Hat And Cap Advertising

( Originally Published 1902 )

In the advertising of headwear the advertising must be done in season. Each season's styles must be properly advertised during the right period. Spring, summer, autumn and winter have shapes peculiar to each season.

Knox, Dunlap, Hawes and such national advertisers understand the importance of this. So do many wide-awake retailers throughout the advertising world—a world bounded by no ocean, country, river or county line, but a world in which great divisions exist through intelligence and ignorance. A great number of retail hatters are blind as to the merits of advertising.

Every man wants a hat. It is the crowning touch to his habiliments—it may make or mar his appearance—it is first seen and last observed—it is instantly mentally approved or criticized, and is always an important article of dress. Every man wants a good hat. If he cannot afford to pay five dollars for it he may be able to pay three—if note three perhaps he can pay two-but no matter what price he pays he wants the size, shape, color, material and workmanship to be as right as can be had for the money.

Most hatters can talk well on these points to customers in the stores. Not so in their advertising. How can they get over this obstacle? Let them study advertising. Let them study the good points of their hats and their business, and make an effort to transcribe their thoughts on paper. If they find this beyond them, let them get in touch with a good ad writer, who four times a year can give enough good ads to swell business to a new and satisfactory degree. The cost will prove small in pro-portion to the results.

" How much should I spend in advertising?" asks the hatter.

This depends upon your location and the competition you must meet. Percentages to spend in retail hat advertising average from two to five per cent. Three per cent. is a fair average.

" How should I spend it?" again asks the hatter.