The billboard (July-Dec 1895)

.■IS 1 .1 e BILLBOARD ADVERTISING is the Official Organ of the KENTUCKY Bill Posters' Association. FUN ON Tftil SOARDS. During niy early experiences as an. advertiser, on the road it was nothing unusual to find a hill poster who could neither read nor write, and some of the illiterate ones were pretty teen fellows too, and done business in quite important towns. They shrewdly concealed their ignorance, and having once seen a streamer or three sheets, properly arranged, could "follow copy," as well as an expert compositor. But I never found one so dense that he could not compute to a cent just the amount due him for his services. In 186S when I was ahead of the Arlington Minstrels. I cante across a hill poster at Canan- daigua, N. Y., suffering from abad spell. Camilla tTrso was to fiddle with a band of singists in con- cert at that town, and.the Hebrew manager had economically expressed the printing ahead, savingtne expense of an advanoeman. The dis- play consisted of a small stand and a streamer, "Camilla TJrso." The bill sticker was stuck, and called a friend to his assistance in properly arranging the.bin. The friend thought that Urso, as laid out by the printer was a mistake as it "spelt nothing," that Urso was a name never occurred to him, hut he did discover that the'letters spelt S-O-TJ-R, and up went the streamers all over town, Camilla Sour. How the Hebrew manager did howl when he came to town. As for the star of the evening, she was mad enough to smash her violin.- Anyonewho has travelled in advance of the circus,, will appreciate the following r Once upon a timethe Adam Forepaugh Shows was touring the country, displaying on the boards a great poster illustrating "Adam Forepangh's Foreign Agents Searching For Features." Of course Adam's agents were pictured mounted on camel- back^treating with the: natives for beasts and beastessesv .The: contractor that season had done himself proud in hunting up cheap nasheries for the hill hoard boys to feed at and by a little manipulation of the letters from, foot streamers, they made the line on the big poster read: "Adam Forepangh's Agents Searching for Twenty-five Cent Meals," and thus it read when the show came to town. Charles Bigelow, president of the Kickapoo Indian Medicine Company, at New Haven.Conn., has a jocose friend who is^always in goodhumor, although.engaged in the manufacture of tomb stones. Marble Yard, let us call him, is forever inquiring of his friend Bigelow as tothecurative qualities of Lagera, and the medicine man - retorts that it is keeping the cemetery decorator out of many a job. "Say Mr Kickapoo" said the . good natured Marble Yard, "I seeyon are putting up painted signs around the city and country. You are welcome to put one on the fence at my place" "Thanks 1" returned the great chief of the Kickapoo,"I'llhaveoneup there nextweek," and he was as good as his word, to the amazement o£> the man who keeps the place. In bold let- ters it read: USE KICKAPOO INDIAN LAGERA FOR THE BLOOD. And You Win. Need No Tombstone. Chas. H. DAT. • -O NOVELTY IN HIS POSTERS. A Physician Who Could Care, bat Not Spell. A quaint and decidedly original healer, who does business on one of the Puget Sound Islands, advertises on placards and posters as follows* says an exchange:— "Legs.and arms sawed - off while you waite without pane." "Childbirth and tumors a specialty." "No odds asked in measles, hoopincoff, mumps diarrear." "Bald heads, bunions, corns, warts, cancer and ingrowing two hales treated scientifically." "Coleck, cramps, costiveness and worms nailed ottsite." "Wring worms, shingles and cross eye cured in one treatment or no pay.'* "P. S.—Terms: Cash invariably in advance. No cure, no pay." •*N.B_—(Take notice,) No coroner never yet sot on the remains of my customers, an eny one having me doant haf to be laying up money to by a grav stoan. Cum I, cum aw L" The writer adds that this man does a good business, although you would not expect it, and his patients say that he cures disease thoroughly nd quickly.— TeUgram y New York. LOCAL PATRONAGE. Denver, Colo., August 24,1S95. BILLBOAD ADVERTISCCO. Dear Sir :—With this mail we send you a photograph of two commercial stands that we got np for our local merchants here, one adver- tising the White Diamond Soap, and the other Leslie shoe store. Leslie's shoe stand is an eight-sheet stand, and the "White Diamond Soap stand is a thixty-four sheet stand. Sfow. I think, that if the hill posters would try to work the- local merchants and make their town self-sup- l>ortIng, that their books would lttlance on the right side at the end of the year. The local bill posters should see their merchants and business men at least once a week, and draw up different designs and get samples of commercial paper from the different printing houses, and explain to them the virtue and the value of billboard ad- vertising, and by so doing, he would not only be doing himself a good and a benefit, but also be helping his fellow townsmen. Therearea great many local merchants in the smaller