Date: June 13, 1931
Location: Northampton, MA
(Original document available here)
The current national convention of advertising men indicates what a great business in itself scientific publicity has become. A few years ago advertising was a mere incident of merchandising which was given little thought; now it is one of the cornerstones of commerce.
Advertising has gained its important and permanent place by establishing the principle that it must tell the truth.
Formerly regarded as irresponsible trade talk intended mostly to challenge the attention, it has become a responsible guarantee designed to convince the understanding. Unless advertising meets that requirement it is now considered a costly failure. In the efforts made to eliminate waste in our commercial life none has been more important than the elimination of the waste of misrepresentation in advertising. With honest merchandise, conscientiously produced, truthfully advertised, and efficiently marketed the future of our county will be secure. We have the productive capacity, the raw materials, and the capital necessary for profitable business. Only the demand is lacking. It is the function of advertising to create the demand. More emphasis is required on that essential fact. The economic benefit of balanced consumption within the means of the purchaser is not yet fully understood. Better publicity is the answer.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge Says: Dispatches Written by Former-President Coolidge and Syndicated to Newspapers in 1930-1931 (Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation)
The Coolidge Foundation gratefully acknowledges the volunteer efforts of Robert Manchester who prepared this document for digital publication.