How to make more money from co'oP

by Robert D. Wilcox

^-NE SIMPLE change in the way Yyou claim co-op can make you tons oI money.

When you advertise, you typically use omnibus ads, ads which feature products of many suppliers. You then decide how to charge each suPPlier for his share of the ad. There's a right way to do that, and a wrong waY.

I recently visited with six of our largest customers and found to mY surprise that every one of them was doing it the wrong way, giving away co-op in huge chunks. Because theY were billed by the newspaper in lines or column inches, they were trying to figure the supplier's share in those same units. Then they could multiply that by their line rate (or inch rate) and get his share in dollars. All very logical, but a disaster in practice. For two reasons:

(l) Nobody, but nobody, can accurately prorate space in either column inches or agate lines. Each is entirely too unwieldy a measure to work with.

(2) Even when you correctly measure the space that way, you don't assign a share of the headline and logotype. You wind up only with a

Story at a Glance

Correcl measuring ol coop advertising can make money lor you. .accurate measuring Plus pro.rating of headline lollows simple formula...free form available to help you get started.

measure of the space literally occupied by the supplier's Product.

There's a simple waY of measuring, though, that is easier, faster' more accurate, and which does automatically assign a prorated share of headline and logotype. Here's how it works.

First, throw away that printer's rule in agate lines. Get out your regular ruler in inches. Then follow these simple steps:

(l) Measure the width of a given supplier's portion of the ad (the part of the ad that advertises his products). Similarly, measure the dePth, and multiply the width by the depth to get the square inches. In all measurements, for convenience round only to the nearest quarter inch.

(2) In the satne way, measure the width and depth of the entire product

Gustom Gut Gedan Timbers

portion. Make sure you include nothing but space that advertises pro_ ducts. Eliminate general headlines. store name, an),thing for which the products in the ad should each be paying a prorata share. Multiply the width by its depth to get the -rquu.. inches in the entire pro-duct portion.

(3) Divide I by 2 to get rhe supplier's percentage of the product space.

(4) Multiply the cost of the entire ad by that percentage. That automatic_ ally determines his cost of the space occupied by his products, ptuj nis prorata share of all non_product copy.

One of the largest chains on the East Coast adopted this method recently. They found that it cut in half the_ time they used to spend figuring claims. And they also found tha-t onli two of their hundreds of suppliers de_ clined to pay prorata sharL-of non_ product copy.

If you would like a form for easilv making this computation, with step_ by-step instructions for completing the form, just drop a line, and I'll bi happy to send it to you.

It's one thing to decide not to spend co-op dollars that are offered to vou. But,_ once you've spent the money to do the advertising, you sure want to claim everything you can. This is one easy way to make sure you do.

(If you would like the form offered, contact the author at Arristrong Y^qrld Industries, Inc., p.O. Bo7 3401, Loncaster, po. 17604-ed.) --'- t..:ut{ wood may be used for animal onnkrng troughs.

Q: Will repeated exposure to pressure treated wood produce harmful effects?

A: Over a period of nearly 50 years, since CCA treated wood was in_troduced, we are aware of no reports of harmful effects coming f.om .e_ peated exposure to wood that has been properly treated with CCA type preservatives. Even in Hawaii wheie arsenical pressure treated *ooa nai been used for practically all residiniiai construction since World War II. we are aware of no harmful effects fiom exposure to the wood.

Q: Can the water leach out the pre_ servatives to cause harmful effects?

Frt Wood

(Continued from page I2) escape time from a fire as well as the time available for fire fighting.

Perhaps most important, FRT wood limits structural damage. Wood loses strength in a flre at thi rate bv which its cross section is reduced. The increased production of carbon char acts as a heat insulation and thus slows cross section reduction. AIso, one frequently overlooked quality oi wood is its capacity to retain struitur_ al integrity at high temperatures.

Trfated Wood

(Continued from page 9) there will be frequent or prolonged skin contact, unless an effective seiler has been used.

Q: Will it harm animals to chew on pressure treated posts or drink water from troughs made of pressure treat_ ed wood?

A: No, in fact the consumer infor_ mation sheet developed by EpA for arsenically treated wood, allows this type of treated wood to be used both for drinking troughs for animals, and in places where animals are apt to ,,crib," such as the inside of barns and other farm buildings. Since the chemicals used to treat the wood be_ come fixed in the wood, arsenicallv

.

A:. No. Although the arsenical cnemlcals are injected into the wood in a waterbased solution, as the wood initially dries and the water evapor_ ates, the chemicals undergo " compl.* series of reactions binding ttrem to ttre wood where they become highly leach resistant. It is for this reason tirat ar_ senically treated wood works so well for piers and docks in both salt a;J fresh water.

Q: Where can readers turn for ad_ ditional information?

A: Your readers can either call or write to the Society of American _Wood Preservers, Ioc., 7297 Lee Ilgl1vuv,- Unit p, Fails Church, Va. 22U2, telephone (703) ?37ry(h. it we are unable to directly help them, Jvecan tell them where to seek furthei information.

Among fire retardant wood, author_ ities consider Dricon the stati_of_the_ art. It has been fully tested in labora_ tory and field studies. When properly treated, wood building components may be used with metal lath and plaster or dry wall for construction in structures classified as fire resistive. For roof decks, joists and purlins, Dricon wood qualifies for a Class i roof system designated by Underwiters Laboratories.

Use of fire retardant treated wood in building is sure to increase. The dealer who thinks ahead will inform himself and his employees and plan to be a part of the increasing market.

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