Printers' Ink, February 10, 1927 (Volume 138, Number 6)
The February 10, 1927 issue of Printers' Ink, the New York weekly for advertisers.
What it is
The February 10, 1927 issue of Printers' Ink, the New York weekly for advertisers. The piece filed here is Theodore F. MacManus's "Suggestion in Advertising," subtitled "The Four Requirements for Building Reputation through Advertising" and reprinted from his book The Sword Arm of Business. MacManus argues that an accepted suggestion becomes personal opinion, shared opinion becomes public opinion, and public opinion becomes reputation, which sells goods. Building it takes wide circulation, space large enough to register, frequent repetition, and plain, artless expression the reader accepts without resentment. The thought must be true, and in time it governs the company's own conduct, prices and dealer selling. Also: Borden running three campaigns for Eagle Brand milk after research showed over 60 per cent of users put it in coffee and cooking; the 125 leading magazine advertisers of 1926; Norval Hawkins on Ford selling; and a ruling that publishers may refuse misleading copy.
Why read it now
MacManus describes brand building in terms modern research largely supports. Wide reach, enough size to be noticed, steady frequency and a message that raises no resistance match the Ehrenberg-Bass case for broad reach and mental availability, and Binet and Field's finding that reputation-led campaigns build long-term profit and pricing power. His point that a buyer predisposed by reputation helps make the sale to himself is what later studies describe as strong brands lowering price sensitivity and lifting conversion. Where he overreaches: "semi-scientific accuracy," reputation built almost overnight, and a 25 per cent acceleration figure he never supports. He also pictures suggestion working on passive minds; current evidence points to memory and familiarity rather than anything close to hypnosis. The Borden article is a useful companion: research into how customers actually used the product reshaped the campaigns. Use: write the one true thought you want buyers to hold about your company, then check that pricing, service and dealer scripts all say the same thing.
Passages worth keeping
A favorable public opinion concerning a man or a manufactured product, becomes the thing known as reputation; and good reputation, in turn, sells goods.
الرأي العام الإيجابي عن شخص أو منتج هو ما نسميه السمعة، والسمعة الجيدة هي التي تبيع.
The fourth, and the most difficult of all the requirements, is a simplicity and artlessness of expression which will render it reasonably certain that the suggestion will be accepted without resistance or resentment.
أصعب الشروط أن تكون العبارة بسيطة غير متكلفة، حتى يقبلها القارئ دون أن يقاومها أو يستاء منها.
The customer, predisposed in favor of a product by his own mental processes, helps make a sale to himself
العميل الذي كوّن رأيًا جيدًا في المنتج مسبقًا يكمل عمل البائع، ويقنع نفسه بالشراء.
the prime function of advertising is not merely to attract attention, but to formulate opinion after attention has been attracted.
جذب الانتباه خطوة أولى فقط، ومهمة الإعلان الحقيقية أن يصنع رأيًا بعد أن يحصل على الانتباه.
By suggestion. By continuous suggestion. By endless and interesting iteration.
الرأي الإيجابي في ذهن الفرد يُبنى بالإيحاء المستمر والتكرار الذي لا ينقطع ولا يملّ منه القارئ.
The scanned text has OCR errors. The passages are quoted from it, with only obvious slips fixed.
What it teaches best
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