The agency frequently saves the publisher from loss. As the agent's success depends on the success of his clients, he keeps advertisements out of publi cations where they would be likely to be unproduc tive. This keeps down the publishers' advertising death rate. So highly do most publications regard the services of the agent that, when a publisher is ap proached by a new advertiser who is not represented by an agent, the publisher will frequently send him to one, just as the court appoints an attorney for a defendant who has no legal representative to plead for him.
The chief service of the advertising agent to the publisher, however, is his ability to create The good advertising agency is one of the real con structive forces in American business. The agent is always on the lookout for new inventions and for new organizations with possibilities of growth. I-Ie must, of necessity, be optimistic; he must have vision. He continually preaches advertising and its possibili ties. He studies it in all its forms; he believes in it and he impresses his belief upon others. Cer tainly a large proportion of the advertising carried by magazines and newspapers would never appear were it not for the work of the agent in seeking out possible advertisers, studying their business, smooth ing out difficulties, "selling" the idea of advertising to the hesitating manufacturer, and finally carrying the great burden of the actual details of the adver tising campaign.
7. Agency's service to advertisers.—The advertis ing agent, as has already been demonstrated, is in a position to do many things for an advertiser. Agents speak of "developing" an account. For example, an advertising agent will sometimes render service and advice for a year or two before any advertising is placed. He may find many things in the organization needing correction before proper advantage may be taken of the advertising. Perhaps the advertiser's package is not sufficiently distinctive. Perhaps his plan of selling is not adaptable to larger fields. Whatever it is in the organization that is an obstacle to its large success, the province of the advertising agent is to find the trouble and to tell the advertiser how to remedy it.
The agent is constantly pointing to larger things. His province is similar to that of the wife of a suc cessful man. She encourages him; she inspires him.
She helps him with the little things. Her greatest ambition is that he succeed. But, when he does suc ceed, she must not claim credit for his accomplish ments. His very success depends on the world's rec ognition of his having done it himself. Many agents have lost accounts which they have developed because of too much "crowing." The advertising agency's first function is that of an adviser. Most agents do not accept competing accounts. They stake their success on the success of the advertiser, and help him fight his battles with his competitors. Just as in the case of the doctor and the lawyer, the more frank one is with his adviser the more intelligent is the advice he receives.
The story is told of a manufacturer with a new product for which he was willing to spend $100,000 in advertising. He called on an agent and asked for advice regarding the best way to spend the money. The agent investigated the product, the possible de mand and the competition. He told the manufac turer that in his opinion the investment would not be a profitable one and advised him not to advertise. The manufacturer went to another agent and re .
ceived the same advice. In all he went to six agen cies, ready to place his $100,000 in their hands, and in each case was told to keep his money.
While there are some advertisers who still place their business direct with publishers, most advertisers prefer to employ an agent, and most publishers• pre fer to have advertisements come to them film agents.
For a time the patent medicine advertisers, the liquor advertisers and a few of the railroads felt that by placing their advertisements direct with the publish ers, they were in a better position to influence the editorial columns and to censor news and editorial matter that might hurt their businesses. As the pub lishers have become stronger in their determination not to let the advertising columns influence the edi torial columns, and as the agencies have become stronger in the volume of business given to the pub lishers, advertisers have realized that if their claims for or against editorial discrimination are just, the influence of the agency on the publisher is greater than the influence of any individual advertiser could be.