Advertising - January Merchandise Movements

( Originally Published 1902 )

This is the month when the linen man scratches his head for bright ideas to help along the advertising man in exploiting that "Semi-Annual Sale of Linens." The head of the men's furnishings also does some tall thinking on the same line—the subject uppermost in his brain being " Our Big Sale of Men's Furnishings." And the individual in charge of the muslin underwear may be pardoned if he suffers slightly from insomnia in his efforts to make the "Annual Sale of Muslin Underwear" a gorgeous and glittering success.

January newspapers are filled with many examples of good and bad clothing ads, and a desperate effort is being made by clothiers in every city and town in America to dispose of winter stocks at remarkable price reductions. The furniture retailers are also much in printed evidence—in fact, every branch of retaildom is distributing generous bargains to an appreciative public.

Taking everything into consideration, the advertising pen is pushed at a lively gait through the year's first month.

Let us first take the big sales of the department or general stores, and see how they can be best pushed before the public view.

We are assuming that " The Great January Mark Down Sale" is in full swing, and the intention is to make it last about three weeks. The minor sales can be run in conjunction with this big sale, and at certain stages of the game overshadow it. Everything is in readiness for the " Semi-Annual Sale of Linens" which opens Monday morning. The " Annual Sale of Muslin Underwear" is also set in motion the same date.

On Thursday and Friday preceding these sales run in two squares in the main ad, which, of course, is given to " The Great January Sales." Have these squares of pretty good size—large enough to fill a column width on both sides of the main heading. They should be of the depth of the heading.

At the bottom of every column in the main ad on Friday and Saturday run something like this, within a small, neat square of light rules.

Then, by the time the Sunday papers are ready to be assimilated with the Sunday breakfasts, your fair customers are full of expectancy regarding your ad on linens and muslin under-wear. If they pick up the paper and read your ad patterned after the following arrangement, the chances are that they will come around to your store next day.

Let us assume you take a page ad. Divide the upper portion of the page into three sections of equal size—giving the first section to the linens, the second to the general store `items which would naturally come under "The Great January Mark-Down Sale," and the third section to muslin underwear. Have a general heading over the whole three sections, something after this order

" A TRIPLE ALLIANCE AWAITS TOMORROW'S BUYERS!

An alliance of great sales—an alliance of matchless values—an alliance of low prices and desirable stocks—awaits you in our store to-morrow. Consider for a moment our attractions! The Great January Mark-Down Sale opens its second week with a magnificent bargain arrangement. Our Semi-Annual Linen Sale is set in operation to-morrow, as is also Our Annual Sale of Muslin Underwear. Any one of these events is a star attraction in itself."

Each section should be boldly headed with the name of sale, with a short argument following the headline. Thus, the linen section could start off after this style:

The middle section could well say:

" OUR GREAT JANUARY MARK Down SALE

enters upon its second week with greater zest than ever. Prices have been clipped to the vanishing point, and many stocks have been brought for-ward so that to-morrow's visitors may find a plethora of bargains from which to select."

"OUR SEMI-ANNUAL LINEN ALE

will attract an army of thrifty householders to-morrow and all the week. Past experience has taught our patrons the importance of this sale-the high ' quality of our linens and the remarkable lowness in price. Exceptional market conditions this season make prices very—very low. Witness the following items."

And in the section given to muslin underwear give as heading something like this:

Have these three headlines, with their following talks, set alike. They should be of the same depth. The headlines could be set in 6 or 7 point De Vinne, and the reading matter following 3-line light Script, lower case. If you had a good cut of a table girl holding some napkins to run on the left side of the linen talk, and a woman in negligee attire to appear on the right of the muslin underwear talk, so much the better, as these two figures could balance each other. Have no cut in the center section.

If possible, have the first and third sections of equal depth, and if they do not run clean down to the bottom of the page, fill up with items of the other sale.

Run light neat borders completely about first and third sections.

The muslin underwear and linen sales may be kept up for two weeks. In about that time "The Great January Mark-Down Sale" has died a natural death, with a life full of honors and results full of cash, providing the advertising was good, the weather decent, and general conditions anywhere near propitious.

Having given the linen and the underwear departments a good start on the high road to success, let us turn our attention to the head of the men's furnishings, who is on pins and needles about his "Big Sale of Men's Furnishings." One good thing about his sale, and that is, you can start in almost any day in the week on a sale in men's wear, for the reason that a man is supposed to have-and generally does have—money enough in his pocket any day that he chooses to attend a sale; but a woman generally spends her shopping money Monday. She gets it on Saturday night from her liege lord and master, and, with the aid of a pencil and paper and half a dozen Sunday ads, she disposes of this amount—in her mind—before she goes to Sunday evening services. I am speaking of the great middle classes, who are the mainstay of all retail businesses.

Well, let us start this men's furnishings sale on Thursday. A small announcement may be made in Wednesday's ad about this sale, and when Thursday comes around "The Big Sale of Men's Furnishings " should have a space at least as large as the linen sale the Sunday previous.

The typographical arrangement, etc., could be of the same order as with the other sales.

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