Advertising by the Retailer

The builcling industry is behind in one thing. Disre-, garding utterly the marked success that has attendedt those: of its members who have seen the profits other lines are making, the building industry as a whole has failed sign-r ally to take advantage of that greatest m,odern business building force-adverlising.

One can almost count on their fingers the number'of concerns dealing in building materials of any and, all sorts, who are today carrying carefully planned, successful advertising campaigns. Wide awake to take advantage of mechanical means of producing a greater volume 9f output, the industry as a whole has been slow to take up that intangible force of ,modern business-advertising.

I hear many ,of my friends in this line say, "Yes I advertise," but when you come to analyzing a little you find such advertising is done on the hit and miss idea, something in a prog'ram, something else in a special edition, a "card" in a trade paper, an occasional letter, andr 1fi31 "o-- prises the advertising. There is no ,m,ember ,o{ the firm who really knows w[ether it is resultful or not, but they all know it costs money.

Yet, locally there are outstanding examples of concerns, manufacturing and dealing in building materi,als, who by the force and character of their advertising, its careful planning and equally careful execution, have risen to first position in their branch. And strange to say, oftimes they h,ave spent but little more than those who follow the "hit and miss" idea.

No one can tell you off hand how advertising should be applied to ybur business. ' There ib no hard and fast rule, no "royal road" to a successful campaign. Careful study, detailed analysis 'and a thorough knowledge of fundamentals should enable an experienced advertising man to point the way. There are,many mediums available,'not the least imp,ortant of which are -direct mail ,and trade papers.

There is one important advertiser at least irr this field, who has yet to spend his fitrst dollar for newspaper advertising. Yet he is tod,ay the leader in his field. Contrawise, another leader whose name has become a household by-word, spends his money for newspaper advertising almost exclusively. In both instances stuciy. of the marketing problem involved has indicated the advertising method to be pursued.

An interesting phase of this im,portant subject is the necessity for proper planning and direction. Few salesmen can "go it blind," and still fe'wer advertising campaigns can be successful without a plan. A plan must be lounded on a full knowledge of the building material in- dustry, coupled with a thorough advertising knowledge and expenience. In the long run it 'costs more money to "let Bill do it," when Bill, as his regular job, is a hardware clerk or a lumber salesman. It is expecting too much when we figure to put advertising in the hands of the inexperienced,'and this is equally true whether it be a single man or an organization.

There are organizations that have specialized to some extent on building material advertising. They know the difference between dim,ension and finish lumber. SIS or ,a "square" of roofing means something to them. They will know ftom their experience whether the solution of your advertising and selling problen-r is direct mail, trade papers, newspapers, or a combination of all three.

When you find such an organization, you can with confidence place your advertising problem in their hands, knowing that in the long run it will cost you less and bring gre'ater sales returns than any hap-hazard method you can pufsue.

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\f,Iholeealc Lumber Productr

E00 Fifc Building San Francirco

Telephone Kearny 441

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