stored for proper seasoning. \\ e have facihties for storing 2.000.000 barrels of ALPHA. Not 9 bag of cement is shipped that is not properly seasoned — tliat we do not guarantee to more tliaii meet every standard test, p ALPHA rs an exceptnnal cement, made by a company of twenty-three years' experience whose policy has always been to manufacture the best, strongest safe Portland Cement that can be produced. Six great plints on six trunk linr« — one plant direcdy on the Hudson, with privaie docks, idraiiy sitiuicd tor Coast. Canal and expon shipment— cnalitc us 10 render ALPH.A service that IS on a par with the hiiih quahly of ALPHA Portland Cement Alpha Portland Cement Co.,Geaenl OfTioecEaitoa. Pi. Salfi (Mic««, New York. Cbicuo. PhiixlHphu. BoMon. Piiisbyrfh. D;il- ttmore, Buff^k), Sxvaniiah. Specify ALPHA "sifa^' The clocks visualize the hourly test argument Originally a 7 X i o page iil: Use Cement That Is Tested Hourly In all ALPHA CEMENT plants the chemist is a real boss. No zeal for large out- put or low operating cost is allowed to ihterfere with his authority or lower his stand- ard. The fact that all large users of cement make their private tests does not lessen our vigilance. Every hour, day and night, our chemists and chemical engineers test ALPHA Portland Cement to see that the raw materials are proportioned exactly right ; that the burning is thorough ; that the grinding is finer than required by stand- ard specifications; that the finished product is as good Portland Cement as can be made. ALPHA llVi'ii}^ The High -Water Mark of Quality is then stored for proper seasoning. We have facilities for storing 2,000,000 barrels of ALPHA. Not a bag of cement is shipped that we do not guarantee to more than meet everj' standard test ALPHA is an exceptional cement, made by a company of twenty-three years' experience, whose policy has always been to manufacture the best, strongest, safe Portland Cement that can be produced. Six great plants on six trunk lines— one plant directly on the Hudson, with private docks, ideaUy^ situated for Coast, canal and export shipment, enable us to render ALPHA service that is on a par with the high quaUty of ALPHA Portland Cement. Alpha Portland Cement Company General Offices: Easton, Pa. S«lM OacM: N«w York. CMcM*. n>Ua4«l|iW«, ■■«tu«, PItuburgb, B«ltliBoia, Bua>lo, SsTUMk. sp«cifyALPt1AluRl The pointing finger and the watch draw attention to the leading point or argument This advertisement was originally a 7 X lo page in the Engineering N'ews ( m SOME AD-WRITING EXPERIENCES . one hundred and fifty words. My subject was Life Buoy Soap. Life Buoy Soap is an excel- lent soap for toilet and general washmg pur- poses, but it has a slight carbolated odor (the odor of carbolic acid), which is disagreeable, or at least unagreeable, to many people, de- spite the fact that the carbolic ingredient in Life Buoy attacks germs, makes the skin sani- tary, and keeps anything that you may wash cleaner than most soaps do. Before the subject came to me for my work, a dozen grocers and druggists had been mter- viewed, had been asked what classes of people bought the soap, what they bought it for, how buyers said they liked it, and so on. Further- more, an experienced investigator had can- vassed nearly a thousand homes in the city of Philadelphia to determine (i) what proportion of the people had bought or were using Life Buoy Soap; (2) why those who had stopped usmg it did so; (3) why those who used Life Buoy regularly liked it and for what purposes they used it most; and other such data. These reports were before me as I wrote, and I had 165 WRITING AN ADVERTISEMENT bought a cake of the soap, examined it care- fully, and used it, so that I could write in full knowledge of the article. The problem, then, was thisi Here is an excellent soap for toilet and general use on sale in drug stores and grocery stores through- out the country, but which is not bought to any great extent mainly because the carbo- lated odor is objectionable — because people do not realize that this smell is a clean smell — that it does not, as a heavy perfume may do, cover up germs. Suppose somethmg like this were written: — BUY LIFE BUOY SOAP once and you will buy it always. You can't use this high-grade soap for your hands or for gen- eral purposes without being convinced that it affords the best and cleanest wash in existence. Don't mind the carbolated odor, for that means only that Life Buoy is death to the germs