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EVENING LEDGER-PHILADELPHIA, WEDNESDAY, APBIU 21, 191S?
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CANT AFFORD TO ADVERTISE"
It not infrequently happens that we talk with a
manufacturer who unquestionably has an opportu
nity to develop his business through national adver
tising. And oftentimes the manufacturer replies:
"I can't afford to do national advertising. I
haven't enough money to start right."
This man has the wrong perspective. He is
thinking only of the big advertisers, the firms which
have "arrived." He does not stop to realize that most
of the big advertisers were once little advertisers.
Each case must be considered individually.
It is true that many firms would do better not
to advertise until they can use large space. Others
would much better begin small, and build up.
For example, here is the story of a specialty,
which had such unusual features, and so favorable
an opportunity, that a small investment in adver
tising brought almost immediate success, and paved
the way for bigger things to come.
The Ashby-Crawford Company of Marlborough,
Massachusetts, started business three years ago, and
put on the market the Trot-Moc shoe. In construc
tion this shoe was different from any other shoe then
on the market. Where other makers talked style
and appearance, this firm talked flexibility, comfort
and lightness of weight.
It was a campaign of education, not alone to the
public, but to the shoe retailers.
The manufacturer tells the story thus:
"Our first advertising of Trot-Mocs was done in
the summer of 1913 in The Ladies' Home Journal.
It scarcely reached the dignity of a campaign, con
sisting of six advertisements of 3Vfe inches each.
"As a result of this modest expenditure we sold
direct by mail, at retail prices, $7,000 worth of shoes
on which we made both the retail and manufacturer's
profits. These profits paid for our advertising, giving
us the general publicity and dealer help absolutely
free. And in that year the number of dealers selling
Trot-Mocs doubled.
"In 1914 we increased our space in The Ladies'
Home Journal to six inches an issue. We doubled
our mail order sales, this time not only paying for
our Ladies' Home Journal advertising from the profits,
but also showing a neat surplus.
"We also put about $2500 in The Saturday7
Evening Post, all during April, May and June, 1914.
We were happily surprised at the immediate and
steady results. Not only did we receive about half
as many mail orders as from the Journal, but,
beginning April 1, 1914, we added an average of
seven new, desirable retailers a day until July 1.
We opened during the season about 1000 new
accounts. To the 650 accounts opened from the date
of our first advertisement in the Post to July 1, we
sold goods to the value of $70,000.
"While business generally slumped during the
fall of 1914, our business showed an increase of more
than 25 per cent, over the fall of 1913.
"Our selling costs average about 4 per cent, so
that it does not require an expert mathematician
to ascertain that our Saturday Evening Post
advertising, as well as our Ladies' Home Journal
advertising, paid for itself."
The net results of two years' work were these:
17,000 active names on the mailing list.
95 of the business on their own brand.
3000 good dealers obtained some with
special Trot-Moc departments.
Twice as much cash received on mail
orders as the total advertising cost.
A huge amount of free newspaper adver
tising paid for by retailers.
Most shoe manufacturers figure that it costs
them at least 5 per cent, to sell their goods.
This company during the first two years of its
business has kept the cost down to 4 per cent.
We should be glad to confer with manufacturers
who think they cannot afford to advertise with
the purpose of showing them how they may be able
to use advertising to cut down their selling cost.
THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, INDEPENDENCE SQUARE, PHILADELPHIA
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The Saturday Evening Post
The Country Gentleman
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