Show wages and advertising THERE HERE Is a lot of advertising in 1 this country and it has a definite purpose it is there because our merchants want to sell us automobiles to chewing gum toothpaste refrigerators and oranges they know that advertising helps to sell these things and thousands of others and they know that it provides a valuable information service to consumers that much is plain but did you ever stop to consider that advertising affects your personal income no matter what your occupation the amount of your salary or wages is affected by the total volume of advertising on the part of all manufacturers ind and storekeepers everywhere this statement is worth examining in this coun country iry we produce and consume more than twice as much goods tor for every man woman and child as is produced and used in other principal countries of the world why is this not merely because we have vast natural resources not just because we are better at inventing and organizing gan izing it is mostly because we all want so much to have the good things in life and because we have the individual ambition and energy to get them the purchasing power of american people is used all the time and it revolves last fast this Is where advertising comes in it creates desires for new things and encourages ambition for higher standards of living suggestions from the merchants advertising are often responsible for the purchase of a new living room rug an automobile better clothes or a new kind of breakfast food millions of purchases are inspired by advertising when the volume of buying is high business is good and there are many jobs it is not only the ability of consumers to buy goods but also their desire to buy that makes factories run at full speed advertising is one of the greatest stimulators stimulatory of buying desire that has ever been known new industries depend on advertising ver to get started A factory is built to manufacture a clever electric razor no one ever heard of such a thing before hardly anybody wants to buy the device until the manufacturer explains its advantages in a national advertising campaign almost immediately thousands of men buy theft machines and the company increases production the result is lots of new jobs for factory workers and traveling salesmen advertising has built many other new industries big ones and little ones similarly advertising has expanded countless s old industries raw material and other related industries are directly benefited in every case it means more employment more wages our whole economic life is speeded up the national purchasing power is enlarged and income goes up the merchandising force of advertising ver is very important among the various factors responsible tor for our having the highest wage level in the world with a buying power nearly twice that in great britain two to and one half times as great as in germany and more than tha n ten times as high as wages in russia in more ways than one advertising gives a lift to the pay envelope copyright 1939 |