The Place of a Trade Paper in an Advertising

The following article appeared in Poor Richard's Alrnanack, the monthly publication of the Poor Richard Club, Philadelphia's organization of advertising men :

In practically every line of manufacture which serves the public there is an intermediate factor between the rnaker and the consumer. This factor is the "trade," comllosed of retail dealers lvho are distributors of the manufactured procluct.

Upon the knowledge, skill, ability and prosperity of "the tracle" depends in a rarge degree the proper service of the 1>ublic.

The knowledge, skill and ability of the retailer is largely derived from his trade paper; in it he finds the news of the ttade, his market reports, information on the arts of storekeeping, selling, advertising, buying, collecting, clerk training and on a variety of other subjects pertaining to his business, all of which tends to make him a better merchant.

Here is a subject many manrlfacturers and their advertising counsel overlook when considering the trade press and their advertising campaign. For this is a service performed by the trade press that redounds to the benefit of the manu{acturers in the most tangible forrn-Dollars and Cents. The better the merchant the greater value he is to the manufacturer as a distributor and the less of a liabilitv. because, of the better merchants, few are listed as failurei. This service is of incalculable value to the manufacturer and is entitled to its rervard.

In a campaign on trade-marked goods the first 1>roblem of trade paper advertising is t9 help the salesmen sell the merchandise I second, to secure the retailers' good lvill, in