Billboard advertising (Nov 1896)

BILLBOARD ADVERTISING. Vol. VII., No. 10. CINCINNATI, NO\EMBER POSTER THOUGHTS. trated advertising, and cease to be ed. Those who are interested in it must get down to bi to maintain its place in American "BILL-POSTER."' A LEADING QUESTION. The "eye i< the window <.t the sou'. It is ory and the emotions. "Glances first billetdonx of love." Is it any wonder then, that illustrated advertising — picture advertising —is the best advertising? It is so much the best that I will cheer- tising in half in order to put a picture that is striking, attractive and apropos in the other half. It is the same with a booklet- There are not three men in ten who can deliberately trample on and walk over a Iwoklet lying on the pavement, after llieir eye has been caught by a good pic- ture on it* cover. They must pick it up. ly-artislic-perch, and talk business in type cal with the same title is being It is valuable to advertisers of high-class, costly, artistic articles lliat appeal to people or artistic tastes. For instance, the poster ad is one good way to advertise s high class magazine. In the American poster of the future the artistic will be greatly subordinated to the practical features. The striking color contrasts and effects will be retain- ed, but the poster will also tell a story of tacts. Americana read and dissect adver- I should like to put the striking color effects of one of Ghent's posters, if such a thing were possible, into every ad that I wrote, but—I should still want the com- population of the town by one nunorea.and the quotient will be the number of sheets required for what ia generally known as ordinary billing. This rule however, does not always hold good. In certain cities where the boards have a fi st-class tisers are very partial to them, and o qnently the boards are not only well cov- ered bnt there are vast numbers of boards showing, considerably more paper is re- quired than will answer for towns in which like conditions do not prevail. Then too, there are different grades of billing. They range all the way trot ordinary to extraordinary. Light billing may suffice in one section of the country, whereas the very heaviest may be neces- sary in another. In the smaller townr. especially those of Eve thousand and un- der, it is very difficult to keep within the limit by reason of established pre- cedent. The paper for instance consists M. F. SPRENGER. a one sheet and a half sheet snipe. In the ordinary course of billing, one three sheet, three whole sheets and eight half sheet snipes ought to be enongh for a village of one thousand inhabitants. But wherever the circus haa penetrated, over billing bas been the rule, and the precedent once established must be maintained. As a consequence the village not only gets the ten sheets of small paper, but a stand as well, and mayhap additional small stuff. I do not see the use of button holing n iimu unless you have a story to tell him. A striking picture will stop a man-an artistic picture wilt please hint - but it takes talk, straight from-the-shoulder- tnlk. to make him put hi* hand tu his jacket and spend money. When the poster-people recognize these facts when they realize that the artistic feature of the poster only stops people and pleases the eye-hut that it takes special pleading to actually sell goods-the field »f poster advertising may be greatly ex- tended. II may tl.e:itakeitsplaceasalhorough- ually equallyas catchy, and languagi emphatic, as its color scheme. I do not think it necessary that it should be spotted all over with lettering. The facts-the story of the article must be told-but with any article that can he successfully advertised by poster-that stoiy can be told by an expert in brief. The poster America by the Association there. T is likewise a Canadian Bitl fbster, ci lated under the auspices of a D AdvebTiSiSG. the p Plato, of Frist o. Arthur M. Plato. Solicitor General of the Pacific Coast Bill Posting As