Two thousand points for financial advertising

Introduction

TTHE purpose of this book is to provide a handy compendium of "■■ ideas and phrases suitable for use in the preparation of financial advertising matter — whether newspaper or magazine advertisements, booklets, circulars or "form" letters. It is meant to be a companion book to the author's "Pushing Your Business," which is more of a text-book on this subject.

The points brought out in the various chapters are largely such as have been used by the author in his long experience as a planner and writer of financial advertising.

It is scarcely necessary to explain how the book can be used, as that will readily suggest itself to the reader who has any occasion whatever to use the printed or typewritten page as a means of soliciting business.

One way that may not occur to the reader without suggestion, however, is to use the volume as a "paragraph book" in dictating letters in the regular course of business. For this purpose, it will save time and secure more effective letters than might otherwise be the case.

In the author's earlier work, "Pushing Your Business," are to be found detailed suggestions as to the preparation of copy and the choice of mediums for financial advertising. In this place there is only space to recapitulate briefly some of the salient points which enter into successful financial advertising.

COPY should be strong, truthful, interesting, clear, concise, informative, and attractively set up. It should not be formal, stilted, verbose or heavy. The creator of the advertisement should aim first to make the announcement so attractive that it will be seen, and, secondly, so convincing that it will inspire prompt and favorable action on the part of the reader. A uniform style of typographical set-up should be adopted, including a trade-mark emblem if possible, but the copy should be changed with each insertion, thus combining fresh interest with cumulative value.

MEDIUMS — There are many mediums which the financial advertiser can advantageously use — newspapers, magazines, booklets, calendars, circulars, form letters, novelties, street cars and billboards. Unquestionably the most valuable medium for the average bank or investment house is the daily newspaper. But all mediums

First National Bank

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INDEPENDENCE!

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National State and City Bank

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Home Savings Bank,

MERCHANTS and MECHANICS

SAVINGS BANK J THE CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK

The Old Story of an Old .FoUy^

National Shawmut

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HISTORY

No. 1. Some Bank Ads. — Mostly Good Ones.

INTRODUCTION 5

have strong points in their favor and the advertiser ought to investigate each of them thoroughly.

INSERTIONS — A regular annual appropriation for advertising should be made, and the object should be to secure as frequent insertions of a fair-sized advertisement as possible with that appropriation. If you can afford to pay for "position" in the newspaper ("top next/' "top surrounded/' etc.,) so much the better. Figure it all out in advance with the aid of the newspaper's advertising rate card. Be sure that you see proofs of each advertisement before it is inserted, and insist on good set up. Show the publisher you know what you want, and then you are quite likely to get it.

And above all things, be consistent, insistent and persistent in your advertising.

The points mentioned are well brought out in the groups of bank advertisements reproduced herewith, and the author's comments thereon, which appeared originally in the Banking Publicity Department of "The Bankers Magazine."

ILLUSTRATION NO. 1.

FIRST NATIONAL — A quite timely advertisement to use in November. The illustration is a very cheering one and brings home the Thanksgiving lesson that money makes the turkey roast as well as it makes the mare go.

NATIONAL STATE AND CITY— Next is a fourth of July ad., which makes a clever appeal to the man whose thoughts are turning vacationward. A well displayed advertisement.

HOME SAVINGS — Emerson said, "Concentration is the secret of strength." Here is a concentrated and therefore a strong ad. The wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err in seeing the point of this advertisement. The "SAVE." is almost as startling a portent as the "In Hoc Signo Vinces," which tradition says Hashed in the sky for the Emperor Constantine and directed his future course.

MERCHANTS AND MECHANICS SAVINGS— This "gets right down to brass tacks" and shows just what systematic saving will do when carried on over a period of years by means of a savings account. It likewise makes a strong appeal to parental affection.

COMMERCIAL NATIONAL— A special ad. of special service. It ought to pull business from banks needing that kind of service.

NATIONAL SHAWMUT— A very" symmetrical advertisement containing some strong figures. It suggests the question, however, if the $12,828,161.69 is really the total protection for depositors. Is not the collateral held against the bank's loans also to be considered in the light of protection to depositors?

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AND COMMERCIAL BULLETIN.

