THE first tangible Return from the Advertiser's money, when invested in Space, (whether that Space be filled with "General Advertising" or with "Mail-Order Advertising,") is an Inquiry for his goods.
That Inquiry may be verbal to a Clerk over the counter, or-it may be by Mail, in a written, stamped, and posted letter.
But, in either case, it is just an Inquiry for the goods, of one sort or another. It is the first practical evidence that the money spent is earning something tangible in return.
Now-it may take twice or three times as much Conviction in Copy to make a Consumer write an Inquiry for goods, and post it, as it would have taken to make that same Consumer inquire verbally for the goods advertised, when passing a store that should sell them.
But, when he does inquire verbally from a Retailer, there are twice or three times as many chances of substitution, of "Don't-keep-it" or "Here's-something-better," as there would have been if that same Consumer had written direct for it by Mail.
Therefore, the Advertisement which sends Consumers to Retailers, should be as full of Conviction as the successful Mail-Order Advertisement, in order to fortify that Consumer against substitution, "Don't-keep-it," and "Here's-something-better."
Because, if the Advertisement fails to thus fortify the Consumer with "Reason- Why" and Conviction, it may simply send him to the Retail Store to be switched on to a competing line of goods with which the Retailer is heavily stocked, or which his Clerks favor the sale of in preference to ours.
In that case the Advertising we pay for would sell goods for our non-advertising Competitors.
Half the money spent to "Keep-the-Name-before-the-People" results to-day in this substitution of non-advertised articles for the articles advertised through General Publicity.
"General Publicity" Copy, when tested, is found in almost every case too Weak to sell goods profitably by Mail.
And, any copy which is not strong enough, or convincing enough, to sell goods by mail, is not strong enough to make the Consumer resist substitution, and the "Don'tkeep- that-kind" influence of Retail conditions.
"General Advertising" Copy, to succeed, profitably, must therefore cause not only a verbal Inquiry for the goods, but must also have enough strong conviction saturated into it to make the Consumer insist upon getting the goods he asks for, against probable substituting influence.