SIXTY PER CENT of all new Advertisers fail!
Largely because they spend their money for Space, under the delusion that Space filled with anything "Catchy" is "Advertising."
They believe "Money Talks" in Advertising, even when it says nothing.
They forget that Space costs the same, whether we fill it with Pictured Nothings or with enduring Convictions.
And the difference, in Results, between two kinds of "copy," costing the same for space, in a single advertisement, has often exceeded 80 per cent, as authenticated Records on test cases prove.
General Advertisers, who have no means of tracing direct results, and who spend their money for "General Publicity, may smile at this.
But, Mail-Order Advertisers know it is true.
These are the kind of Advertisers to whom Advertising is not a blind speculation, but systematic eye-open investment.
Their records show the precise cost of every inquiry for their goods through advertising, because their every Advertisement in every Medium is separately keyed.
They can thus gauge accurately the relative earning power of each separate bit of copy published at their expense, and of each medium in which that copy has been inserted.
They thus know what kind to avoid, as well as what kind to use.
Please note that the current definition of "General Publicity" is "Keeping-the- Name-before-the-People."
When we speak of "General Advertising" we mean copy which sells goods through the Retailer.
(Note that General Advertisers are NOT hereby "advised" to GO INTO MAILORDER BUSINESS).
However, GENERAL ADVERTISING should possess as much positive
SELLING-FORCE and CONVICTION as it would NEED to actually and profitably SELL Goods direct BY MAIL.
Here is the actual experience of a well-known national Advertiser, who sells a $5.00 article by mail only.
This Advertiser has proved that a certain fixed average per cent of his Inquiries convert into direct sales through his "follow-up" system.
Each equally good Inquiry is therefore worth a certain fixed price to him, which he can pay with profit.