cities that would spend money in billboard advertising and distributing if the subject was properly brought before them, and explain the advantages and the large number of actual readers they can reach for a little money. And after a bill poster gets his local merchants to advertising, the first hills he puts np, find out where that merchant lives and bill thoroughly all the way from his house to the store, and then do the rest of the city afterward. V. writes: "I sell about $70,000 worth of ready- made clothing yearly, and spend $3,000 in adver- tising, viz, bill posting and circulars, confining the work to the immediate locality of my store. This district is gone over once a week every week in the year. It has paid handsomely. I want a larger audience, and am now trying to decide whether it would be betterto increase the present force or spend the additional appropria- tion in the newspapers to the extent of $2,500. I am a firm believer in concentration. It is my opinion that this money had better be spent in an evening paper rather than in a morning pa- per. Do you think I am spending too much for my business? What do you advise?'* Answer: You have a central location, and you have proved that $3,000 expended in circulars and bill posters pay you handsomely. If $3,000 expended in this way pays you as well as you say it does, it is fair to assume that $4,000 would pay proportion- - ately as well. I would suggest that you spend $1,000 more in the same way you are now work- ing. I believe it would pay you to put out $1,500 or $2,500 in the local papers. I think the morn- ing papers will pay you about as well as the evening papers. I would advise placing three- . fifths of the extra appropriations in the evening papers and two-fifths in the morning papers, se- lecting those papers that are read by the class of people who can be made to trade at your store. No matter what the political flavor of the paper may be, or whether you like or dislike it, the pa- per that will pay yon the best is the paper that reaches the most people.— Nalh 1 ! C. Fowler tu Brains. Commercial Stands Posted by The Curran Bill Posting Co., Denver. By^this fact, when the merchant "gets out the advertising for the posting he will look for his | bills, and if he sees them the first thing, he is per- fectly satisfied,*as we all like to see our name in print whether it is a newspaper, a poster or a circular. The photograph we send you by this mail you can have engraved, if ;you wish, and publish it as sample of Denver bill posting. The signs on top of the boards help to pay the bill- board rent. These signs any average man can get up and get a rental of from $1 to $2 per month for each sign. They set a billboard off, and make it a thoroughly advertising medium, -without any fake or scheme being connected with it- Hoping that the foregoing may do you some good. Yours, etc, James A. Curran. If you roll a ball down an inclined plane it will roll considerably faster the last half of the jour- ney than the first half. In advertising, the sec- ond ad will be more effective than the first, and the hundreth considerably more effective than all preceding. The earlier motion gives an im- petus to the later motion of the ball, and earlier advertising increases the power of the advertis- ing done later.— Printers' Int. • As the price of the magazine goes down, the circulation goes up. Likewise the cost of adver- tising space. Whereas the burden was formerly on the hands of the reader, it now rests with the advertiser. If it pays him, what matter? If it don't, all he has to do is to drop it, and let anoth- er carry it.— Profitable Advertising. HIS DAD WAS NOT IN IT. Mr. Alex. Harbison, the manager of the In- dianapolis Bill Posting Co., took his son Will to he Bill Posters*, Convention, at Detroit, Mich. Will distributed a patent penal which was especially adapted for the use of bill posters and newspaper reporters. Of course, Will was much sought after, and during the meeting he was given four notices in the papers,while his father got but one, and that was in the regular pro- ceedings, and then it was not spelled correctly. Will said, " Dad, when it comes to attending a Bill Posters' Convention, you are slow," and he says, should he ever attend another Bill Posters' Convention, he's going to make a grand stand play. H- C. Bnnner, the editor of Puck, has written for Scribner an account of the rise and develop, ment of the Poster habit in America, with an amusing series of illustrations. — The Fourth Estate. DENVER NOTES. We think it would be a good idea for the bill posters in the different cities to carry samples of commercial paper, such as i-sheets, 2-sheets, 3-sheets or stands, so they can drum up their local merchants to do bill board advertising. Now I doirt think it hardly fair for the bill poster to ask the job printer to send them sam- ples for nothing. Order what samples you want, and then when you send in an order forprinting to the job printer, he will deduct the price of any samples he may have sent yon. The Barnum & Bailey Circus