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Flesherton Advance, 1 Jul 1920, p. 2

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THE FLESHERTON ADVANCE. ADVERTISING FOR PROFIT IN COUNT RY WEEKLIES By C. L. Brethour, Merlin, Ont. • ' Advortising U the Education of the Public as to who you are, where you are and what you have to offer lu the way of skill, tal- ent or commodity.'' â€" Elbert Hubbard. Having in mind the dearth of goad advcrti»iiiK and more chiefly the abso- lutely slovenly methods of 75 per cent, of the 'space users iii country weeklies, I am constrained to deal with my subject in, not on, a suggestive â- ense, but, also a critical, together with a much nctjative, instruction. Elbert Hubbard has told you what advertising is â€" what it stands for. Let me begin by saying the man who should not advertise is the man who has no skill, talent, service or com- modity to offer the public. That U one way of saying that practically all men in any kind of business should advertise. Over 50 per cent, of the business failures in the United States during the last year were due directly or in- directly to the lack of advertising and to poor advertising. Assuming the above statements to be correct, and they are correct, we ar- rive at two very reasonable conclu- sions: (a) You should advertise your business; (b; You nhould advertise well. If the reader chances to be a business man, a user of space, these conclusions become vital facts. From these two facts we arrive at a third: I'nless you advertise well you cannot profit by it. This brings us to the meat in the nut, for it is concerning this last fact that I wish to write, and principally upon how the advertiser may receive the maximum amount of profit from his ads. There are systems, methods and me- diums of advertising by the score, au<l many advertisers come to grief through using some of tbem. For no one meth- od, if followed closely, can be adopted to all branches of the commercial world in all localities. So the advertiser must use his own judgment, which quality is the pre- dominant one in all good advertising. He must take into consideration the lo- cality and the class of people from where and whom he derives his busi- ness. It is not my intention to deline any particular policy to pursue, but to give advice and suggestions which can be adopted by any advertiser in our coun- try weeklies. It is for these adver- tisers that my article is intended. (a) Let us suppose for instance that your only medium is your local weekly, iiublished on Wednesday or Thursday of each week. Vou must get in a whole »veek 's talk. At lirst thought that seems rather a hard problem. b) Voiir sjiuee. Th;it can only be determined by, primarily, your ambi- tion; secondarily, by the amount of stock you carry and the nature of your business. Too many believe the space is determined by what they imagine they can afford to pay. This belief is the prime cause of failures due to poor advertising. If it is your ambition to double your business over last year's, why then, you should double your advertising. Use enough space. I'rinting ink never lost any man money when used with sound judgment. Make your B|iace pay its keep. To this I (jffer a number of points to be observed in order of merit. Let us consider your ad. in its true light, as a salesman. It is your best ])aid salesman. It is the only salesman you have in your power to make or to break. It is not a silent salesman. It talks, talks to many, where the poor individ- ual talks to bpt a few. Make it talk as you would expect a first-class sales- man in your store to talk. Dress it as you would like td^see an individual salesman in your store dressed. Don't keep it choked up and dowdy in appearance. Change its dresB regularly. Keep uj) its personality. Let it bi' of service to the people. That's what a good salesniiin is for really. ..., It is your best public servant -your best message bearer, and ,18 I'said be- fore, your best sali'sniaii. And if you treat it as such il will not fail you. Faults in Copy. I will not enumerate many everyday faults will) oojpy sent to the publi.'iher and suggestions to remedy them: 1. 'loo much copy, or to use the trade phrase, "Copy too heavy for the •pace." H. Too much descriptive talk. 3. Too much umtter irrelevant to the measagt'. 4. Obscuring your message. ."5. Too brief in your descriptive matter. li. Too light eojiy. Too brief copy a fairly good fault, but one that can be overdone if practiced consistently. 7. Copy that does not lend itself to attractive display. (.\ few faults prevalent among layout men (those who design the form the ad sliall take). S. Too nun'h effort at originality by using complex layouts. y. Bad ideas of proportion. 