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REVIEW
THE
VOL. LXXIX. No. 9 PmblLhed Every Saturday. Edward Lyman Bill, Inc., 383 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. A«g. 30, 1924
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Neither Fish, Fowl nor Good Red Herring
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HERE is a great deal more to retail musical instrument advertising than the preparation of the copy
or the selection of the proper mediums. There is, for instance, the all-important matter of policy in
advertising which should guide definitely all the publicity of any one concern to the end that the public
shall recognize the business principles of the house and what they stand for.
There are a great many concerns in the retail music field who have recognized this question of policy to
the extent that their publicity is easily recognized whenever it appears. Rut there are quite as many more
who, for one reason or another, and largely through lack of experience and knowledge, make each advertise-
ment an item in itself and do not consider that it has any special or important bearing on the publicity of the
house as a whole.
Some time ago there was received from a house in the Middle West—the name does not matter—
three separate pieces of piano advertising, each as different from the other as day from night. One adver-
tisement, based on copy supplied by the manufacturer apparently, used the quality appeal. The argument was
woven around the lure of music, and the high-class and well-known reproducing grand piano offered by the
concern for the interpretations of the best in music. So far as appeal went, no concern in the country could
have put its copy on a higher plane.
The second advertisement run by this house featured its general line of instruments and, although con-
servative in character, dwelt particularly upon price and terms with quality made the secondary consideration.
It was the third advertisement, however, that was calculated to jar the sensibilities when compared with
the first and high-class announcement, for this last piece of publicity was of a sensational special sale type,
the "must be moved at any price" and "make your own offer" appeal. The copy was no worse than hundreds
of other advertisements of the same class, and did not violate trade ethics to any noticeable degree, but it cer-
tainly did not sustain the quality talk of the other advertisements run by this institution and served to detract
materially from the appeal of the better advertising.
To establish an advertising policy that will reflect to the credit of the house does not mean necessarily
that the concern must feature only reproducing grands of high price in its publicity and ignore other instru-
ments at a more popular price in the line offered, but it does mean that if the advertising is to be based on
a quality appeal then that appeal should be followed throughout. In other words, a $3,500 reproducing grand
may be featured as the best instrument in the world, while it is perfectly legitimate for the same concern to
offer even a $400 or $500 player as representing excellent quality for the price demanded. A policy does not
mean that a special inducement cannot be offered occasionally, but that inducement must be made in a high-
class way that does not detract from other copy.
If the dealer feels that he can sell best on the basis of price and terms he can establish an advertising
policy that calls for publicity of that character and the same holds good should he seek to depend upon sensa-
tional advertising to bring in sales. Consistently followed either policy will serve to classify the concern in
the minds of the public either as a quality house, a house where terms are unusually generous, or one where
bargains prevail.
Where various types of advertising are used, as in the case mentioned, without any definite policy of
appeal, there is nothing to make the advertiser stand out in comparison with his competitors. His sensational
advertising prevents him from being classed with the quality group, and his quality advertising prevents him
from being considered as operating an establishment for the bargain hunter. In short, so far as being classified
in a community is concerned, the dealer without an advertising policy is neither fish, fowl nor good red herring,
a fact which serves to cut down materially the cumulative results that should ordinarily be obtained from his
steady publicity.