Ads In Funnies

Many a U. S. moppet has pestered his neighbors to buy a package of soap or bluing for 10-c-. He rarely had to explain that he had answered "that ad in last Sunday's 'funnies.' " The fascinating advertisement in the comic section of his Hearstpaper had told him that for the proceeds of 24 sales, plus a small charge "for wrapping and mailing," he might have a marvellous motion picture machine; or a real cowboy suit. Enterprising little girls were offered talking dolls.

Until a year ago there was no other advertising in comic sections, with the exception of occasional Christmas displays of Lionel Electric Trains and Gilbert "Meccano" sets. Then Hearst admen, mindful of a survey by Dr. George Gallup of Drake University showing that 78% of women readers follow the comics, got an idea. Reckoning further that 90% of all comics had "adult appeal," they undertook to sell space in the comics of the 17 Hearst Sunday papers to important national advertisers. The selling organization of Hearst Comic Weekly set a rate of $16,000 a page on the basis of 5,800,000 combined circulation.

The Hearst venture was a decided success. Other big publishers regarded it with envy. The New York Herald Tribune, Cleveland Plain Dealer and Philadelphia Inquirer began offering comics space individually, but Hearst had no large scale competition until recently when two new organizations sprang up. One of these, known as Comic Section Advertising Corp. was formed last month to sell advertising in the comics of 32 newspapers (total circulation 1,100,000), biggest of which is the Detroit Free Press. The other was announced last week as the National Newspaper Group. It represents eleven large dailies of 5,200,000 circulation, including the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Philadelphia Inquirer, Baltimore Sun, Washington Star, Buffalo Times, Pittsburgh Press, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Detroit News, St. Louis Globe-Democrat.

Like Hearst Comics, National Newspaper Group will place one piece of advertising in all papers of its list alike. Comic Section Advertising Corp. will offer space in smaller groups from its list of 32.

While all copy is arranged as a page of cartoons, none of it is very comic. Some of it is not intended to be funny, but "adventurous"--stories about the girl who escapes the curse of perspiration odor; the boy who gets the Job because he has fed upon muscle-building cereals.

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