will be in Denver Oct. 1st and 2d, Pueblo 3d, Colorado Springs 4th, Trinidad the 5th, and then into Texas. The Broadway Theatre, Tabor Grand Opera House and Lyceum Theatre opened their season week September 23d. Sam Harrison, one of the most popular agents on the road, is in Denver in the interest of his show, entitled " Too Much Johnson." The agent that was distributing and tacking signs for Hire's Root Beer, was arrested in Den- ver for distributing without a license, and paid a fine and costs in the Police Court. Also J. Maguire, advertising agent of Yeast Foam, Chi- cago, 111., was arrested for sampling and dis- tributing without a license in Denver. He, too, paid a fine in the Police Court. J. S. Knight, representative of Beeman's Pep sin Gum, paid us a visit during the month of August* He was at the convention of the retail druggists. Also Mr. Hogle, representative of Primley's Gum, of Chicago, was in the city and took a ride, looking over his advertising, with Mr. A. H. Searles, our secretary. They both went out on a tandem that we have for the oc- asion to take new agents riding. A. J. Kendrick, publisher of the Ft. Smith Art ,\eu's-Record, was convicted July 2d in the United States District Court, at Ft. Smith, of using the mails to perpetrate a fraud on the Price Baking Powder Co. The latter had paid for the publication of a full-page advertisement in the Xews-Record of October IS, 18S4. and the evidence showed that the advertisement had been printed in but five copies of the edition. E. H. Brown, advertising manager of the Price Baking Powder Co., appeared as the chief witness for the gov- ernment. The conviction of Kendrick is of especial interest to newspaper men and advertis- ers in this surprising question which it raises: If a publisher can be punished by the govern- ment for using the mails for collecting on an ad- vertisement that appeared in but five copies instead of the entire edition of a paper, couldn't he be punished for using them for collecting on an aevcrtisement that appeared in an edition of 5,000 copies when he had represented it would have 10,000? Should Uncle Sam decide to act in keeping with the Ft. Smith case it would proba- bly serve as a warning to other dishonest pub- lishers. EMBARRASSING. Jav Green— The next time I take a trip on the cars I'm goin' to know beforehand the lengths of all the tunnels on the line. Mrs. Green (Am mother) Why, Jay? jay— B'cuz it is kinder embarrassin' to a feller to start to change his shirt in a tunnel, and have the blamed train bulge right out into daylight, when he has got the job only about half done — Judge. /NbaflyQityBilipostii^o, Ballard Carroll, Manager. 35 Beaver Street, BILLBOARD ADVERTISING is the Official Organ of the International Distributers* Association. THE INTER-STATE ISill Posters' Protective Association Convention at Springfield, III. The Illinois State Hill I'ostersil'rotective A^MH-iatto'ii exists no longer, liut in its >k;k1 looms up like a giant to its prede- cessor, the new organization, styled The Inter-State Bill Posters' Protective Asso- ciation. So great was the demand to get into the Illinois State Association from outside members, that they were com- pelled to change their name. The convention, which was held at Springfield. 111., was the largest of any similar convention ever held in that state. Over fifty members responded to the call, l>csides representatives of various large advertisers. Business of great importance for the welfare of the craft was transacted. The following schedule of prices was adopted: STAND WORK. Cities from 1000 to 5000, 3c. per sheet. 5000 to 10000, 4c. " icooo to 20000, 5c. " " 20000 to 40000, 6c. " " 40C00 to 60000, 8c. " " 6Toooto 15 oor\QC. " " 150000 and up, 12c. " Protected and renewed showing for thirty days. One sheets, 3c. per sheet, fifteen days. - The following officers were elected: P. F. Schaefer, President, Chicago, Ills. P G. Stout, 1st Vice-Pres't, St Louis. \V. J. Horn, 2d Vice-Pres't, Springfield. P B. Haber, 3d Vice Pres't, Fondulac, Wis. Chas. C. Maxwell, Treas , Lincoln, III. Clarence C. Runey, Sec'y, Waukegan, 111. C. Houghtaling and The O J Glide Co , New York, P G. Stout, St. Louis, J. D. Klmore & Co. and P. 1- Schaefer, Chicago, Solicitors. Maxwell & Maxwell, Attorneys, Lin- coln, 111. Chas. B Kittridge, and C. E Runey, Waukegan, 111, Inspectors. The following are the directors: P. G. Stout, St. Louis*; A. D Goodman, Waseka, Minn ; D. Spencer, Janesville, Wis ; Geo. Hebert, Menominee, Mich.; A H. Carnegie, Portage,Wis.; C H. Griebel, Jr., Mankato.Minn ; L. E. Tiemann,Belle- ville, 111 ; F. P. Meyers, Danville, III.; A. J.Turner, Carlinvillc, 111.; C E Pern-, Bloomington, 111 ; J. W. Savage, Alton, 111 ; Lou Roley, Pana, 111. Among the many bill posters present, liesides the above, were: C. Starks, Jack- sonville; J H Savely, Clinton; Jas. Ryan. Mt. Ruskin; S F. Nye, Champaign; W. J. Odle, Havana; Frank McCasIand, East St. Louis; Win Crittenden, Centrallia; H. P Cowap, Danville; Dan F. Cline, Peoria; C. K. Thomnson, Sullivan; J. J. Friedman, Murphysboro; D. Spencer. Janesville,Wis., and others. Mr. Geo. M. Leonard, Vice-President of the Associated Bill Posters' Association, was present and much pleased with the convention. The hustling secretary, Clarence E. Runey, has ordered 7,000 pamphlets, con- taining a directory of the memlicrs, by- laws and constitution. The Association starts its career with good officers and hustling meiutars. P. F. SCHAEFER. Few men are more popular than the genial president and general manager of the Chicago Bill Posting Co. Mr. Schaefer is active, ener- getic and progressive. The Inter-State BUI Posters* Protective Association, of which body . he has just been elected president, can congratu- late itself, in securing him for that office.