10. Improper display. 11. Disorderly arrangenu'ut. With regard to No. 1 â€" a very com- mon fault. If you, when writing your ad., would take the trouble to look at some of the well set, well written ads. in your trade journals (You can pick them out easily â€" the ones that appeal to you first), you could correct this fault yourself. However, write your ad. as you would have it appear, on a sheet slightly larger than the space your ad. occupies. Allow plenty of white margin between the body of your ad and the border, the sauie mar- gin top, bottom and sides. I'lenty of white space between [laragraphs, lines or panels. In other words, keep the white .space uniform and word your copy in brief, understamlable, forceful language, right to the point and carry- ing conviction. And you will have a copy that will not choke or overcrowd your space. No. 2 is covered pretty much by the latter part of my comment on No. 1. Nos. ^ and 4. I picked up a weekly paper some time ago and in glancing over the ads came across one of a shoe merchant. His message was simply that he had received a shipment of ladies' and gents' boots and was now showing them at the right price. He got at it by telling the people how long he had been in business; how his business how grown; his s(iuiire meth- ods of dealing and a lot of tommy-rot â€" in this case. Then he cann^ to his message. How many shoes would his ad sell! Not many. If he had said, "New 8hi[iment of ladies' and gents' lioots now showing at right prices," le would have had a far more profit- able ad. .\ history of business is all right in its place, but keep it separate (roni general advertising, anil you will show far better taste. The above is a fair example of the faults. Xos. .'S and 4. Keep to your point. Describe plainly and concisely. So. .I. â€" To correct this, I offer an example: A hardware merchant ad- vertising a line of stores dwelt at length on the metal durability an^l then branched off on the mi'rits of the lirm who manuf.ictured them; wound up by giving a few details as to fire box. Whether they burned coal, wood or gas; then quoted a few prices. This is a good example of an ad lacking in discriptive matter-too much irrcle- \ant matter, jpoor arrangcMnent and se- cpieuce, and speaks for itself. Do not ramble around the subjeet. Cover each i.ecessary point as briefly and plainly as you consistently cm. You can talk an iudividiuil out of buying just as laay as you can talk him into buying. Vour ad will sell an article on its mer- its or interest your patrons in the ar- ticle. No. 7. This fault present.s a subject in itself and space will not permit me to deal with it, only in a, perhaps, su- pirlieial way. Hooks of "many pages iiave l)een written on the subject of dispbiy and it is impossible to con- di'use in one short paragraph the en- tire contents of a large textbook. What is display f Heally the outstaml- iug features. The immediate ap])eal ing points of attraction or the distinct- ive features are known as display or elTeet. Arrangement of head lines sub be.'idings, white space body, mar gin, paniudling, rules and cut ofl' rule,- and border make display. One Important Factor. The one iuipijrtaut factor is arrange nuuit. Auil one thing that is being recognized to day as having the great est influence on display is white spaei'. One small paragraph of six or eight point body tyi>e can be as ert'eetively, and more artistically, disiilayed by |)roper use of white space as if it were set in 3t) point Cheltenham bidd. One method of displaying an ad. which I believe can be applied with gooil re- sults is as follows: Treat your ad as cuie big sentence, and ebose the sub- ject from the predicate. In other words, pick out your message and work that into your first display headline. For example: If we advertise our an- nual sale of ladies' dresses. This, of all the ad, shoubl have the display heiidiiig. In using the best frieml of display â€" while space â€" we should treat the words, "ladies' ilresses, '' more boldly than the word.s, "annual sale of," as "annual sale of ladies' MK. GEORGE E. BUNTINO. Newly Appointed Australasian Man- ager of the Canadian Government Merchant Marine Iilmlted. .Mr. Bunting began in the transpor- tation business with the Grand Trunk when nineteeu years of age. Later he was with the Lehigh Valley at Buffalo and afterwards with the Canada At- lantic Railway at Ottawa. He became traveling freight agent for the Allen .Steaniabip Company when the Canada Atlantie, Kailway w^as absorbed info the Grand Trunk system, and in 191."