WASTE IN ADVERTISING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4777, 17 November 1924, Page 4

WASTE IN ADVERTISING.

BUSINESS INFORMATION. (Editorial appearing in the NewZealand Accountant section of the “Mercantile Gazette,”, October 24, 1924.) One of our readers unburdens himself as follows: “A dapper little man called at our office on May 29, 1923, soliciting an advertisement for ‘The Timbuctoo tourist Guide,’ a publication of a first-rate grade to be circulated widely, particularly at the great International Exhibition at Wembley, where thousands of copies were to be given away. This was the very thing we were looking for, as we were most anxious to avail ourselves of such a splendid medium. We signed up and paid a deposit of £4, leaving £l2 to be paid on issue of the publication. We sent forward the advertisement, but a promised proof was never received. We had the utmost difficult}' in getting replies to of inquiry as to what was being done, and we discovered that the dapper little man had disappeared from .the scene. “Last month a copy of the wonderful book was sent to ns, but not * word about the circulation of free copies at Wembley. The little man apparently sold out to another firm, but from the latter it has not been possible to secure satisfactory information as to the promised distribution in England. Altogether the transaction has been a most unsatisfactory one, and we wonder .'f other subscribers have had a similar experience. We have doubts as to our liability to make any further payment.’’ As we are not in possession of the contract that our correspondent signed we are unable to definitely advise him as to his liability, but on the facts submitted it would seem as if the advertisers have good reason to repudiate the contract. If part of the consideration was the distribution of the guides at Wembley, and the publication was issued too late for this to be done, the publishers will have a slim chance of enforcing payment, unless, of course, they have teen astute enough to obtain the sahction of their clients to the variation in the contract. There seems to be a kind of glamour about advertising that fascinates even the keenest men of commerce. Apply sound business sense to some of the stunts that, are taken up in the guise of advertising by .these men, and they would stand aghast, it is a curious thing, but the business community as ,a class seems to be fair game for these itinerant stunt publicity solicitors. By far the greater proportion of these publications are produced as a meant of securing advertisements. They possess little or no vaiue as publicity media, and the main claim to consideration is that st

gives a fat living to the glib salesmen who fatten on the vanity of their vic-, tirns. . Advertising in a sense is an intangible commodity. Its value cannot be measured by a foot rule or a spring balance, and as the true worth of any publicity calls for keen discrimination and judgment, it follows that there are few men expert enough or experienced enough to give a reliable estimate. The hard-headed man of business who has been taken down by the artful dodgers of the advertising game seldom falls for the “get-rich-quick Wallingford” stunts that are so skilfully handled by the commission salesman, but, as the Americans saj, “Tnere js one born every minute,” and we are afraid that the unsophisticated trader parts with a good share of his profits on worthless schemes in the fond belief that he is advertising. If a retailer increases the size of his shop, or engages extra staff, or carries a larger stock, it is possible to gauge whether .the extension is profitable or not by the direct returns in extra business. In advertising, however, this is not so easily asceitained, particularly if the retailer is using various forms of publicity. Because of this lack of check propositions that men of experience know to be positively valueless obtain support and flourish sometimes better than a genuine scheme. It is not an uncommon practice for “fake” publications that have no real, circulation oi influence to carry for practically nothing an advertisement for a leading advertiser as a bait for less experienced traders. The fact of seeing the announcement of a man whom you regard as a sound buyer is not always conclusive evidence that the scheme possesses merit. We do not hold a brief fo*’ any particular class of advertising. Generally, however, it is agreed by experts who should know the business that newspapers and magazines which possess a definite circulation offer the best value to advertisers. The very fact that all the leaders in the advertising field consistently use this class of media, not only in New Zealand,, but the world over, is convincing proof that the Press comes first. Another golden maxim is that, publications that are given away indiscriminately are not valued by the recipients, and offer poor value to the advertiser. Probably the best method of ail is a direct personal letter, but this is expensive, and it is difficult to locate all possible purchasers. It reaches all prospects at a minimum cost. If, however, a firm has a good list of customers, it would be folly not to announce special items and keep in touch by means of a folder or boiklet occasionally. Hoarding advertising, tram-cars, railways, window displays, and sampling all have their proper value under certain conditions, and it would be foolish for us to dogmatise as to any particular form of publicity. The

opinions of experts differ as to the relative values of the various kinds of advertising that may oe taken ap, but all will agree, that most of the hotel menu; hotel 'directory, guide book, variety of stunt advertising, means money thrown away except for the small share that reaches the printer and the paper merchant. The surprising thing is that hundreds of pounds can be frittered away in these so-called advertising schemes. If, however, business men were to look at the propositions in their true light, and regard the expenditure as charity pure and simple, there would soon be a diminution of the evil. In this connection the accountant can do his part. By analysing the advertising expenditure, and showing his firm or chief just how much has been wasted on so-called advertising, he will be rendering a distinct service ,t,o his employer, and also tc advertising itself. Too many business men do not believe in publicity because they have never tried the effect of true publicity. They have probably wasted their money on bad propositions, and they blamed .advertising, v.hereas advertising in the correct sense of the term did not get a chance.