Printers' Ink, June 10, 1896 (Vol. 15, No. 11), with Advertising Food Products, I by Claude C. Hopkins
A 72-page issue of Printers' Ink dated June 10, 1896, opening with the first of Claude C. Hopkins's two articles on advertising food products.
What it is
A 72-page issue of Printers' Ink dated June 10, 1896, opening with the first of Claude C. Hopkins's two articles on advertising food products. Hopkins argues that a food with universal consumption can be advertised at a profit on a thin margin, citing a miller who advertised heavily for 10 cents profit a barrel. The product must hold the trade the ads win, since profit comes only from repeat sales and users' word. He explains how pure food shows failed: booth orders overstocked grocers, advertising stopped when the show closed, and stale packages lost the customers. His rules: start local, stock dealers lightly before advertising, move stock fast, keep selling and advertising under one man, put a booklet in the first package, and win one town before a dozen. Other pieces cover poster collecting, the middle-class reader, Sunday paper circulation and Chicago department store stunts.
Why read it now
Most of this short article still stands, and parts of it match current evidence. "Supply must go in advance of demand" is the physical availability argument in modern brand-growth research: ads cannot sell what the shopper cannot find, and a shopper who cannot find a food takes a substitute. Profit from repeat buying and word of mouth, a product that only needs to equal the best, and a reputation that carries a modest price premium all fit what is known about how brands grow. Winning one town before a dozen is a regional test market or a geo-split test in today's terms. What has dated: his dismissal of free samples. Hopkins later became known for sampling, but on request by coupon, which keeps his point that the buyer should take a step. The food show and jobber detail belongs to 1890s distribution. Use: for a new grocery product in Saudi Arabia, stock one city's shops lightly, run local ads with a leaflet in the first pack, keep sales and marketing under one person, and expand only after that city reorders.
Passages worth keeping
Supply must go in advance of demand always.
يجب أن تكون البضاعة على الرف قبل أن يبدأ الإعلان، فالطلب الذي لا يجد المنتج يذهب إلى بديل.
An article which will not hold the trade which advertising secures for it better never be advertised.
المنتج الذي لا يحتفظ بالزبائن الذين يجلبهم الإعلان لا يستحق أن يُعلن عنه أصلًا، لأن الربح في الشراء المتكرر.
An advertised article need not be better than the best of other similar articles, but it must be equal to them
لا يلزم أن يتفوق المنتج على كل منافسيه، لكن يجب ألا يقل عن أفضلهم، ثم تتكفل السمعة بالباقي.
People do not appreciate gift packages, and samples are not usually large enough to convert.
الناس لا يقدّرون ما يأخذونه مجانًا، والعينة الصغيرة لا تكفي لتقنعهم، لذلك يفضل أن يدفعوا شيئًا مقابل كمية أكبر.
Test your methods by winning one town before you spread to a dozen.
جرّب طريقتك في مدينة واحدة حتى تنجح فيها، ثم انقلها إلى غيرها.
The scanned text has OCR errors. The passages are quoted from it, with only obvious slips fixed.
What it teaches best
Read the original archive.org
If this library is useful, leave an email
We send new patterns, ads, and notes when we add them. Name and phone are optional.
You are on the list
We will write when we add more library material.