■■"We venture to predict that he will work for the best interests of the entire association, unbiased, and without a selfish motive. Mr. Schaefer is quite a politician, and has a large following in the Windy City. work in -posting for the benefit of their various brands, "Quaker Oats," "Quaker Buckwheat," "Pettijohn's Breakfast Food** and**Schumacher*s Rolled Oats." Mr. K. B. Xewell, the New York advertising manager of the American Cereal Co., with; the able co-operation of Mr. M. R. Mower,who tafces care of the western end from the Chicago head- quarters, has organized a very effective corps of assistants, who systematically check up all their bill posting at every point where paper is put out. This is a step in the right direction, and all the bill po-ters are glad to get "Quaker''paper because they realize that the good work that they do will, by their various inspectors, be brought to the attention of the man that pays the bill. Thus the bill poster gets credit for the good work that he does, and through this closer association knows better what the advertiser wants, and is consequently fully; able to satisfy him. Kvery advertiser should be encouraged'in every possible way to arrange for an efficient checking of their showing at all points. Edw. A. Stahlbrodt, New York representative and solicitor for the Associated Bill Posters* Association, reports that business is rushing. His many friends will be glad to learn of his success. The Best Name. NEW YORK NOTES. The O. J. Gude Co. are sending out the eight- sheet posters of **Aunt Jemima's Pancake Flour" all over the country. It is a very effective and attractive bill, showing the trade-mark head of "Aunt Jemima." It ought to boom the Pancake Flour and bring a largely increased trade on this .product. . . The Franco-American Soup people are sending out, through one of the Xew York Solicitors, their elegant 24-sheet posters to various places on long time billing/This is one of the first houses to place bill-posting contracts on the same basis as their newspaper work, and the example is worthy of imitation by other advertisers, who will sure- ly find that by continuous billings they get the greatest "possible benefit from their paper. The Franco billing has been a most important one to bill posters on account of the attractiveness of the paper, and the long-time display which is gi veil it has done more towards influencing other advertisers to take up bill posting than any other display that has recently been made. Infact.it is quoted on all sides as the ** model show,** and has materially helped to raise the tone of bill board advertising, besides demonstrating the superiority of the bill board over newspaper and magazine advertising. "Gennea** is putting out a very attractive S-sheet containing their trade mark, the**Geniiea Girl.'* in New York and Philadelphia,with other points to follow. We understand that the orders have been made on.long-time contracts. General Cushing is pushing this most palatable breakfast dish into popularity, and finds bill postiug one of the most important aids to his work- - The Johann Hoff Malt Kxtract people have had a handsome S-sheet stand printed, showing the giant Sandow raising a full grown horse, with the strength acquired through the use of Malt Kxtract. Paper will be placed in a large number of cities by the O. J. Gude Co. The poster is an unusually attractive one, and will-be in many poster exhibits that will be held this fall. The American Cereal Co. arc again in liue.and at various point* arc beginning their season's Denver, Colo., Sept. 14, 1S95. Editor Billboard Advertising : 127 East East Eighth St., Cincinnati. Bear Sir :—In regard to creating or making a new name for the employer of bill posters, the following are the suggestions I would make from my own standpoint. My objections are as fol- lows ; No. 1 "Afficheur." It would take a long time to get the public to understand and use the word, and doubtless this generation of bill posters would have passed awaybefore it came to be a common term. ''Bill Board Advertiser" is fair, but not de- scriptive enough for the public to understand all iof its branches. Thesameof " Placarder,*^ as it flavors too much of tacking. "Poster Hanger" is more descriptive of a show lithographer. " Posting Advertiser." Good, still not descrip-v live enough in