John E. Kennedy's Reason Why Advertising - 100 Years Old and Aging Like Fine Wine

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(Reading time: 4 – 7 minutes)

John E. Kennedy introduced the notion of advertising as “salesmanship in print.”

Salesmanship in print means writing advertisements in print that target customers who are qualified and willing to buy, just as a salesman (or, as we would say in the 3rd Millennium, “salesperson”) would tailor his sales message to the prospect being pitched to.

Evidently, at the turn of the 20th Century, this was a revolutionary notion.

Now, at the turn of the 21st Century, it’s common sense. Or it should be.

Right along about here, most of you are thinking something like

“Why are you doing this?”

That’s a very good question, and I’m glad you asked. I have several reasons:

Convenience for my own reference. I have read the book. And I’ll read it again. It’s short, and a fast read. You should read it too.
Experiment in community building. I’m also interested in your comments concerning the book as a whole, and on individual chapters. I have some ideas I’m toying with that I haven’t seen anyone else do.
Common vocabulary. No need to wonder what John E. Kennedy actually wrote. Just look it up.
Internal link reference. Books like these are grist for my mill. Watch me cite chapter and verse, building even stronger webs of internal linking.
SEO bait! Sure, why not? It’s a free ebook, anyone can download it and post the material. What’s it take to get “commodity” material (which is still valuable) ranking high in SERPs? Can it be done organically? Or does it take some black magic seo? We’ll find out.

The entire book is posted here online as chapters, with an excerpt from the beginning of each chapter. Each chapter is linked to the next chapter, and the previous chapter. Chapters I and X are linked to each other, making the document structure a…

Wait!

Who’s paying attention: First person telling me the name of the data structure I used to link all the pages together, I’ll send you – via paypal – $7.13 (Offer ends Midnight PST November 17 2009).

Here’s the table of contents:

Chapter I You Must Do the Sum to Prove it!

Advertising should be judged only by the goods it is conclusively known to sell at a given cost. Mere Opinions on Advertising Copy should be excluded from consideration.
Chapter II “To Whom are You Advertising?”

MR. ADVERTISER!

You spend your money to tell People what you’ve got to sell.

Now, what kind of People can afford to buy your particular Goods?
Chapter III “The Responsive Chord in Advertising”

ADVERTISING is just Salesmanship-on-paper.

It is a means of multiplying the work of the Salesman, who writes it, several thousand-fold.
Chapter IV “Let There be Light”

NOW, let us be frank!

Let us look at this subject of Advertising squarely, and dissect it. Let us discard all prejudice or predilection, and accept only Evidence, in our final investigation.
Chapter V They Who Blindly Follow the Blind

CARLYLE compared Mankind to a flock of Sheep.

He said, “Stretch a rope across a country path, about a foot and a half from the ground. Then drive a flock of Sheep over it! When the Bell-wether (or leader) has jumped that elevated rope lower it to the ground and note what happens.”
Chapter VI “Fortunes Wasted in following Will-o’-the-Wisps”

KEEPING-THE-NAME-BEFORE-THE-PEOPLE, “and keeping – everlastingly – at – it!” That, dear Reader, is “General Publicity” – a Glory-Game, under a convenient alias. “Keeping-the-Name-before-the-People,” and “Keeping-everlastingly-at-it, “may incidentally “influence the sale” of goods, providing no competing line is being actually Advertised through Reason-Why Salesmanship-on-Paper.
Chapter VII “Why Some Advertisers grow Wealthy while other Fail!”

SIXTY PER CENT of all new Advertisers fail!

Largely because they spend their money for Space, under the delusion that Space filled with anything “Catchy” is “Advertising.” They believe “Money Talks” in Advertising, even when it says nothing.
Chapter VIII Making Sure of Results from General Advertising

THE first tangible Return from the Advertiser’s money, when invested in Space, (whether that Space be filled with “General Advertising” or with “Mail-Order Advertising,”) Is an Inquiry for his goods.
Chapter IX How Mail Order Advertising is Tested

CHOOSE a list of reliable Publications, for a representative month’s advertising.

Run Current copy in half the number of these publications for that month. Key each advertisement, in each publication separately, so you will know just which advertisement and which publication each Inquiry results from.
Chapter X How to Test Out General Advertising

How to Test Out General Advertising

SELECT two Cities of about the same population, in approximately the same climate, and with equally good newspapers.

St. Paul and Minneapolis are fair examples, -but scores of other equivalents can be named or chosen.

Check up carefully the quantity of the Advertised Goods in these two cities which the Retailers have on hand at a given date.
Then ask them to keep record (on a blank form you supply) of the goods in your advertised lines which they stock within the next four months.

Then, run in one of the two competitive cities the “General Publicity” you have already been using.