HARDWOOD RECORD 



33 



notice advertisement is a plain advertisement set in tlie same style 

 as reading matter. The puff is supposed to represent the view of 

 the editor or some disinterested writer and is filled with praise; 

 however, it deceives but few people. The real news item contains 

 some interesting information and perhaps illustration, and tells the 

 reader something without making him feel that he is reading an 

 advertisement. 



I notice that most of the manufacturers are now enclosing with 

 their letters a smallstoeU sheet which is re-printed from some 

 stock book. This is a good idea and is generally termed a "mail- 

 stuffer. " Sometimes it is a good idea to continue a series of mail- 

 :-ituffers, striving for a variety, so that people who receive them, 

 especially the consumers, will note the change and be interested in 

 the different products. For instance, when I ran a series of ad- 

 vertisements of gum, I had the papers send me an electrotype of the 

 advertisement after it was run. Then a printer would run off a 

 thousand copies of each. As a new advertisement appeared every 

 two weeks, the customers soon began to look for these mail-stuffers 

 to see the new ideas we brought out. Last year I carried out a small 

 campaign on gum lumber for my old firm. I used papers that went 

 to the furniture manufacturers and trim mills exclusively. Some 

 ads were merely to show how the lumber was manufactured. Others 

 suggested a certain tiiickness and grade of gum for a certain pur- 

 pose. Our advertising appropriation was less than a thousand dollars 

 yet our sales on gum for the year were three times that of previous 

 years. We were not manufacturers ourselves, but were supplied by 

 four mills in Arkansas. These manufacturers had many and many a 

 talking point which they themselves had failed to make known. For 

 instance, at one mill they were re-piling their lumber three times in 

 drying, supposedly to prevent cheeking. The soda-bath was used at 

 another mill and while it may or may not have done any good to 

 sap gum, at the same time it was a good selling point and at that 

 time a new one. At another mill they cut their gum nearly 214 

 inches thick and then resawed it. When dry this stock was over an 

 inch in thickness. Here was another good jjoint for the man who 



wanted plump thickness. These are the little selling-points that 

 count, especially if brought out in a good advertisement. 



Too numy advertisers fail to take into account the fact that ad- 

 vertising is education. Education takes time and few advertising 

 campaigns can ever be made successful unless sufficient time is given 

 to obtain the results from education. 



There is one selling point which so far only two manufacturers 

 have used. That point is "service."' Everything else being equal, 

 and sometimes even at a higher price, the man who ships when he 

 says he will, gets the business. One pojilar manufacturer states on 

 his stock-list, "We can ship on one day's notice,'' Yet his ad- 

 vertisement on the cover of a trade paper says nothing about this 

 service. Gentlemen, do you realize how concrete and other wood- 

 substitutes are gaining ground and how they are cutting into the sales 

 of lumber? Steel and concrete buildings, metal trim and doors, con- 

 crete and steel poles, metal furniture, asbestos shingles, are among 

 the products taking the place of wood everywhere, even plaster 

 board instead of laths and plaster. How did the manufacturers 

 of these products get the hold on the trade they have? The answer 

 is sini]ile — by advertising direct to the consumer in magazines, week- 

 lies and newspapers and educating the people to their products. In 

 other words, creating a demand on the retailer that worked back 

 through the natural trade-channels to the manufacturer. Then they 

 used trade papers to tell that trade what was being done to create 

 a demand and where these products could be secured. 



The live-wire manufacturer today is the one that is quick to take 

 advantage of anything that will help boost his sales. The day after 

 the Equitable Building burned, a certain telephone company, making 

 a fireproof, waterproof and gasproof telephone, ran full page ads, 

 showing how their system and telephone came through the fire un- 

 liarmed. The makers of fireproof construction material were among 

 those who embraced their opportunity. Even the makers of fire- 

 proofed wood were among the number, liut claimed that fire-proofed 

 wood was even superior to metal doors and trim and then gave the 

 reasons. Educational advertising again. I fancy I hear some of you 

 say, "Advertising is all right for handled goods and staples, but it 

 won't do in the lumber business." 



Kexxx&mii'^^i;^xxx)XiX>iii)\)!xmik^ 



Tales of the Trade 



TOOK NO CHANCES ON BAD'S CHECK 



ilany of the friends of E. Payson Smith of Minneapolis, one of 

 the leading hardwood jobbers of the Northwest, are chuckling 

 over the sagacity and foresightedness of his youngest daughter, 

 with whom her father recently had the following experience: 



Mr. Smith being a little short of change at home, made a raid 

 on Gertrude's bank, giving the child a cheek to cover the amount 

 abstracted. On returning home at night he noticed that there 

 was a spot of ink on her apron, and upon asking her how she had 

 acquired it, was informed that this happened while "signing 

 the cheek." Further investigation developed that she had im- 

 mediately endorsed the check, gone to the neighboring drug store 

 and had it cashed, desiring to get the money while it was good. 



Thus it may be seen that the traits of the fathers are visited 

 upon the children. 



STOPPING A RUNAWAY 



It is reported, on good authority, that F. R. Bartelme of Minne- 

 apolis, was recently walking along one of the streets of that city, 

 intently figuring on how he could sell a few cars of high or low- 

 grade hardwood, when he noticed a large touring car in front of 

 one of the prominent buildings, slowly moving but entirely unoc- 

 cupied. Mr. Bartelme, with the spirit of a hero jumped on the 

 running board and prompth' set the brake; whereupon the owner 

 appeared from behind the ear, demanding an explanation, as it 

 seems that he was pushing it down the street for a few feet. 

 Mr. Bartelme now declares himself definitely out of the hero class 

 and wouldn 't undertake to stop even a runaway lumber order. 



SOME HAMILTON AT SUNDAY SCHOOL 

 A friend, a number of years ago when he first arrived in Minne- 

 apolis, attended services at one of the smaller churches in the 

 city and noticed that P. E. Hamilton of the Minneapolis Lumber 

 Company seemed to be the leading article in the choir, and an 

 invitation to slay to Sunday School being accepted, the fact de- 

 veloped that r. E. Hamilton was also superintendent of this insti- 

 tution. Upon being requested to teach a class and accepting, he 

 found himself in the midst of about eight girls of different ages, 

 and securing an immediate acquaintance, the further fact came to 

 light that about six of the eight bore the name of Hamilton. 



This is another instance of not hiding your light under a 

 bushel. 



TOO STRONG HORSE TALK 

 The story is told of A. H, Barnard, the Minneapolis hardwood 

 man, who, by the way, has never acquired the automobile habit 

 and is a great lover of horses, that when petting and grooming 

 one of his thoroughbreds, he was approached by a stranger who 

 asked him the price of the animal. Mr. Barnard with much pride, 

 pointed out all the good points of the beast, assuring his inquirer 

 that he was one of the very best to be had and setting the price 

 somewhere between $500.00 and $1,000.00. After the stranger sat- 

 isfied himself fully as to the wonderful qualities and high value 

 of the horse, greatly to the owner's disma}-, he gravely informed 

 Mr. Barnard that he was the tax assessor. Whereupon the ani- 

 mal's value took a sudden decline. Barnard snys the top value he- 

 places on any horse after this is $30.00. 



