Music Trade Review -- © mbsi.org, arcade-museum.com -- digitized with support from namm.org
SEPTEMBER 17, 1927
"Direct by mail advertising is another form
of profitable advertising. A properly prepared
advertisement sent by mail to the home, where
comparatively little mail is received, secures a
greater share of attention than it ordinarily
would receive. Direct mail advertisements can
be made more personal and more confidential
and, perhaps for those reasons, more convinc-
ing. Regular store employes can fold, address,
enclose and stamp the material.
"Telephone advertising is profitable advertis-
ing because it usually causes no increase in the
regular overhead expense. An intelligent clerk
can present the piano story in an attractive man-
ner, to hundreds of people each month, at prac-
tically no cost to you. A small commission, paid
on sales made within a certain time to families
whose names appear on your telephone sales
person's daily report will stimulate this form
of activity.
"Show windows are the piano stores' most
profitable advertisements if they are used for
that purpose. Change displays twice a week.
Make your windows newsy, use colors in your
decorating and in your lighting—use price cards
and special term offers—use plenty of signs once
or twice a month. This isn't quite so dignified
and it's lots of work but it makes your store look
less like an undertaker's, and it rings the cash
register. It is profitable advertising.
"House to house sales people provide a form
of profitable advertising—only—if the dealer is
willing to talk over their daily experiences and
give them the help and guidance they always
need. Canvassers should always carry some ad-
vertisements similar to those previously men-
tioned, to give a background to their sales talk.
A circular of the right kind just placed in the
hands of the housewife frequently enough will
bring results. The same circular, placed in the
hands of the housewife by an intelligent can-
vasser who can point out and enlarge upon the
most attractive features will bring almost twice
as much in the way of results.
"Newspaper ads will be found most profitable
if they are reduced in size and appear often so
that the piano appeal is almost always before
the public. They must be lively and directed
first to one class of people and then to another.
Free premiums, free music lessons and other ex-
travagant inducements may not be in good taste,
but our great American public seems to like such
offers. Make it your business to have extreme
and unusual values to offer in your ads.
"Have an exhibition of new styles and im-
proved models at least once a year, using some
of the methods just outlined to advertise the
occasion. Offer a free souvenir of some value
to all who attend the event between certain
dates. Then canvass thoroughly those who call
while they are in your store, and where you
can demonstrate the instrument most advantage-
ously. But don't forget to have something new
and something different. It's profitable advertis-
ing and the number of good sales you'll make
to the 'souvenir hunters' will surprise you. It
would cost as much as the souvenir does to can-
vass the individuals in their homes.
"Last, but not least, the necessity of having
good sales people is of utmost importance. All
the advertising in the world would scarcely
prove profitable, unless those who respond to
the advertisements are properly taken care of in
the store. Have sales people who can and will
direct the prospect towards the piano that really
will prove the most suitable to their needs.
Don't be afraid of overselling a customer. The
average buyer underestimates his buying and
paying capacity when it comes to a piano."
Mr. Mihm was followed by Robert Jones, of
the Dreher Pi?no Co., who said:
"What can we do to insure profitable results
from our advertising? If, in this discussion, we
can get some thought or suggestion that will en-
able us to improve upon our present plans,
we shall feel that the convention has accom-
plished something for our association.
"Advertising is intended to stimulate business
action and may be either of four types, namely:
written, printed, spoken or goods on exhibit.
The Music Trade Review
"To make advertising profitable it is up to us
to build our advertising message into such at-
tractive form that the reading public will be
moved to consider favorably the goods we are
advertising and that they be led to feel good
towards us and the product we wish them to
purchase, for advertising is influencing minds.
An advertisement is stimulus and the act of pur-
chasing is the response to the stimulus. Adver-
tising should, of course, have merit to succeed.
"Advertising must master the art of arousing
feeling and advertising success comes from an
effective appeal to the senses of the consumers.
Each advertisement should be so carefully con-
structed as to seem to be the only one to be
seen. The advertisement should be so clear that
sense comes quickly to the reader. Unless the
reader finds himself in your advertisement, that
is to sa}', sees something in your message that
exactly fits his case and immediately appeals to
and affects his own interests, he will lose the
force of your argument and pass on to some-
thing else of more vital personal interest. Ad-
vertising must be easy to read, easy to under-
stand, easy to believe and easy to act upon. If,
without sacrificing these, it can still have beauty
and style, so much the better. Avoid fine writ-
ing for trivial description. Make it plain so that
a child may understand the meaning.
"Advertising needs to be true but with a pleas-
ing note. The message should be as brief as
possible, yet not so short as to lose its clear
and distinct meaning. Advertising is not at all
easy to write if you want it to be profitable.
We need new ideas for solving our problems—
to increase our volume of business, and so forth.
"Each advertiser strives to have a message
which is different from that of other advertisers.