! was promoted to the general agency of the Allan steamship Lines in Cbi- cago, where he remained until 1917. When the "National" Merchant Marine was organized, Mr. Bunting was made geucral agent for Ontario. Last December he was sent to Austra- lia and New Zealand to organize agen- cies for the Canadian Government .Merchant Marine, bis appointment as .Vustralasian manager following his work in that connection. For the Motorist dresses." By using it in this manner: Annual Sale â€" ofâ€" LADIE.S' DKKS8ES, we have a more tasty and better dis- play th.nn by treating it thus: ANNUAL SALK OF LADIES' DKESSES. For we show a better effect by a modi- hcatioa of the secondary matter in the intention of our ad. .Now, we should chose a brief line of forceful selling talk. In this case more refined talk tliaii you would use ill selling hardware, for you are sell- ing a more refined article. Do not use too much talk or you will lose the in terest of your reader. Allow for a good margin of white space to bring it up. If you are quoting prices on specials here is the place to do it. Your head- ings and price lines ahould be of the same value and use the same judg- ment in the matter of white space as you have done in your opening. If you use columns or panels equal- ize your copy and your margins so that you obtain a good balance. Avoid, when possible, the use of cut-off rules ill narrow panelling. Plenty of space between items give a more-to-be-de- sircd ofl'ect. The .same apjdies betweiui your signature and the ail matter. Correct Balance. Now to be sure your hal.aiiee is cor- rect. A good plan is to imagine our (iiiisheil ad as balanced iqiou the point of a lead pencil, placed under its ex- act center. Imagine if you can the co])y you have used as weights. The heavier the type, the heavier the weight. Have you so arranged your copy that the slieet would balance on flic point of a pencil. It you have, and have followed the suggestions given above, your result will bo a well ar- ranged, well displayed, and well bal- anced ad. In the foregoing I <iave covered the faults of layout men, except Nos. 8 and !•. While many pleasing effects can be olitaiuod by conqilex layouts, in most cases the message is hard to read, and in others very much obscureil. It looks i>leusing to the eye, but it does not get any farther. Ho attempts at ell'iH'ts are better left in the hands of experts. Of No. !l. Many layout men in pan- elling are prone to give unequal copy and utterly spoiling a balance. Over- crowding in one space, too light in others, show very bad proportioniziug of copy. If you attempt any panel work or columniug, always endeavor to make your copy balance. I would again like to impress upon you these points: Use plenty of white space. Use good English. Use understandable words. Use just enough of them. Use good arrangement. Use good display. Use plenty of space. And above all, use good judgment. IT DOESN'T PAY TO SPARE CARE FOR SPARE TIRE. "It doesn't pay to be sparing in attoution to that spare tire on the rear of your car," says H A. Githens, general sales manager of the Federal Tire company. "If the average motorist would remember that air leaks out of that spare tire in almost the same proportion as it does out of the tire on the wheel, he would save himself a wo/il of trouble. It is mighty aggravat- ing to get out in the country and find that spare tire in a squashy condition and your air pump missing or ou^of repair. "Air stations are numerous enough so that there is no ex- cuse for such an experience. Keep that spare tire inflated. It represents a very considerable iiivestmcut and you don't collect on that investment unless the spare is given the same atten- tion as the tire that is in actual use. "It is important, also, that the spare tire be securely fastened in its holder. Tires loosely held have been known to be 'practi- cally ruined through undue wear at one point or another. Proper iuHatiou will have a tendency to overcome this evil. Remember, also, thut tires deteriorate with age and exposure to the ele- ments. Protracted service as a spare cuts down the mileage of that tire. Give the spare some service. Don't let it 'deadheail' on the back of your car until it has lost much of its mileage. Also cover the tire and protect it, insofar as possible, from the weather." SAFETY DON'TS FOR MOTORISTS. Don't forget to slow down at street or road intersections. It may save a human life. Don't forget to look to the right and the left before passing a railroad cross- ing. Don't forget, when signalled by a vehicle in your rear, to turn slightly to the right and allow such vehicle to pass you on your left. Don't forget the pedestrians. They, too, have rights on the streets and highways. Don't forget that every motor ve- hicle must be registered in the uame of the owner, effective February 1 of each year. Don't forget to use extra precau tions