Thesis

Thesis YOUR MONEY'S WORTH--Stuart Chase & F. J. Schlink-Macmillan ($2).* The consumer seldom gets fair value for his money. He invests largely in the bright promises of clever copywriters, the seductive swing of an alluring slogan, the cumulative effect of millions of advertising dollars. He spends much more than he ought to pay for products that do much less than they claim to perform. "When the technique of advertising is arrayed on the side of the private balance sheet, may the Lord have mercy on the consumer's soul. . . ." Such is the Chase-Schlink thesis. The remedy suggested is simple, though at present largely hypothetical. Let there be established testing bureaus, like the National Bureau of Standards. Let these bureaus analyze manufacturers' products, publish their analyses, rate each product in accordance with its desserts. Then the consumer will be buying not a slogan, not an advertising campaign, not a package, not a name. He will be buying a product. He may "get his money's worth." ^

*Chosen by the Book-of-the-Month Club for July.