Radio broadcast .. (1922-30)

ADVERTISE WHAT YOU HAVE TO SELL As told by a Well-known Account Executive "•"AST SUMMER two complete and different advertising | j campaigns were exhibited in proof form to radio jobbers and dealers throughout the country. One of these campaigns was noisy. It shrieked and yelled, roared and bellowed. Big black headlines. Superlatives. Prices hitting you in the eye. The kind of advertising you call either "cheap," or "two- fisted selling," depending on whether you like it or not. The jobbers and dealers liked it, unanimously. The other campaign was quiet and dignified. It didn't raise its voice. Dainty, not domineering. It certainly made the reader think the Raspless Radio was a great instrument, but the amount of black ink it used wouldn't have darkened a gnat's eyelashes. Nobody liked this campaign except the manufacturer and his advertising agency, and so of course it wasn't run. The two-fisted selling campaign went into a lot of expensive newspaper space. All bills were paid by the manufacturer, who sat back and waited for Western Union to begin deliver- ing orders for carload lots. But the wires were silent, and even the mail carrier noticed nothing unusual. No public clamor was raised over the Raspless. In fact, the Raspless people and their agency claimed the advertising had no effect what- ever, but that probably is an error. Certainly there must have been some cause of the universal decision not to buy Raspless Radios. The Third Campaign Swiftly — speedy folks, these advertising men! — the trade's pet choice was discarded. A third campaign, even more high hat and ritzy than the one that had been despised, was pre- pared. It made you think the only way to get into society was to buy a Raspless. Dignity, prestige, smartness, sophisti- cation, and a lot of other ten-dollar words could be and were applied to it. If the reader wanted to know the price, the number of tubes, and whether they were screen grid, he had to hunt, and provide his own magnifying glass. At the present writing this campaign is running. Western Union's business has picked up, and the mail carrier has asked for a wagon. It looks like a success. There is a moral in this for all concerned, and here it is, in one of its 59 varieties: "Don't monkey with the other fellow's business." A manufacturer's advertising is very much his own busi- ness. A dealer's advertising is his own business, too. This is rather well known in other lines, but in the radio industry the acquisition of the knowledge seems to cause some of the grow- ing pains now felt. Fundamentally, the purpose of advertising is to sell some- thing. Advertising will fail if it tries to sell something the advertiser cannot supply. Often, and in fact usually, a radio manufacturer has for sale something that none of his dealers have, and each of his dealers has something that none of the other dealers have. This is true in spite of the fact that all handle an identical product, which is to be sold to the public at presumably identical prices. What the Manufacturer Sells This seems paradoxical. But let's list the things the manu- facturer has for sale to the public—to the public, notice, and not to the jobber or dealer. Here is the list: 1—What his radio receiver will do for its owner—performance and appearance. This is where most of the surprisingly in- effective superlatives are spilled. 2—His own knowledge, skill, and experience in radio design and manufacture, and the ideals that move him. 3—His own reputation for (a) making good radio sets, (b) giving value for the money, (c) being up to date, (d) standing back of his products. 4—His reputation and standing in other fields, if any. You will note that this list does not include Raspless Radio Receivers, for the good reason that the manufacturer does not sell them to the public. His dealers do that. The distinc- tion is vital, and if you will contemplate the kind of advertis- ing done by manufacturers who do sell direct to the public you will be convinced that the difference is a very real and important one. What the Dealer Sells For the sake of simplicity let us pass over the jobber and list what the dealer has for sale: 1— Raspless Radio Receivers—at last! 2—Service, swift and sure. 3—Local reputation for (a) selling good goods, (b) charging fair prices, (c) keeping customers satisfied, (d) in general, fair dealing. Compare these two lists, and you will find not a single item 88 DECEMBER 1929 •