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THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
EDWARD LYMAN BILL - Editor and Proprietor
J. B. SPILLANE, Managing Editor
Executive and Reportorfal Stalls
W. II. DYKES,
F. H. THOMPSON,
J. FUYDHN CLABBNDON,
B. BRITTAIN WILSON,
L. J. CHAMBERLIN,
A. J. NICKLIN.
GEO. B. KEI-LEB,
L. B. BOWERS,
BOSTON OFFICE:
,
CHICAGO OFFICE
E)RNIIST L. WAITT, 100 Boylston St.E. P. VAN HARLINOBN, Room 806,156 Waba»h Ave.
Telephone, Central 414.
PHILADELPHIA:
MINNEAPOLIS and ST. PAUL:
ST. LOUIS:
R. W. KAtrrrifAN.
ADOLF EDSTEN.
SAN FRANCISCO:
CHAS. N. VAW BCBUN.
S. H. GRAY, 2407 Sacramento St.
CINCINNATI. O.: BERNARD C. BOWBN.
BALTIMORE, MD.: A. ROBERT FRENCH.
LONDON, ENGLAND: 69 Baslnghall St., B. C.
W. LIONEL STURDY, Manager.
Published Every Saturday at 1 Madison Avenue, New York
Entered at the New York Post Office as Second Class Matter.
SUBSCRIPTION, (including postage). United StateB and Mexico, |2.00 per year;
Canada, $3.50 ; all other countries, $4.00.
ADVERTISEMENTS, $2,00 per Inch, single column, per Insertion. On quarterly or
yearly contracts a special discount Is allowed. Advertising Pages, $60.00; opposite
reading matter. $75.00.
REMITTANCES, In other than currency form, should be made payable to Edward
l.yman Hill.
Music Publishers'
An Interesting feature of this publication Is a special depart-
Department Tr» v» ment devoted exclusively to the world of music publishing.
Exposition Honors Won by The Review
Grand Prise
Paris Exposition, 1900 Silver Medal. Charleston Exposition, 1902
Diploma.Pan-American Exposition, 1901
Gold Medal
St. Louis Exposition, 1904
Gold Medal
Lewis-Clark Exposition, 1905.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONES-NUMBERS 4677 and 4678 GRAMERCY
Connecting all Departments.
Cable address: "Elblll, New York."
NEW
YORK,
OCTOBER
A
ND again we may go into certain sections of the country and
we will find that a form of coupon advertising seems popular
with the people. In other words, an advertising system which
would work out successfully in some sections of the country could
not be profitably applied to another part. But the prominent ad-
vertiser, no matter what scheme or plan he may favor in his desire
to interest the public, must tell the truth and not deceive.
Some of the big concerns have developed advertising plans
which include the giving of coupons, and they have stated that all
of their pianos are marked in plain figures and will be offered abso-
lutely at one price. Now if this be true and they distribute
coupons as prizes, what is there dishonorable in advertising such
a plan?
We have before us a letter issued by a well-known Western
concern in which it is stated that they desire to give a few pros-
pective customers the amount formerly spent in newspaper adver-
tising, in coupon work. In this connection, they state the prizes
are not advanced to cover any portion of this coupon and the one
who has a coupon need not mention the fact that they have such
a document in their possession when visiting the store, but select
the piano and the amount of the coupon will be deducted from the
price of any instrument.
Now, of course, all of these propositions are simply means em-
ployed for the development of trade and there are some who term
them undignified and lowering to piano selling, and yet the retailer
is confronted by a problem to-day to interest people to the extent
of purchasing his wares. How is he going to do it? Invariably
the answer is found in a publicity campaign. In other words, there
must be some inducement made to people to purchase and during
such times as we have passed through during the past twelve months
it follows as a natural sequence that individual campaigns must be
attractive in order to induce people to purchase pianos. Advertis-
ing of all kinds is desirable, but it is certain that piano dealers will
not all follow the same kind and if they did there would be no
variety or spice.
24, 1908
W
EDITORIAL
READER of The Review, in a communication addressed to
this publication, said: "I was interested in your editorial
last week, in which you referred to coupon advertising and I think
that you summed up the situation succinctly when you asked what
•will put a stop to such advertising as long as the companies which
advertise the coupon plan make good all promises made. In Kansas
City we have had quite a little combat, as doubtless you have seen,
between prominent music trade houses, one of which indulged in
coupon advertising. While this house has not followed such a plan,
yet we do not believe in censuring others because they do not view
the publicity campaign in just the same light as ourselves."
Every business house is anxious to interest the buying public
to purchase its wares, and if the question what is the solution of
the problem—"How to get more business ?" were shouted from the
housetops, back would come the answering chorus, "Advertise."
Now all men do not view advertising in the same light. The
house of John Wanamaker, which is admittedly one of the foremost
advertising concerns in the world, varies its form of inducing the
public to come Wanamakerward by concerts, "the house palatial
plan" and reviving reminiscences of the first merchant prince,
Alexander T. Stewart.
The Wanamaker advertisements are clever, original, and they
attract people from a wide area.
Cities advertise by the celebration of some historic anniversary
-—it may be the anniversary of the founding of the city, but in any
event parades and pageants are gotten up to attract sightseers, who
are expected to leave a fair amount of coin within the walls of the
city before their departure. This is advertising and the merchants
all enter into that form generously.
The Aeolian Company believe in buying big space in the daily
papers and magazines and telling their story in the most attractive
manner known, to the advertising scientist. The advertisements
put forth by this house are dignified and entertaining, and are always
read.
A
REVIEW
HILE advertising is indeed the weapon with which one can
fortify business against the attacks of competition, it must
be advertising of the right kind—advertising which will cause the
people to gravitate to business establishments and become interested
to the extent of making purchases.
Now a man who is selling a single line or a specialty product
has not the opportunity which the great department emporiums
have when the)' offer for sale everything that is desired to make
modern life comfortable. Therefore, individual plans must be got-
ten up, and as long as business plans do not embody a fraudulent
act or misrepresentation, how can they be justly criticized? Re-
cause they may be undignified is not a fair answer to the question.
The Austrians said that Napoleon did not follow the generally ac-
cepted plans of warfare. When they expected him to do one thing
he did the exact opposite, which, of course, was unkind to the
Austrian generals, but excellent for Napoleon.
No business establishment can win the confidence of the public
and retain it without giving that public a square deal, and the basis
of all permanent mercantile success is confidence. Note the ex-
tremes to which the retail mail order houses are willing to go in
order to establish confidence in their customers' minds. To com-
pete with successful houses one must be at least willing to convince
customers that they are in earnest in every statement made.
Now if a concern issues coupons which may be applied to the
purchase of pianos and these pianos are not advanced in price to
cover the coupon discounts, why is it not a legitimate business
proposition? Of course, it may be said that it is beating the one
price devil around the stump, but there are other ways as well.
When one begins to criticize the act of individual music trade con-
cerns which are engaged in some specialty form of advertising, it is
pretty difficult to tell where to draw the line, for there are many
plans which have been put forth with a view to drawing trade in
the past few years that have not been approved by a large majority
of the music trade fraternity. One thing is pretty certain, when a
business man begins to throw stones at his neighbor, he must be
watchful of his own glass front. He must have it pretty well
boarded up, else the one he attacks may heave a few bricks in re-
turn and as a result there will be costly plate-glass demolished on
both sides without benefiting either party.