The best advertisement that can be written is that which puts you in
communication as directly as possible with those to whom you appeal and
at the same time does not put you on a false footing with them. If you are
advertising a retail business, about the only thing that you can expect your
advertisement to do is to bring the right kind of people to your shop. If
you are advertising an article that is on general sale you must, so far as
possible, convince the reader that it is the thing that he needs, proving it so
far as possible by the experience of others. If you conduct your sales by
mail, you must so prepare your advertisement that it will bring you into
communication with those people to whom you believe you can make sales
and to those only. Too much "mystery" surrounding an ad. of this kind
will bring a host of curiosity-seekers to whom you can never hope to make
sales and who will eat up a great part of your profits in the cost of postage,
stationery, printed matter, office help, etc.
After the ad.— "What?"

The only right way to look at advertising is as salesmanship.
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What would you think of a salesman who tried to sell goods without
having the goods — who gave a glowing description of an article to a
customer, which he does not have in stock and could not get ?

It seems ridiculous when put that way.
Yet many general advertisers rush into the magazines with ads. of their
goods which they expect to sell through the dealer, and through the dealer
only, before the dealer even knows that they exist.
