THE TECHNIQUE OF ADVERTISING [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
gIR,--ks a national advertiser of 30 years' standing may I throw a little light on the difficulty raised by Mr. Sutherland ?•
Advertisers are only human and fallible, and must be forgiven—though perhaps pitied—if they are hypnotized by big circulations and a knowledge" of the relative cheapness of advertising in mass-produced newspapers.
Having had some responsibility for the allocation of expenditure . for advertising in national campaigns, I can quite see the point of those manufacturers who neglect class media. The advertiser has to go after the big fry. This is not to suggest that he is wise in utterly neglecting journals which, while they are of a higher cost per page per thousand, can certainly claim to possess a closer and more intimate appeal for their readers. So I think there is room for The Spectator to assert its right for a more generous patronage of its advertising columns. It is perhaps up to the Advertise- ment Manager to put his case more forcibly before prosPective clients.
After all, the prestige of The Spectator, its scarcely fluc- tuating circulation; and its strong appeal to a particular section of the community, demonstrate that a legitimate case can be made out. As a matter of fact, an advertisement in The -Spectator would impress my mind a good deal more than a larger and costlier announcement in the Daily Mail or- even in The Times. The reason is that while I scan a large number of papers rather hurriedly during the week, The Spectator is the• one journal which I take time to dwell upon. Its concise and balanced articles chase away the chaff of the week ; their well-nigh perfect literary style is a soothing balm. Your leading articles clarify one's judgement and the whole atmo- sphere of your pages has the effect of dispelling the disorders ofthe mind incurred by the week's business rush.—Yours, &c.,
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