when you see a child crossing a highway. Don't forget that in case of accideut you must stop immediately aud give your uame, address and license number to the injured party or a police oflicer. If no police officer is in the vicinity of the place of injury or accident, re- port the same to the nearest police station or judicial officer. vents stalling the engine iu a danger- ous place. Drive slowly at turns in the road iu order to have sufficient time to avoid a vehicle that is coming toward you. In passing a car from the rear al- ways sound your horn, as the driver of the car may unintentionally cut in ahead of you. Drive slowly at crossroads, for an- other car may be coming, attempting to cross at the same time. On bridges, embankments and nar- row roads take a slow pace, keeping the car under instant control. On approaching the brow of a hill be sure you are on the right side of the road. Som^^one may be approach- ing from the opposite direction. Stop when there is an accident, whether it is your fault or not, and render all the assistance possible. Sound the horn when approaching a turn in the road or the brow of a hill, for another ear may be coming toward you. FOBDma A STREAM. Now and then in the course of an automobile trip a car has to pass through a stream, and the question is sometimes discussed whether the action of the water is harmful to the tires. The same question arises when a car is out in a heavy rain. .\^ large tire company answers the (|uestion by stating that the effect of such a wetting is practically nothing at all, either for damage or improve- ment. .A,t any rate the effect on the tire is not harmful. The two chief constituents of a tii . are rubber and cotton, both vegetable substances, and as a rule water does not injure vege- table matter. If running through a brook result- ed in cooling a tire, the effect would be decidedly beneficial, but a quick dash through the water has little ef- fect on the heated air within the tire and consequently the temperature change in the tire after its bath is negligible. Water itself apparently does no harm to tires, but the combination of air and moisture commonly known as hu- midity is very destructive, especially on the cotton iu ordinary fabric tires. The moist air works iu between the layers of fabric and rots them out, sometimes even before the tires leave the dealer's storeroom. The harmful effect of moist air is the chief reason why, when tires are stored, they should be kept in a dry atmosphere. .\s sunlight is harmful, the storage place should be dark. ADVICE TO GIRLS By Rosalind RmgUttr^d According to th« Copy* right Act Dear Kosaliud: â€" 1 am a girl of eigateen and was go- ing with a boy three years my senior this summer. A short time ago I was away on my holidays. While away he wrote to me steadily. The night I was coming home there was to be a dance in the town where I was visit- ing. This boy was motoring for me in the evening. That evening I heard something 1 did not like, so ignored him and went home with someone else. Since then he has gone to the city and I have not heard of him since. I did not realize till now that I cared ao much for him. Should I write and apalogize and ask him to let thinga be as they used tb bef HEABTBBOKEN'. Y'ou do not say what it was you heard of your friend, or whether the story was true or not, so I am aot in a position to offer any advice. I think, however, that it was rather rude on your part to ignore the young man when he had motored from another town for the express purpose of see- ing you, unless, of course, you were very sure of your information, and it was something detrimental to his char- acter. If you have found since that it was just idle gossip you certainly ome hiw an apology. I doubt very much whether you will ever be able to resume your friendship on the same footing. BOSALIND. TIRE DON'TS. Don't ruu your car with the wheels out of alignment. Wheels that "don't track" arc gluttons for rubber. Don't let your inflation get below the point reeomuieuded by the tire dealer. Uuderiutlation is keeping thou- sands of tire builders working over- time. Don't overiuHate. If you like the sensation of solid tires, buy a wagon. Don't ignore small cuts. A patch in time saves dollars. Don't buy tires smaller thau recom- mended by the manufacturer for a cur of the weight of the one you own. It isn 't economy. Don't insist upon having tiates Half- Sole Tires applied over ciircasses the dealer says are not worth half soling. Don't forget to remove aud reverse your inner tubes every three months. They a|ipreciate a change and will pay for it. Don't buy a iiauieless tube or casing. The manufaeturer who is afraid to put his name on Wis product is ashamed