250 THE BEEKEEPERS' REVIEW 



stant reiteration of the so-called "selling arguments" in connection 

 with a product that convinces and finally impells the reader to pur- 

 chase. 



The constant dropping of the water of publicity gradually 

 wears away the stone of indifference. The human mind is so con- 

 structed that it is appreciably affected by repetition — and, after all, 

 advertising is only repetition. 



"Breakfast cereal" advertising has revolutionized our notions 

 of dietetics, until now it is a generally accepted fact that no break- 

 fast is hygienic or complete that does not begin with a cereal food. 



After reading the seductive and persuasive advertisements 

 for a well known substitute for coffee, the person who is disturbed 

 by frequent flutterings and palpitations of the heart, becomes im- 

 pressed with the notion that he or she has a "coffee heart" ; and it 

 is this notion, multiplied and intensified over and over again, that 

 has built up an enterprise employing thousands of persons. 



Ten years ago the most enthusiastic advertiser would not have 

 believed the statement that the time would come when such staples 

 as white flour and granulated sugar would be advertised. The white 

 flour miller would have ridiculed the proposition advanced by any 

 advertising agent who sought to draw him into a campaign of pub- 

 licity. Advertise the "staff of life" ? Never. "People cannot get 

 along without white flour or sugar and we will get our share of the 

 trade." But now we see the market flooded with cereal foods of 

 every description, testifying to the popular demand for something 

 that contains more nutritive elements than white flour. Hence we 

 find in these times the white flour miller running into print with ex- 

 pensive and elaborate advertising of particular brands of white 

 flour, each endeavoring to convince the public that his particular 

 brand of "the staff of life" is better than any other. 



Advertising is the art of creating a new want, but, successful 

 advertising does not stop with publishing the claims that are made 

 for a product. The advertising must not only tell the possible con- 

 sumer all about the product, but must create in his mind a desire to 

 possess it. It is not enough to say "eat honey" but "why" eat 

 honey, and then there is poor honey on the market, and lots of it, if 

 some new customer takes the hint to "eat honey" and buys some 

 that is not good, it will take ten times as much advertising to get 

 that person to buy honey again, and then it will have to say whose 

 honey to buy and "WHY." That's a new want is it not? He does 

 not want the honey that he had before, he is convinced by more 

 direct advertising that there is a difference in honey and will want 