its meaning. "Bill Posting Displayer"does not partake of novelty, but it designatesthe difference between the advertiser and employee, and cannot help being understood by the public, as bill posting is understood to mean something that men, wo- men and children know. For my part '* Bill Posting Advertiser" might answer the purpose better. Or another sugges- tion which1 think would bemort appropriate is this, that each bill poster in the different cities calls his business by a name, such as "The Queen City-Bill Posting Co." and "The Curran Bill Posting Co." or the ■.". American Bill Posting Co." or the " St. I^ouis Bill Posting Co." Then he can getacard printed or ttyle himself "Manager," ** Owner,"" Secretary " or ** Treasurer," of that company, and I think that would be a fitting name, and he could be distinguished from his employees. The name would be simple. Take for instance our own name, which we call The Curran Bill Posting & Distributing Co., but still abreviated to The Curran Co., and when the bill poster is talking to any one he can say " I am Manager or Treasurer of such-and-such a com- pany. No doubt you might be able to improve on this some. Yours very truly, J.A.C. •••••• •••••• •••••• •••••• Reliable Distributing By Competent Men. W. H. STEINBRENNER, SI! Vine St.. CINCINNATI. O. PUT AN AD IN THE DONALDSON GUIDE 3d Edition now in process of compilation. Will embrace every town of over four hundred and fifty inhabitants in the United States and Canada, with a full and complete description of each. it gives the population of the town. It gives the population of the county. ' It gives the name of the bill poster. It gives his street address. it gives the name of the distributer. It gives his street address. It gives tbe name of the opera house. It gives the name of the local manager. It gives the names of the balls. It gives the names of their managers. It gives the names of the newspapers. It gives the names of the editors. it gives the date of publication. It gives the names of the dramatic critics It gives the names of the dramatic cor- respondents. It gives the name of a good attorney. It -will be a manual of useful informa- tion, for advertisers, showmen, and the- atrical managers and agents. The book will consist of over four hundred pages, 7xio'4, handsomely bound in cloth and gilt.' la addition to the Directory the book will embrace the complete GET code of the Donaldson Cipher, VnilD the showman's encyclopedia and TUUn the international Professional NAME Register. The whole -work will mbe carefully revised and brought up to date, and will be the most complete and exhaustive guide ever issued. The compilation is a work of prodigious labor and great expense, which is not wholly warranted by the sale which the book enjoys, consequently the publisher feels fully justified in calling upon bill posters, distri- buters and show printers to pat- ronize the advertising columns, and render all necessary aid in furnishing data, information^ etc. Blanks are provided for this purpose by the'publisher and can lie had upon application. It is to the interest of every bill poster and dis; tributer to have his town properly representee and described. Let the advertiser know its re- sources and the number of people he can reach. Let the showman know the circus license and whether their is a desirable lot. Tell the theat- rical manager what kind of theatres, opera houses, or halls you have. It will bring you business. Because it will be consulted almost daily by the advertisers, showmen and theatrical managers of the country. If your town or city has increased much in population since the census of 1S90, put in an advertisement immediately f ollowing the description of it, stating the present population, together with such other ad- vantages as it may possess: The advertis- ing rates are very reasonable. Twenty- five cents per agate line for a ADS vear's advertising is in fact ex- • DC " ceedinglylow. At this rate a All t space of half inch single col- CHEAP u ml1 comes to $1.75, or an inch to $3.50. REMEMBER, that the DONALDSON GUIDE will henceforth be published large- ly in the interests of bill posters, distribu- ters and advertisers. Heretofore it has been given over almost entirely to mana- gers of opera houses and showmen, bnt from now on this will be chang ed. Give it j-onr endorsement. Talk it up. Enlist the interest of your local managers. In fact, aid it in any manner you can. It's a good thing, and if accorded the support it deserves -will be a big thing for alt parties interested. The price of the Donaldson Guide is $3.00 each, and i t is worth many times its cost to those who • nee lit. To persons, however, who have not yet had .in opportunity of examining the work, or agents who desire to canvas for subscriptions or advertisements, a copv of the current edition, of which a few are still on hand, will be sent upon receipt of $1.00. Address all communications or inquiries to the puhlisher. W. H. Donaldson, Cincinnati, Ohio. When you write, mention Billboard Advertising. SEND FOR BLANKS