The billboard (Nov 1895)

BILLBOARD ADVERTISING is tiie Official Organ of the NEW YORK Bill Porters' A««ocla«on. The Rochester Bill Posting Co., ? THE ERIE BILL POSTING CO. EDW. A. STAHLBRODT, Manager. ? EDW. A. STAHLBROBT. Manager. BILL POSTERS, DISTRIBUTERS AND GENERAL ADVERTISERS, No. .6 and .8 Mill Street, ROCHESTER, N. Y. NEW YORK OFFICE, 6». Broadway. No. ■» North Park Row. ERIE. PA. KEEP UP TO DATE. The d BILL POSTER'S OFFICE. Complaint reaches us from var rections that commercial auvtrtis quently receive from bill posters, locations where their posters ha' put up, which contain neither th of the place, the name of the bill nor the date of the posting. Thi are generally handed over to sa n by bill posters We id in the same (oia i CIRCULAR ADVERTISING. I the Theatres Control the Bill places, to slander each other in order secure work, not only betrays a mean but cowardly disposition, we don't care who indulges in the practice. If a man, be he a distributer or bill poster, wbo indulges in defaming his fellow-man with the expectation that by such a course he will gain an ascendancy over a competitor is surely preparing for his own downfall Every man in this life is we cannot understand. It is about the die of a full grown circus poster, but not nearly so pretty. The only way in which a man could read it would be to spread it out on the floor, get down on his hands and knees, commence at the top and crawl backward over it. Of course, no one is going to all that trouble, so it is safe to as- sume that no one will ever read it. A glance aj: it shows that it is a price list of oyer the vexing question, Shall the theatres combine to control the bill boards > During the past week the ques- tion was discussed in an informal way. The object was (o sound each manager privately, then to have a general meeting to take action on the question. Shall managers control the lull boards? That indeed is the question, and it will be the ~ie bill board e assassination These rubber 6tamps can be readily ob- tained at a cost of about 40c. 10 50c each from any stamp maker, and will be found useful in many ways. Every progressive bill poster should see that his office is pro- , keep it up. Smaller cir- culars, too, are spoiled by containing too much matter, and by being "cheap and nasty." The flimsy dodger that is left in people's vestibules or mailed in an equally flimsy envelope with a one cent stamp on ;t, is read by people who have nothing in has lately inspected the work. What is more to the point, Sir Biardot doubled up his entire Cleveland billing as a result of the satisfactory work that he found. As this billing runs For a number of months, Mr. Bryan's profits will be largely en- hanced, and the substantial acknowledge- ment that he has received for the special attention that he gave to this work will abundantly repay him for the effort. Mr.Biardot has systematically inspected every stand that has been put out in the the showing in Detroit, Boston, Provi- deuce and other points, but is equally em- phatic in stating that there are a number of towns where the bill, posters seem to lack enterprise, using dilapidated, uneven, tumble-down fences, where new boards should be built that will give character to the advertiser and credit to the hill poster. As a whole tlie work which has been put out through the O. ]. Cude Co., of New York, has been very satisfactory- It is quoted as 11 "model show" and illus- trates the practical advantages of the bill Ijoard over the street car, magazine, and other methods of advertising, both in point of economy and in the direct bene- fit to the advertiser. It is to be hoped that there will be many long-time billings of equally attractive paper to follow* this most Advance Car No. ■ of the C opinion, there is no easier way than by trying to blacken the character of a com- petitor in order to deprive him from securing what is right. These two call- ings have suffered enough from the ignorant prejudice of outsiders as well as from the dishonesty of " fakes," without those who are at present considered respectable, indulging in a practice that is neither brave nor judicious. COnPARI50NS ARE DEPRESSINO. A one-page advertisement in an issue of the Century magaiine costs $500; in Harper's, (400 down to f 100. A column in the New York Herald for a year, costs (40,400. This is a pointer for some of our advertisers who pay $2, (j, or $4 for an ad. and think they are doing a themselves. Such people haven't any money to spend, and would buy beer with it if thej- had. There is a way to advertise by circulars and we receive^circulars nearly every day which compel us to read them, whether we wish to or not. In the first place, the paper and envel- opes used must be of the best and the dis- play and the p and artistic. As a g article, or one class of articles, should be mentioned, and it should be described thoroughly and in the most striking way possible. On the envelope should be printed some sentence or some picture which will excite the curiosity or the ad- miration of the recipient, and make him anxious to sec what's inside, such circulars will bring m tthese signs are of n they are not affected by the weather, and in the long run are cheaper, besides being attractive- This may be so, but the occupy the space as if the space was given over to paper. Bill hoard advertising in New York is a science. It is the study of the bill posters who have thousands in. vested, and it is pretty safe to say their right will not be affected without a vigor- ous fight. Some time ago, and it is not so long ago either, managers thought favorably of giving up bill board adver- tising. The moment the start was made the commercial interests took np the 7 turn to bring them about. Hoyt and Mc Kee started a paper fight by buying np a number of bill boards along the Sixth Avenne elevated. They pay an annual rental for them, and their value can never be estimated, except that they are the moat serviceable. The rent of a whole house is almost asked for some stands, which the bill posters pay. and they claim they are not getting rich. There is so moch paper to be pasted that there doesn't seem to be room enough for all of it. Besides, more 1 added to New York show. The People's, a strictly Bowery theatre has its paper spread along Eighth avenue, the territory belonging to the Grand Opera House. The Harlem Opera House paper in Harlem stands alongside of theGarrick and Lyceum, whfle the Colum- bus also a Harlem house, has paper along- side of the Fifth Avenne and Broadway Theatre. So it is seen how much about town the lithographs go. There is no given territory and each competes with the other for desirable space. Advertise in this paper. It is read in every clime. The nd. rates are very low, and it gets there every time. Dost forget to scad aa advertisement for the big Christmas Number. The forms close November tS. than five nasty " kin Fair, Field and Farm, a new [ which, as its name implies, is devol Fairs. Stock and Farm Products," important of all and will prove a severe stumbling block. The bestthing managers can do is to let the matter drop. The bill posters are a well organized set They do their work well and deserve to be en- couraged, not fought.—TV Dramatic