MAKING THE ADVERTISEMENT PRODUCE ACTION 1. Getting decision and action.—An advertisement may perform merely the preliminary functions of se curing attention and interest, or may do even less. It may succeed simply in laying the groundwork; that is, it may be placed where it will be seen and read. In a magazine having one hundred pages of advertising, it is possible that fully one-half of this matter will attract the attention and even hold the interest of a reader. He may write for circulars of half a dozen products advertised. His buying ca pacity, however, may limit him to the selection of one. Obviously, without regard to the advertising value of the impressions the reader receives, only one ad vertisement in the lot which attracted his attention has actually performed its function by making a sale. Thousands will read where one will buy.
It has been customary to assert that whether or not an order is received, considerable influence—the influ ence coming from exerted by an advertisement upon the minds of the people. With the growth of advertising, the study of its laws and the making of careful estimates of its cost compared with its returns, has come the realization that the only goal of the advertisement is favorable action, on the part of the reader.
While occasionally an advertisement "happens" to pull apparently for no definite reason, yet out of a thousand advertisements which have shown remark able pulling power it is more than probable that nine hundred and ninety-nine conform largely to certain more or less definite laws and principles in securing favorable decision and action.
2. The process of with the working machinery of the minds of men show that there are certain stimuli to which all Minds will re spond similarly. Human nature is not so difficult to analyze as it was thought to be in the past.
People reach decisions by one of two methods or a combination of the two; they are, reasoning and sug gestion.
People, as a rule, are more susceptible to suggestion than they are to reasoning; consequently, action is produced thru suggestion more frequently than thru reasoning. An advertisement should generally make
an appeal to the emotions even tho it contains "reason why" copy. Men who arrive at a decision by the deliberative method are somewhat more difficult to convince than those who respond to suggestion. A person who reasons is one who has a store of stable and definite purposes and who does not decide on an action until he has ascertained whether it is in line with these purposes.
3. Elements of the reasoning act.—A deliberative act in response to an advertisement consists of the following elements: 1. A questioning as to whether the qualities claimed for the goods are really plausible.
2. A feeling that the goods are desirable.
3. A comparison of the desirableness of the adver tised goods with the desirableness of other goods.
4. A choice of one or the other and an act to obtain the goods, i.e., the sending of an inquiry, signing an order or going to the store.
Before. action comes decision. As there can be no action before one decides to act, the important thing is to secure decision.
4. Creating and maintaining tically all action is based upon confidence. With the growth of cooperation, confidence has become enor mously strengthened. Daily we buy advertised ar ticles, feeling sure that they will come up to certain standards and having confidence that they would not be advertised so strongly were they not worthy of securing this belief. In this trustfulness, habit plays a great part. If a woman is not in the habit of buy ing household appliances which revolutionize her work, such as a suction cleaner, a considerable basis of confidence must be laid before she will become a purchaser. If a laborer, whoSe daily work is confined to physical activities, is solicited to purchase a set of books, a strong basis of confidence must form the root of this act.