This calls for constant study on the part of the
advertising man in thinking up new things to
write into his copy to keep it fresh and inter-
esting. The general reader cares not who wrote
the copy, but regards more the character of the
firm name in the advertisement. Twenty years
ago, keeping the firm name before the public
was all that was necessary to make the average
business institution popular in the public eye.
Today your advertisement must be 'Reason
Why' copy. Your advertisement must be Sales-
manship In Print. Your reason why copy must
make the uninteresting interesting, must make
the disagreeable pleasant. When you have
achieved the art of doing that, your advertising
is sure to be profitable advertising. The quali-
ties of effective advertising writing are:
"Clearness: that is, making the message so
clear it can be easily grasped.
"Correctness: or using correct English and ex-
ercising care in the mechanical makeup of the
advertisement.
"Conciseness: or making the article brief, yet
not so brief as to lose anything endangering
complete expression.
"Courtesy: which demands a deep, sincere re-
gard for the interests of the reader, and lastly—
"Character: which reflects the personality and
individuality of the writer.
"The aim of every advertiser is to create pub-
lic confidence in his house and himself. To
make a friend and keep a friend is to be one
yourself. If a man says in words or in print
things he knows are not true, he does not and
will not gain confidence. Above all things, let
us have sincerity in our advertising. 'Bait' ad-
vertisers please notice.
"Present your ideas from the viewpoint of
the reader. If you want to get an impression in
your reader, talk about him, about his interests,
and about his benefits. Get the you attitude in-
to your advertisement and in applying the you
principle you will apply the idea as it relates to
the reader's interests. Picture the happiness
your customer can expect when buying from
you; stress upon such points as your joy, your
happiness, your pleasure when buying our mer-
chandise rather than to say 'Buy our goods be-
cause they are the best in the world.' You must
shout the you and whisper the I.
"Now that we have talked about the theoreti-
cal side of advertising, let us get down to prac-
tical and sane application of these principles to
our own individual needs. How shall we go
about it and what suggestions can we make thjtt
will help us plan for profitable advertising?
"Some business houses believe in advertising
when business is good. Others think that ad-
vertising should be resorted to when business
is bad. A happy medium between the two:
Fish when and where there are fish.
"Newspaper advertising probably receives
more financial support than any other medium
and perhaps more quickly gets your daily mes-
sage into the minds of readers. Just at this
point we should like to extend a word of appre-
ciation to the National Piano Manufacturers'
Association for exploiting the piano as the basic
musical instrument, as they have done recently
in the high-class magazines. These advertise-
ments have doubtless stirred up musical interest
in many homes.
"Window displays should not be overlooked.
Many a sale has been made to a 'drop in' cus-
tomer who was attracted by some unique show-
ing of an instrument properly displayed in the
store window. Billboard or poster advertising
is good in this age when things are taken in at
a flash. There is a quick point of attention in
an attractive billboard; then there is a point in
the word that says STOP.
"Until the ME is pictured in your advertise-
ment it has not yet begun to justify itself; it
is just the reading matter up to that point.
Street car cards are considered by some busi-
ness houses as good advertising media although
the size of the present modern type of car makes
it rather hard for more than a few people in
a car to see and read your message.
"Direct mail has its strong advocates and to
our notion the best direct mail letter to a cus-
tomer is not the stereotyped circular letter but
a special direct personal appeal right to the
point on that particular deal, and a letter of this
kind is the next in importance to a personal in-
terview, for after all the personal contacts by
all odds are the desirable thing to secure wher-
ever possible.
"The music merchant should find profitable
advertising in tying up with musical societies,
identifying himself in the promotion of concerts,
or musical events of any character, making musi-
cians throughout his territory feel that in his
establishment they have a friend. Making his
store a store of headquarters where they may
come to discuss their plans and to secure any
helpful advice he may be in a position to give.
There are many ways in which to strengthen
your advertising effort.
"Profitable advertising is possible only when
your business tact will permit you to study out
the problem for yourself and to set yourself the
task of making your advertisement at all times
so earnest, so truthful, so filled with the spirit
of fairness that the trade will recognize your
.sincerity and will naturally assume that confi-
dence in your house which is necessary to build
up a reputation that spells Success in Adver-
tising."
Matt J. Kennedy, of the Miller-Kennedy Serv-
ice, Chicago, was also called upon by President
Boyd to talk on retail advertising and outlined
the advantages of the personal appeal through
the medium of direct mail.
Following this advertising discussion there
was read the report of the Advertising Advisory
Committee, submitted by W. E. Summers, the
chairman, in which he declared that there had
been no complaints of unethical advertising re-
ceived by the committee during the year. Mr.
Summers also went on to state that his house
had found that small advertisements, published
regularly, were more effective than large adver-
tisements published at intervals.
Following the appointment of a resolutions
committee, consisting of Otto Grau, of Cincin-
nati; R. E. Taylor, of Cleveland, and Wm. V.
Crowe, of Columbus, the meeting adjourned.
Monday Evening
On Monday evening the members of the asso-
ciation with their friends and ladies enjoyed: a.
(Continued on page 9)