XXVII 
ADVERTISING 
Advertising is in its infancy in all parts of 
Latin America. It has been given neither 
thought, study or attention, by the native, and 
where some particular article has made a “hit” 
or developed into a profitable seller through 
publicity, the chances are that the campaign 
was conducted by some foreigner more or less 
familiar with modern methods. Thousands 
of dollars are yearly wasted by inexperienced 
persons in trying to market goods along er 
roneous lines. 
The great thing which militates against suc 
cessful work in this field is the enormous per 
centage of illiteracy—some authorities placing 
it as high as 85 per cent. Chile admits that 49 
per cent, of her citizens cannot read or write; 
Argentine 54 per cent.; Cuba 56 per cent.; 
Mexico 75 per cent.; Brazil 85 per cent, and 
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