of the goods. Don't blame the tire if it "blows" after standing idle iu a warm garage all winter. Tires don't thrive on a hibernation diet of heat, oil and grease. AUTO DO'S. / Always keep your car under perfect control. Become thoroughly familiar with your local traffic regulations and fol- low them to the letter. Drive using the lower gears. Shift- ing of the gears really stiows a good driver and at the same time often i)re OIL AND RUBBER. A word of caution may be necessary regarding excess pump lubrication. Oil or grease is one of the greatest ene- mies of rubber. If it is necessary to lubricate the interior of the pump, first remove the hose and after lubrication give the pump twenty or thirty vigor- ous strokes to eject any excess lubri- caut, which would otherwise remain in the pump or the hose connection, aud would be forced into the inuer tube. DRIVE RIGHT. Don't hog the ro.-ul. Obey all traffic signals. Don't stop on car tracks to wait for signal. Keep near the curb. Don't go ahead of the officer's sig- nal and then sav vou did not see him. Don't turn in the middle of the block in narrow side streets. Don't fail to report accidents to the police department. Try not to delay traffic by killing your engine. THE OLDEST THING ALIVE. In the churchyard of the village of Santa Maria del Tule, iu Southern Mexico, stands a cypress tree which is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000 years old, and probably the oldest liv- ing thing in the world. It was first discovered by Humboldt, 100 years ago, who nailed a wooden tablet to the trunk. In the English language there are more surnames with "W" than any other letter. Dear Kosalind: â€" I am a young lady of 19, and have beeu secretly, but with the conaent of my parents, engaged to ^ man four years my senior. We are waiting to announce the engagement next mouth, as the father of my finauce will arrive home from Europe then. He, however, has beeu informed of our engagement aud approves of it. Now, I am in an unusual predica- ment. About two months ago i spent an evening with oue J. X have known J. all my life, and although we have always beeu friends aud I have seen him rather often during the last few years, we never were intimate. Well, on that evening 1 spent with him, al- though my fiance was with us, of course, I became madly infatuated with J. I have seen him only twice siuce then, but think of him constant- ly aud cannot get him out of tny thoughts. J. is much better esteemed publicly thau my tiauce; in fact, although he is only L'O years old, he holds a respon- sible position in a bank here and has a wide range of friends among the older as well as the younger meu. He has always beeu "kidded" about his genuine iudiffereuce towards girls aud IS kuuwu to be a woman hater. Our friendship has always beeu platonio, aud therefore 1 have no reason to be- lieve that, ahould I break my engage- ment, he would pay any more attention to me than he ever has. However, 1 cannot marry the man X am engaged to now. That would be unfair to him, . to myself. How should X go about breaking it J Should X tell him the real reason; J., by the way, has been informed of our eugagcmeut aud might shun me after X break it, as he is also a good friend of my fiance 's. X'lease help me out. X will watch your column aud pray that you will answer me soou. X have managed to show no symptoms to my family or my liauce, but the day is near when X sim- ply will not be able to longer endure liis caresses, as X do not love kim the way X thought I did. MAKXE. Xf you're willing to be an uncom- plaining loser iu the gamble for the. second man's heart, iu case the fates decide that way for you, all right and good. 1 cau imagiue your situation be- iug a perfectly honest problem from your heart 's point oi view. On the other hand, it might be an iudieatiou of fickleness. In any event, if your fiance's caresses and attentions are un- bearable, you would be playing the game most unfairly with him to go on. All things considered, including your age, it would bo better to break the engagement and ask for six months or a year's time to decide. ROSALIND. Thackeray used to lift his hat when- ever he passed the house in which hs wrote "Vanity Fair." ' ' The officer says you us?d bad lan- guage. ' • "When he stopped me I was in a tantrum." ".Never mind the make of the car." Soundings have been obtained over all parts of the ocean, even in the two Polar seas. The Russian eats on an average once every two hours. More fish is eaten b^ the Japanese than by any other nation. In the Amazon there are known to exist at least 2,000 species of fish. V . IDE MARTIN- Joe Squeezes Into A Hotel > .â- -â- <

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