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:.la' GRAND! evening observer,-;
Advertising Has ; Helped The G
' Win The- War
overnment
To
Business Men, Bankers and Clergymen Have Placed Their Unqualified Endorsement on the
Economic and Educational Value of Full Page Advertising. '
In Chicago and Other Places Business Men, Bankers and Advertising Men Have Bought and Don
ated Advertising Spaces for Red Cross, Liberty Loans, Knights of Columbus and War
Savings Stamps Campaigns.
This Article by William H, Rankin, One of the Foremost Advertising Mn in the United
States:
Read
THE 1918 OUTLOOK
(By WJLLIAM IT. RANKIN of. Chicago)
A review of the work done in 1917 brings forth the
fart that advertising, and especially newspaper adver
tising, has done more than its share to help win tlje war.
While the government has not found it possible to use
an advertising campaign to.reach the people of this conn
try, the business men, bankers and clergymen have all
placed their unqualified indorsement on the economic as
well as the educational value of full page newspaper ad
vertising. Results have proved that thoir judgment was good.
These men shoved not only their faith in newspaper ad
vertising to bring the desired results, but they backed
their faith with their own dollars in payment for this ad
vertising as. a patriotic contribution to our government.
While this plan of advertising originated in Chicago
last April and May during the original lied Cross niem
in the United States have been furnished this plan and
have used it successfully. '
In Chicago business men, bankers and advertising men
have bought and paid for half a million lines of adver
tising in the Chicago daily newspapers from' May 1 to
date first for the Red Cross campaigns, then the Liberty
Loan campaigns, the Knights of Columbus, the war sav
ings stamps.
In New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, .Min
neapolis, Des Moines, Portland, .Seattle, San Francisco
and Los Angeles and other cities business men have done
just as well if not better.
It is estimated that nearly $5,000,000 has been spent
for advertising by business men or contributed by the
newspapers, magazines, farm papers, billboards, painted
and electric signs, street cars and trade papers of the
United States all to help win the war and bring the
people of this country to the realization of their own re
sponsibilities during the war.
The treasury department at Washington, the officers
of the lied Cross and the President himself all have ex
pressed their approval and have thanked the -bankers,
business men, newspaper men and advertising men for
their patriotic work in planning and securing this adver
tising for the government.
THE BUSINESS OUTLOOK FOR 1918, ON THE
WHOLE, IS VERY .ENCOURAGING. MILLIONS OF
, PEOPLE WILL HAVE MORE HONEY TO SPEND'
BY PAR THAN DURING-ANY PREVIOUS YEAR;
THE GREAT MASSES OF PEOPLE, THE WORK
IXGMEN AND THE FARMERS THE VAST MAJOR
ITY, WILL HAVE MUCH MORE TO SPEND; THE
IN O RITY THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN ACCUS
TpMED TO BUYING NEARLY EVERYTHING THEY
WANT, WILL HAVE LESS TO SPEND, BECAUSE
OF THE MANY WAYS IN WHICH THESE MEN
WILL HAVE TO SACRIFICE TO HELP PAY FOR
THE WAR, THEY ARE MAKING THESE SACRI
FICES CHEERFULLY AND THIS MEANS MUCH
FOR THE SUCCESS OF OUR WAR EFFORTS.
There is no question in my mind that business condi
tions during the next two or three years, whether we.
continue to have war or not, will be very prosperous.
Money will be spent for desirable necessary things. It
will be spent more carefully, more advisedly, moro wisely
than ever. Every dollar we have will be spent where the
dollar counts most. Our per capita of wealth is now $2136;
that of Great Britain $1751; that of France $1750; of
Germany $1338.
Our present national debt is $15 per capita; that of
Great Britain $370; of France $200; of Germany $290.
We could pay our debt 142 times over without being
broke. We have eighteen billions of liquid money in our
bank deposit subject to checks. 'Our trade balance in 1916
was over two billions in our favor. It's a bigger balance
now. , .
We may all take a lesson from London in this respect,
where business all has increased during the war. At the
annual meeting of Self ridge '8 Limited Department store,
held iii "London last February, 'the earnings for the last
five years were given as follows
Year ending January 1, 1913, $520,000.
Year ending January 1, 1914, $050,000.
Year ending January 1, 1915, after six months of war,
.( "0,000. .
Year ending f iiary 1. .1916, sf 7 )00.
And in the ;, ci4i j.wt ended, $.1,123,000.
Harrod's, Ltd., another Lon(( - department store, in
creased its earnings during 1916 to $20,000 over the pre- .
vious year. Hope Bros., Ltd., John Barker & Co., Dickens
Jones and other stores selling general merchandise, all
report similar increase. Sir George Paish, Great Britain's
trade representative to the United States, says: "Amer
ican merchants will enjoy greater sales than they ever
expected to deal with. War means trade activity, not
depression." .
ONE THING IS CERTAIN AND THAT IS THIS:
BUSINESS FOR THE MANUFACTURERS OR MER
CHANTS WHO SENSE THE SITUAION AND PLAN
TO REACH THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE MONEY
TO BUY NECESSITIES AND EVEN THE LUXUR
IES, WILL BE EXCEEDINGLY GOOD IN 1918v.
NEWSPAPERS WILL PLAY AN EVEN MORE IM
PORTANT PART IN REACHING SUCH CONSUM
ERS THAN EVER BEFORE.
There will be large new advertising substitutes for
articles that the food administration or the government
wish , the people of this country to use or eat less of;' or
eat: plenty of.1 For instance, through advertising,-; people'.
could be told that tlli're are plenty, of potatoes, cabbage,
onions, apples' and root vegetables 'jit prices as cheapo if
not cheaper, than before the war.
'! NEWSPAPERS ARE THE LOGICAL MEDIUM ;
FOR ADVERTISERS TO USE TO INFLUENCE OUR
PEOPLE IN THE ADVERTISING COLUMNS TO
WATCH THE UNUSUAL AND SUPERLATIVE CO
OPERATION NEWSPAPERS HAVE ALREADY
GIVEN THE GOVERNMENT IN ALL BRANCHES.
THEN 1918 WILL BE OUR BEST YEAR, AND IN
MAKING IT THE BEST YEAR FOR ALL BUSI
NESS, WE WILL DO OUR PART TO HELP PRESI
DENT WILSON AND OUR ALLIES WIN THE WAR.
ADVERTISING PAYS. The newspaper should be paid for Public
and National advertising.
-.. PAGE THREE
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