The first requirement in devising a system is a method of keying ads, that inquiries or orders may be identified and credited to the proper mediums. Keying systems there are without number—to describe all of them would require a book the size of this one—but those most commonly used are adaptations in one form or another, of the idea of changing the address.
Fig. 15. Card Used for a Record of Inquiries from a Given Publication
One of the oldest methods is to use a department number or letter in the address, changing the number in each publication in which the ad appears—the address in one would be Dept. A; in another, Dept. B. This method is used successfully by some advertisers, but it has its objections. Most people realize that no concern is so large that an inquiry will not reach the proper department. If, for example, an inquiry in response to a beef extract ad, addressed to Swift & Co., failed to reach the beef extract department, it would indicate a very lax system of handling correspondence.
Changing street numbers, room numbers, or postoffice box numbers, is another common method of keying. This can be operated successfully by notifying the local postal authorities that all mail is to be delivered at one number, regardless of the address.
An adaptation of the number key, which can be used to advantage for a small number of publications, is a combination of numbers representing publications and dates. First, the publications are numbered, these numbers being used as the first part of the address. To the publication number is added the number of the month or week of publication. To illustrate:
Suppose that the Technical World is No. 5 on the list and the ad is run in October. The key number would be 510—5 standing for the publication and 10 for the month. All replies with that address would be credited to the Technical World for October.
In using this system it is necessary to use some figure—usually 0—for a repeater to avoid confusion; No. 112 might mean publication No. 1, month No. 12, or publication No. 11, month No. 2. By adding a naught after the publication No., confusion is avoided—1102 would mean No. 11, 2nd month, 10012 would indicate No. 10, 12th month. The system can be further varied by using N., S., E., and W., or by substituting Ave. for St. or vice versâ.