Classified advertising isthat advertising which is grouped in certain sections of the paper and is thusdistinguished from display advertising. Such groupings as “Help Wanted”, “Real Estate”, “Lost and Found” are made, the rate chargedbeing less than for display advertising. Classified advertisements are aconvenience to the reader and a saving to the advertiser.
The reader who isinterested in a particular kind of advertisement finds all advertisements ofthat type grouped for him. The advertisers may, on this account, use a verysmall advertisementif it were placed among larger advertisements in the paper.It is evident that the reader approaches the classified advertisement in a differentframe of mind from that in which he approaches the other advertisements in thepaper. He turns to a page of classified advertisements to search for theparticular advertisement that will meet his needs. As his attention isvoluntary, the advertiser does not need to rely too much extent on display typeto get the reader’s attention. Formerly all classified advertisements were of the samesize and did not have display type. With the increase in the number of suchadvertisements, however, each advertiser within a certain group is competingwith others in the same group for the reader’s attention. In many cases, the result has been an increase in the sizeof the space used and the addition of headlines and pictures. In that way, theclassified advertisement has in reality advertisement. This is particularlytrue of real estate advertising?