A skilled layer of mosaics works with small fragments of stone—they fit into more places than the larger chunks.
The skilled advertiser works with small words—they fit into more minds than big phrases.
The simpler the language the greater certainty that it will be understood by the least intelligent reader.
The construction engineer plans his road-bed where there is a minimum of grade—he works along the lines of least resistance.
The advertisement which runs into mountainous style is badly surveyed—all minds are not built for high grade thinking.
Advertising must be simple. When it is tricked out with the jewelry and silks of literary expression, it looks as much out of place as a ball dress at the breakfast table!
The buying public is only interested in facts. People read advertisements to find out what you have to sell.
The advertiser who can fire the most facts in the shortest time gets the most returns. Blank cartridges make noise but they do not hit—blank talk, however clever, is only wasted space.
You force your salesmen to keep to solid facts—you don't allow them to sell muslin with quotations from Omar or trousers with excerpts from Marie Corelli. You must not tolerate in your printed selling talk anything that you are not willing to countenance in personal salesmanship.
Cut out clever phrases if they are inserted to the sacrifice of clear explanations—write copy as you talk. Only be more brief. Publicity is costlier than conversation—ranging in price downward from $10 a line; talk is not cheap but the most expensive commodity in the world.