that are in dirt. Germs are dangerous things and you owe it to yourself to protect yourself against them. Try Life Buoy once and you will buy it always. Five cents a cake at all druggists and grocers. i66 Lay That Cellar Floor Now while you have the time to make a good job of it. Concrete makes a clean, everlastink floor, easily swept or wasned— one that the furnace or hot ashes cannot set ablaze. All the materials you need are good sand and gravel or crushed stone and ALPHA'WCEMENT L ALPHA Cement is sure to produce a fine hard job, for its quality is guarded carefully by chemists tnroughout the process of manufacturing. It is tested every nour, so tnat every hag is sure to be of full strength and binding power. ALPHA is warranted in composition, rineness and tensile strength to more than meet the United States Govern- ment requirements and all other standard tests. ALPHA Portland Cement always gives satisfactory results on the farm. It goes further and is cheaper in actual use than ordinary cements. It makes everlasting walls, walks, driveways, porch floors, silos, posts, troughs, etc. In building for permanence you want the best Portland Cement you can get. Use a brand guaranteed for strength. Insist upon ALPHA and be SURE. The ALPHA Dealer Has a Book for You Our large illustrated ALPHA book shows how to make scores of home-and- tarm improvements. The ALPHA dealer in your community will be glad to give you a copy and tell vou more about everlasting improvements made with ALPHA Cement. If you don't know the ALPHA dealer, write us, mention- ing what you are planning to make or build. Address Dept. General Office*: >»I.IS «)»HCK!»: >»» ><»rk. « hlrmr"' l1ilU»>i V«rli. ( blrara. l'hlU> 1. Take the headline "Dirty Soap is Dangerous and write an advertisement of not less than one hundred and fifty words designed to interest general magazine readers and to draw from them a request for the Soapator booklet. Suggest what illustration you would like to accompany the copy you write. 2. Write, for a retail drug store, an advertisement featuring the Thermos Bottle, which has a vacuum wall that enables the bottle to retain the heat or the cold in a liquid several days. Prices may be mentioned as running from $2 to $5 for the different styles and sizes. _/ XV f! I m:'i> I QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS Chapter XVI. Cumulative Effects, and Tests 1. What is sound and what is unsound in the argument that "repetition makes reputation"? 2. Why is continued impression necessary in order to induce people to buy certain brands of soap, flour, canned goods, etc.? 3. What may be said, on the point of frequency of advertisements, with respect to a department store and an automobile advertiser? 4. What light is shed on the subject of cumulative effect by the fact that often, after magazine advertisements have been discontinued for a year or more, they continue to produce in- quiries? 5. What is keying, and what is the value of it? 6. Why is keying very often only a partial test of the pulling power of advertising? 7. Why is there not as much cumulative effect in the advertising of an encyclopedia as in the ad- vertising of a shaving soap? « 8. Why do some of the best-known stores carry their firm names at the top of their page ad- vertisements? 9. Name some advertisements that are likely to be looked up by readers. Name others that would probably never be looked up, but which must do their work by impressing the reader strongly at the time he first sises the page on which they appear. 10. Why would it be poor policy for the advertisers of Ivory Soap to discontinue or materially re- duce their advertising? xvi ,. QUESTIONS AND PROBLEMS 11. Explain how the character of the article and the class of people appealed to must determine the amount of space that it is best to use for adver- tisements. 12. Discuss duplication of circulation in its effect on the advertiser's interests. 1 3 . What factors other than advertisements in news- papers, magazines, cars, etc., enter into the decision of people to buy certain goods ? 14. In what way is exaggerated and deceptive ad- vertising injurious to the opportunity of the honest advertiser? 15. Is it your opinion that Barnum, the famous showman, was right in his assertion that people like to be humbugged? 16. Why is it advisable to make it as easy as possible for readers to respond to advertising? Explain some methods of making inquiry or response easy. fi <\ ( EvTOEX