backwards, letting the things bought direct me to the advertisements. She had gone at it forwards and shown a fine, clear characteristic example of advertising in operation—having the advertisements direct her to the articles to be bought, and with a wonderful unconsciousness and naturalness upon her part which was astoundingly significant.
The Basis of Purchase—The Cumulative Effect of Advertising
This girl had wished merely to buy the best goods and had filled her kitchen with advertised ones. But she had not ordered advertised products intentionally, even consciously. She had just naturally ordered goods which were familiar to her by name and without knowing whether a single other friend used them, assumed that everyone had them who had the best. Yet she was so unconscious of the advertising which had directed her purchases that even when I asked her about them, the articles had not occurred to her primarily as advertised ones. They had occurred to her as, and she had defended her selection of them as, goods of a superior grade only.
Then, as she looked at me wonderingly, the most astoundingly significant fact of advertising in operation struck me.
This girl could not have named—and a million more brides in similar circumstances who are
