Writing Lumber Advertising for Results

The advertising copy that aims to separate a man from his MONEY in exchange for those commodities that the advertiser has for sale, must not be, cannot be, prepared at haphazard. THAT kind of advertising copy doesn't "just happen." You go out after that kind of copy with every ibit of ingenuity'in your mental equipment keyed up to GET RESULTS.

FIRST, you must create DESIRE for the article you want to sell.

As many changes are rung in on that desire as the nature of the article and the ingenuity of the copy writer can produce. The UTILITY-The FUNCTION-of that article are played up in every possible manner, until the DESIRE FOR POSSESSION overpowers'the DESIRE TO KEEP THE MONEY-and the AMOUNT of MONEY is secondary.

Now that METHOD of advertising is fundamental; it applies whether the ARTICLE is Phonographs, Fountain Pens, Lard or Building Materials. And the same success will be secured by the makers or dealers of ANY COMMODITY-our own included-just so long as the FUNCTION is advertised instead of the THING ITSELF. No one buys ANYTHING for the mere sake of HAVING IT. It is not the possession of the article that gives the benefit which alone can be an excuse for a "521s"-e1 ,exchange of money for article.

The only reason we value MONEY is for what it oan DO. A dollar In-The-Pocket is without value; its sole worth lies in the fact that it can be exchanged for something that will benefit you. It can be urged that its mere POSSESSION is of value,-but that is begging the question, for that POSSESSION is of value ONLY and SOLELY because of the latent pow€rs of PURCHASE, and not at all THROUGH the possession.

That is a distinction that is not usually made, and it is for that very fact that so many people fail to judge between MERE POSSESSION and BENEFICIAL USE.

And another angle of the same argument is this:

The PEOPLE-AT-LARGE have not yet become fully aware of the iact that they are not really buying what they buy-which rather cryptic statement may be interpreted to mean that although we are beginning to talk the FUNCTION of the BUILDING to be eventually erected from our MATERIALS, we still retain the old fashioned MANNER OF SPEAKING and use the words. "luinber", when we mean "Protection from cold in the shape of a y,'xll')-2gd "shingles" when we mean "prote.ction from rain in the shape of a roof."

And when it is this very PROTECTION that our cus-' tomer is trying to buy, it is no wonder that he is somewhat confused, and that we try to overcome that confusion by the only thing that comes to our minds, and that is by trying to impress him with the fact that he is getting a good money bargain through prices.

Lumber is but one of thousands of things the consumer wants and it is NOT the most important desire of his heart -as it seems to us it SHOULD be.

We naturally think that the farmer should spend all his leisure mornents figuring on what new buildings he could erect, but Mr. Agriculturist of today reads a lot of papers and a lot of ads, written by men who KNOW HOW TO APPEAL TO HIM,'and just how to make HIM-as well as US-want the things THEY HAVE TO SELL.

They talk phonographs and motor cars and tanks and pianos and glad rags and kitchen cabinets and handsome rugs and books and a thousand other things and they make that farmer and that farmer's wife and family WANT THOSE OTHER THINGS-and they talk the BENEFIT THOSE THINGS WILL BE TO HIM AND THEM SO strongly and clearly and consistently and continuously that the mere item of the PRESENT cost of a raw rnaterial is of comparatively little interest.

We find that an appeal based on the grounds that those other things are actually out of place in a BUILDING NOT SUITED TO THEM bears good results.

We find also that an appeal based on the grounds of the FUNCTION OF THE BUILDING UNDER DISCUSSION brings greater results than a mere "price appeal."

And we believe, also, that goods sold under this sort of an appeal will STAY SOLD and will create a desire for OTHER GOODS to produce SIMILAR FUNCTIONSthat this course of action will create a PERMANENT TRADE where the other course only succeeds in making a SINGLE SALE.

53-and it's the handiest material about our summer:camp."

"We wanted so many things-cupboards, shelves, bookcases, magazine racks, tables aud benches-and plywood certainly was a friend in need-'

uffilnx:

building and lurniehing aummer campq there is a big field opened for the eale of norri Pa-co Plywood by dealers who will cdl it to their attention

AUToMoBTLE tolrrrsts aI80 ffndplywoodmakes the best runningboard boxes and chests lor packing various supplie*

ONCE people get acqualnted with Pa-co Plywood lor any use, theyU find nany other places where it just'fflls the bill'

Only the very ffnest logs oI sormd oldgrowth Douglas Fir are used in malcing PA.@ Fir Plywood" E'r2erienced woodworkers appreciate its high quality. Amateurs find it one oI their greatest aids lor home cralt work or remodelling roorns.

PACIFIC COAST PLYWOOD MFRS, Inc.

lolf Liggett Bldg, Seattle, WaslL

(KILN-DRIED o' OTHERWISE)