PROPAGANDA AND SALESMANSHIP
Sta,—In your issue of February 21st you say that I have " not quite convincingly shown that the man who is practised in estimating the response of the masses to a patent medicine advertisement is also the man who can estimate the response to a peace aims campaign or rightly estimate delicate political considerations."
I think the best way to show this is to take a parallel from com- mercial propaganda activities. The man who is an expert in " esti- mating the response of the masses to a patent medicine advertisement " is not necessarily an expert in estimating their response to a chocolate
advertisement—until he has studied the market situation and applied the principles of propaganda to that situation. He is not an expert, but he knows how to go about becoming an expert very quickly
The advertising man may know nothing of the political situation in, say, Portugal. But he consults experts and gathers data, and soon has enough information on which to base his peace aims campaign. People are the same the world over, and the same basic appeals succeed.
As regards whether he can estimate delicate political considerations, political considerations are not the only ones that are delicate. Those governing the successful marketing of a branded product can he just as delicate. They may not be so world-shaking in consequence. But as much skill is needed in appraising them successfully.—Yours
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