Opinions on Advertising are as conflicting as opinions on Religion. Forty per cent of all the people in the world are Buddhists, and are of the Opinion that Buddhism is the only true religion. Twelve per cent of the world?s people being Roman Catholics, are firm in the opinion that the remaining 88 percent are wrong, and sure of damnation accordingly.

Many Advertisers, seem satisfied to spend their money on mere Opinions about Advertising when they might have invested it on Evidence about Advertising. These are the Advertisers whose business must die before they can be convinced that general publicity (merely keeping the name before the people) is wrong and Salesmanship-on-paper right.

Do you No a company that would give a salesperson a commission over a report from him that he was “Influencing Sales” for their other Salesperson? They would expect him to prove he was earning his salary by making a satisfactory record on sales. That is just what the advertising employer should demand from his advertising expenditure, proven sales, carrying a satisfactory profit. And, if he insists upon it he can get the kind of advertising which will actually produce sales instead of vague “Branding.”

Advertising is and should be “Salesmanship-on-paper.” If it is anything less than Salesmanship it is not real Advertising, but only “name recognition.” And, “General Publicity” admittedly claims only to “Brand,” to make sales easier for the salespeople.

Faulty ads make the same lame excuses as would be made by a Salesman who failed to earn his salary by actually selling goods. But branding, or any other Advertising, should be judged by the same standards as the Salesperson is judged, by the products it is clearly proven to sell and the return on investment it generates

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