PRICK FIVE CEN7S

QUICK RETDRHS FOR ) ~ ^ , I END "LABOR TRUST;' ALL NATIONAL BANKS <$^p| ral SAY ttKOMIEES

MANHATTAN

TRVST

"Have You a Savings Account?"

The Northern Trust Company-Bank

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No. 2. Long Ads. and Short Ads.

INTRODUCTION 7

CITIZENS NATIONAL BANK -It is a safe bet that a married man wrote this ad. He has proved in his own experience the folly of the statement that "two can live as cheaply as one." But "Bank at our bank" is not enough. Please explain why your bank should be chosen. That is, give some reasons for choosing the Citizens National in preference t6 other institutions.

UNION TRUST COMPANY— Nothing to say about this except that it is short and to the point.

STERLING BANK— Good display, but some ambiguity in the text. Probably it is all classes of banking business that is meant, although it is not said.

UNION NATIONAL — Blowing the horn a little, but we guess it is justifiable in an institution with surplus and profits over eight times its capital.

MANUFACTURERS NATIONAL— This is a good idea. Take the dictionary and go down through and pick out definitions that may apply to your bank, although a closer connection than is brought out in this advertisement would be desirable.

ILLUSTRATION NO. 2.

CITIZEN'S CENTRAL AND MANHATTAN TRUST— Illustrating what advertisers would call "bully" position. It is "top surrounded," and on the front page at that. Notice the specially good position the Citizens ad. got — right next to a news story on national banks. The typography is good, too, but it is sad to reflect, however, that these very valuable spaces were used for nothing better than the most formal and stereotyped form of bank advertisement.

ROCKVILLE CENTRE— We rather think this bank has "put one over" on its metropolitan contemporaries just referred to as far as getting some real human interest and convincing argument into its advertisement is concerned. The big banks have nothing on the smaller one in set-up either. The padlocks make a pretty border and convey some idea of security, but the outline of a steel vault door would be better for a bank. A padlock might bother a chicken thief, but not a yegaman.

NORTHERN TRUST CO. BANK— We can't see where there is anything to criticise in this advertisement. We admire the courage of these Chicago banks in using such large space. This ad. was 115 lines by two columns, and we venture to say that it dominated the page on which it appeared.

FARMERS LOAN AND TRUST AND FIRST NATIONAL BANK — Too much matter and too fine type. If you feel that you must adopt the essay style of copy it is better to do the way the First National Bank of Montgomery does in the next ad. It is tiresome for the eye to follow across a long line of type, especially if it is small. It is better to use larger type and narrower column measure. The First National has followed Arthur Brisbane and William C. Freeman in the liberal use of caps for emphasis.

CH ARTIE RS TRUST— The connection between a bank account and a flying machine is not apparent at first sight, although occasionally there

8 INTRODUCTION

is a high flyer in the banking field. This ad. is a hodge-podge. That is the best we can say for it. We commend to the person responsible for it that line in his own copy, "Read! Reflect! Resolve!" Let him read soma good book on advertising, reflect on the fundamental principles it lays down and resolve never again to perpetrate upon a confiding public anything like this "advertisement."

UNION SAVINGS — The writer of this headline has summoned "apt alliteration's artful aid," but "wallowing" in wealth does not strike us as a suitable metaphor to use in a savings advertisement. A pig wallows. The term cannot be applied to a human being in any desirable sense. How much more sensible and to the point is that illustration used in the Northern Trust Company Bank advertisement above, or how much better it would be to represent a happy old age free from want, a man owning his own home, a boy going to college, or a score of other ideas with some sweetness and light in them i

UNITED NATIONAL — A couple of specimens from a series of "bullseye" advertisements prepared for this bank by the Publicity Department of the Bankers Publishing Company.

FEDERAL TRUST — Rather conventional copy and nothing new about the design. The trade-mark emblem of this institution is good, but wherein lies the appropriateness of usinjr Egyptian architecture in the design for a modern trust company advertisement?

While this book is copyrighted, it is not the intention of the publishers to prevent any financial or investment institution from using in its own advertising any of the points it \ contains. In fact, the purpose of the book is to furnish such advertisers with ideas and phrases for use in preparing their own advertising matter. The copyright is meant solely to protect the contents of this book from being sold again by unauthorized persons.

T. D. MacGREGOR.

New York, March, 1912.