Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
THE
MUJIC TKADE
VOL. LXXV. No. 3
Published Every Saturday by Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., at 373 4th Ave., New York.
July 15, 1922
8ln
The Power of Continuous Advertising
T
HE inclination toward a general let-down in business activities during the Summer that apparently
affects so many members of this and other industries frequently extends to the advertising and the re-
sult is a curtailment of publicity of all kinds during the heated season that is not only unwise but actually
means money lost. No merchant with the average run of trade would think of closing his store for
three or four months in the year and then be faced with the subsequent problem of winning back his customers
from competitors who kept right on doing business, and yet that same merchant, or manufacturer, for that
matter, will discontinue or cut down his advertising when what he accepts as the dull period of the year ap-
proaches.
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'
. ".
Many erstwhile liberal advertisers fail to realize that when their advertising campaigns are stoppe'd or cur-
tailed for even a comparatively short period they are checking the business momentum developed by the adver-
tising already done and are losing much of the value of the previous advertising. In fact, the loss in that
direction may come close to offsetting any actual cash saving through a temporary discontinuance of the cam
paign.
The fact that in many sections of the country between twenty and twenty-five per cent of the merchants
are doing close to eighty per cent of the business affords striking proof of what happens when the majority of
retailers apparently accept things as they come and rest on their oars while waiting for improved conditions.
The retailer who advertises consistently and persistently throughout the so-called dull months, even though he
may not use the volume of space warranted during the pre-holiday season, is keeping up with the procession, and
although the direct results may not seem to be large he is at least holding his own with competitors, keeping
fairly active, and is maintaining his status among the merchants of his community against the time when that
status will mean real patronage.
.
The modern advertiser doesn't insert his copy spasmodically as the spirit moves him, but makes his appro-
priation intelligently and lays out his entire campaign for the year so that he knows just about what proportion
of his overhead will be devoted to advertising. In this campaign every month in the year is properly taken care
of, with special attention, of course, given to those months when extra selling effort is warranted, as, for instance,
the pre-holiday period. Under this plan there are no gaps left in the advertising throughout the year and the
results are therefore calculated to be the more satisfactory.
That music merchants recognize the fact that stock copy will not do for Summertime is evidenced by the
increasing number of retailers who have been presenting sales arguments in their advertisements calculated to
make a special appeal at this season. The arguments take various forms, but are all designed to overcome the
tendency of certain elements to put off musical instrument buying until cool weather.
This tendency to use special copy, particularly in featuring pianos, has been especially noticeable this year
and perhaps stands out more prominently because of the fact that in a number of localities piano advertising
has been more or less scarce during recent weeks.
•
The business man should no more think of cutting out advertising at any period than he would think of
closing down his establishment and taking the sign off the door. His advertising is what keeps his name before
the community, and the regularity with which it appears represents the power that influences prospective buyers
who select his store from among several as the one to receive patronage when they reach the point where they
are ready to buy.
"
Mark Twain's story of the spider that looked over the newspaper files to learn the address of a non-adver-
tiser so he could go where his web would not be disturbed carries a moral that is just as true to-day as it was
when the story was first told.