Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
PLAYER SECTION
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 25, 1916
Simplicity and Intelligibility Are Two of the Chief Essentials to Be Used in
Advertising the Player-Piano — The Importance of Presenting the Desir-
ability of the Player, Rather Than Merely Giving a Mechanical Argument
No matter what be the article you wish to
advertise, the first principle to be laid down is
this: A successful advertisement is one that is
seen, read and understood by the majority of
those who might reasonably be expected to
think about its subject matter.
It does not at all follow that the advertise-
ment which is understood by everybody who
may ride in a street car, or read a newspaper,
is the best advertisement; for the higher the
class of the goods advertised, the more im-
portant is the manner of the appeal and the
less important its universality.
You do not
advertise Tiffany in the words you use to intro-
duce the offerings of an instalment jeweler, nor
I'ackards in the language employed to sell
Fords.
Intelligibility a Matter of Conditions
The generalization regarding intelligibility is
sound; but intelligibility must not be had just
for its own sake at the sacrifice of all other
qualities. We must not be so elementary that,
although the laborer who cannot buy our goods
can read and understand our appeal, the man
who has the money to buy them is repelled by
crudeness and lack of artistic style.
Hence it is highly important that the nature
of the article to be advertised should be under-
stood thoroughly, and likewise carefully studied
in relation to its possible appeal, before the
manner of its advertisement is decided on.
In advertising musical instruments one is
advertising luxuries—in the technical sense of
that term. One is advertising something not
essential to the preservation of life. It follows
from the very nature of such articles that any
appeal made to the public mind must be on the
score of desirability, not of necessity. Now that
which is desirable rather than necessary must
be advertised so as to conceal its non-essential-
ity and emphasize its educative or pleasure
bringing or other desire-promoting qualities.
Therefore, in all advertising of the luxury article
the manner of presentation is everything, and
the matter hardly anything.
The Case of the Player-Piano
If we review all the advertising that has been
done for the benefit of the piano and of the
player-piano, we shall be surprised to notice that
the above principle has not been sufficiently
perceived, and certainly has not been applied.
For the desirability of the piano has surely not
been emphasized. We have always talked and
advertised as if the market for pianos were auto-
matically created day by day. We have never
yet told the American people convincing facts
to prove to them that they ought to have pianos
and so the possession of a piano has been
brought about either by love for music in some slangy. To be intelligible means to know exactly
individual member of the family, pr by the what you want to say and to say it in your own
feeling that one must have a piano because perfectly natural way.
Player advertising has failed in this requisite.
everybody else has one.
In consequence, we sell half as many pianos It is usually too technical. This is because its
technicalities are not understood by the adver-
as we might and could sell.
The player-piano is in the same situation. tisement writer and therefore what is mysterious
When player-pianos first came on to the market to him he cannot make clear to others. It is
there is no doubt that much was done to create usually too vague. This is because one cannot
a genuine desire for them. But the pioneers be clear in reference to matters of which one
lost heart early in the game (with a few bright has only second-hand knowledge. The idea that
exceptions) and the advertising gradually de- you can write about music production unless
generated into a price and terms contest, so you know something about music, at least
that in course of time the public has forgotten enough to enjoy it intelligently, is absurd.
Style
everything about the player except that it is a
The matter of style is directly bound up with
"self-playing piano" which you can buy as
cheaply and on as easy terms, as you could buy intelligibility. There is not the least reason
in the world why one should be deliberately un-
an ordinary piano ten or twelve years ago.
We arc all aware that the piano business and grammatical in writing an advertisement. The
the player business too need revivifying. Truly, Bible, Washington's farewell address, Lincoln's
we are all busy just now, but we are not making * Gettysburg speech, the Constitution, the Dec-
profits in proportion to our volume of business. laration, all are models of perfect grammatical
As business has increased in volume, profits construction, severely beautiful, classically cor-
have gone down. It is beginning to be seen rect. Lincoln's Gettysburg oration lasted per-
that the principal reason for so remarkable a haps two minutes; and is probably the finest
state of affairs is to be found in the prices and piece of prose the nineteenth century has pro-
terms; conditions which, in turn, have been duced of its kind. It is the work of a man
brought about by the neglect to keep the public born in poverty and self-educated. Yet it is
vitally interested in the player-piano as a thing regarded by the greatest of stylists as beyond
desirable of itself and to be possessed at a reproach. Is it not absurd that the advertising
of clean, fine, desirable, exquisitely constructed
sacrifice if necessary.
and exquisitely efficient instruments like the
Time to Go Back
modern
piano and player-piano should be exe-
Reaction is not always a mistake, not always
undesirable. In the present case, it would be cuted as if the very intention were to provoke
very well for us to take a glance backward at derision, as if misconstruction of sentences and
the pioneer days and copy a few lines out of the a sort of general don't-care-ishness were the
book of the trail-blazers of fifteen years ago. components of the only style people would
In those days desirability was shouted at the listen to! Neglect of style is a mistake. It is
people from morning till night. Those who used not necessary to suppose that good grammatical
this method with discretion, knowledge and style and good literary method are naturally
good judgment, not only reaped rewards, but either stiff or unintelligible.
have continued to reap them with ever-growing
The perfect advertisement is that which states
success. The imitators tried to copy the method its objects so that the sort of person who may
without understanding the underlying reasons be expected to buy the thing advertised may be
for it, and so succeeded only in talking non- attracted, may read and may understand. It is
sense. In all advertising it is a safe rule to strictly correct, it aims at leaving definite im-
talk sense. Especially in the player game, the pressions and it invariably cultivates the not''»n
practice of writing about musical matters with- of desirability. It shows why a player-piano *••
out a real understanding of them, leads straight desirable, why it is worth even a sacrifice, wh it
to disaster.
it will bring in return for its cost; and lastly,
why the specific instrument advertised is spe-
Intelligibility and Style
To be intelligible is, of course, a prime cifically desirable. It always does this intel-
requisite of successful advertising. After one ligibly; but it never tries to be intelligible by
has chosen the things to be said, the precise being sloppy; for sloppiness and intelligibility
manner of saying them is of next importance. do not run parallel. Let us have a return to
But to be intelligible does not necessarily mean more sensible days and deeper thought in all
to speak always in the language of the school departments of our wholesale and retail pub-
room, and especially it does not mean to be licity.