Dear Editor,     This letter is a r

Dear Editor,

    This letter is a response to yesterday’s article, “Online Advertising is Every Business’s Best Choice,” by L.C. Arnold. I own my own company, T-Shirts for All, which sells T-shirts for adults of ages 18-25. Based on my experience, I strongly disagree with Arnold, who writes, “Businesses should forget about advertising in newspapers and magazines. Advertising online is the only way to succeed.” This is not true.
     I paid someone thousands of dollars to put up online ads. But they did not increase my company’s sales. I lost so much money that I almost had to close my business. I want to protect new business owners from making the same mistake. Arnold thinks that online advertising is better, but I prefer traditional advertising, such as in newspapers and magazines, for three reasons.
    First, not everyone spends a lot of time online, so some people see very few online advertisements. Young adults are often online, but the International Marketing Association (IMA) recently reported that "Older adults are online for 75% less time than younger adults." So, it is likely that a grandmother buying a shirt for her grandson will never see an online ad. Only a traditional advertisement could influence her purchase. 
    Another reason that I prefer traditional ads is because they can get a reader’s attention more easily. Internet users constantly surf, visiting many different websites. It is difficult for an online ad to get a surfer's attention. Our local university recently studied how young adults act when they surf the Internet. Ninety percent of the young adults who answered said they do not click on Internet ads. They are too busy looking at all of the other information.
    My final, strongest reason to support traditional advertisements is that it is much easier to prove how effective they are. A newspaper can provide statistics, such as the number of people who buy a daily paper. These statistics tell you how many people may receive your advertising message. A website can also provide statistics, but they cannot be trusted. Many people might visit a website, but we do not know how long they stay there and carefully read the information. Think about how often you go to a website and immediately leave, because you clicked on the wrong box. 
    I think that every company should think carefully about where it advertises. Ads in newspapers and magazines are the most likely to be read by buyers of all ages, who pay attention to the ad. Advertisers can get reliable statistics that prove how many people will be reading that paper or magazine. This is why I believe T-Shirts for All and other companies should continue traditional advertising rather than focusing only on online advertising.

Sincerely,

Paul Workman
Owner, T-Shirts for All