16. Potential is the potential market for the product? Should it find a sale in sections of the country into which it has not yet made its way? Is it, for example, popular in the North east, but relatively unknown in other sections? If so, is there any good reason for this? Is it a prod uct that should be used by all classes, but as a matter of fact, is used only by the poor, or only by the middle classes, or only by the rich? Has its market been unnecessarily limited in the past by mistaken adver tising or sales policies.
17. Competitive products.—What is the nature and strength of the competition? Are there closely competitive products now on the market? How, do they compare in quality with the advertiser's product? This question, like many others here suggested, is one on which the judgment of the advertiser himself cannot be accepted by the men who must make the plan and write the copy.
18. A (ode of distribution.—The channels and method of distribution need especially careful study in the preparation of the plan. Is the product sold direct to the consumer by mail, by direct solicitation, or thru "the trade"? The last usually means distri bution thru a manufacturer's agent or broker, to job bers who supply retailers, who in turn sell to the public. If sold thru the trade, then what trade— drug or grocery, hardware or drygoods? In each trade the details of the problems will dif fer. Will these retailers and 'jobbers make strenuous sales efforts to push the product? Or are they han dling a large number of lines on standardized and re duced margins of profit which makes it better policy for them to serve practically as order takers? An ad vertising campaign .which fails to take these factors into account is foredoomed to ineffectiveness.
What is the attitude of the trade toward the prod uct in question? Is that product one which competes with jobbers' private brands, which they are inter ested in pushing ft:4. a wider margin of profit? Are there competing brands that allow the dealer better discounts? Are there adverse trade prejudices which need to be overcome? What is the average stock the dealer keeps on hand? What is the average size of order received by the retailer? All of these questions vitally affect the advertising, for it is the business of advertising to send customers into the retailers' store to order the product by name, asking for that prod uct and no other.
19. Sales department.—The sales department con stitutes a vital link in the chain connecting the factory and the consumer. It is essential, then, to know be fore starting the advertising campaign what is the elasticity of the sales organization. Is it capable of responding quickly to large and sudden increases of demand? Can it back up a national advertising cam paign, increasing the demand simultaneously in all parts of the country? Or are its limitations such that the advertising campaigns must be local, starting in one section of the country, then in another, gradually extending the territory? What is the past history of this sales force? Has it in the past loaded up its dealers intelligently, or has it been guilty of overload ing, or of allowing the dealers to be caught short? In this connection, a careful consideration of the factory and the shipping department is necessary. Is the factory in a position to meet sudden and sub stantial increases in demand? It is possible for an advertising campaign to be much too effective, if the factory, the shipping or the sales department is un able to meet the demand created.
20. History of past careful analy sis of the past advertising of the company will always reveal many points of value. What were the results of the preceding advertising campaigns? If unsat isfactory, what causes contributed to their failure or success? Were the returns "spotty" and irregular? In this case many avenues for investigation and study are opened up—avenues which one cannot afford to neglect.
21. Study of similar no matter how complete the past records of the business adver tised may be, no advertising plan is complete without a careful study of experiences in related fields, in volving the same types of problems. This phase of preparation is frequently overlooked.
Probably no two articles on the market would seem less similar to the average mind than the silk seam binding in ladies' garments and Timken roller bear ings for automobiles. Yet the advertising principles back of the exploitation of these articles are the same. In each case the article is sold as a relatively incon spicuous part of the larger article from many parts, and the advertiser's problem is to make the public deinand of the dealer that this assembled article, automobile or suit of clothes, be equipped with the Timken axle or the seams bound with silk.