The billboard (Jan-June 1896)

* s^ \ 8 BILLBOARD ADVER'TlSINa. January, 1S96. January, 1896. BlLLBOARiD ADVERTISHSTG. it 'i ANENT THE CHRISTnAS NUMBER It u really rarprising How much B11.I.BOAKD Advzktisiso Crmms into its pages rich and bright; It muit take a deal of thinking. Sitting up of nights and blinking By the dim uncertain tallow light. And if you should be a lover Of the stuniyng modem cover. Here it is in form and color true; Then the typographic set up, And the editorial gel up Gives you all that's novel, fresh and new. CHAS. H. C1.OUOH.: The Best Ad In the Christmas Number. The "best" ad, in the sense of being one which will get the most attention at the first quick reading, is, in my opinion, the page of The O. J. Gnde Co. If I should stop to qualify with ifs and ands, and conditions, etc, this might be different; but to state without conditions the best ad as above referred to, I say, Gude. It isn't original in design, but it's large, strilcingand appropriate to the business. The reader, glancing over your paper, can not help seeing this ad, and it con- tains nothing which will weaken his first impression that Gude is " Good." Wady, Writer. I enclose herein one vote for the ad of Ramsey & Co.; which appears on page thirty-five (35). The only reason any advertisement has for existence, is its ability to put business in the way of the advertiser. Ramsey's ad certainly should bring business to Ramsey. He states that his town is the best town in the state; that the people have money to spend; that every sheet sent to Ramsey ^Brill be posted; posted on good boards ; posted in good locations; and not too many in a place; also that the paper will not be covered until the time is up. He also names his price, which is some- thing I believe every advertisement should do, whether the price be a high price, a low price or a standard price. His price is low, and he states further that if you do pay the price, you get more for your money than you would expect. The design of the ad is strong, forceful, and up-to-date; the name, the ^business and the town stand out prominently; no state is mentioned anywhere in the ad, which is a serious defect, as everybody don't lutow which Lexington Mr. Ramsey hails £roni Mr. Ramsey gives f ac similes of some of his painted signs, which are executed nicely and which are likely to create the impression that such work that may be intrusted to him will be done just as well. He also names his price on art bulletins, which is not prohibitive—in fact it is low, but not low enough to be unprofitable. He gives his portrait, which, while not necessary, is certainly not objectionable, as people having dealings with him, no" doubt, would like some idea of what the man looks like. The only improvement I conld suggest would be a border surrounding the entire ad, to serve to hold it together. If the ad were on a page to itself, this would be unnecessary, but as it is, it blends into the other ads:on the same page, the same as the average poster on the billboard runs into all the other posters on the same board. ( The next poster I get out shall have a border a foot wide all around even if I have to hypnotise my client to get his consent. Now in regard to the other good ads in the same issue. Donnelly's ad is flashy, strong and forceful; but I am inclined to the impres- sion that the general advertiser will con- clude, that prices on Donnelly's ^25,000 board are out of his reach. The smart things that he says in the marginal columns were no doubt worthy of com- ment on the billboard, standing alone, one of th^n at a time, or say one hundred square feet of space each ; but in this ad they nm together and lose their force. If these columns were devoted to rates for advertising on this big board, the result I think would be more satisfactory. Harry E. Stoops' ad is big, but Jhe photos are poorly executed, and he does not say an}rtMng that would make an ad- vertiser specially desire to advertise with him. "Uncle Bob," Gimning's ad is bigger still, but it seems to be more of a "jolly" to the bill poster than a bid for business. As the friendship of the bill poster is Val- uable to one in " Uncle Bob's " business, the ad is no doubt valuable. Mr. Gude's ad is a good one, as appeal- ing to the bill poster, but the cut could be vastly itnproved. Jed Scarboro's ad. should result in some requests for his ."ounce of evidence," but I think that Charles A. Woolfolk's ad in the same line of business, is more apt to bring orders direct The ad. of O. P. jfairchild & Co., is full of good, solid convincing argument, giv- ing reasons foj advertising in Covington, but the arrangemeiit and composition is not equal in an artistic sense to'Ramsey's ad. The ad that will receive the most answers, is the one on the sixth page, asking for one hundred expert posters for the " Greatest Show on Earth." I notice that most of the distributers that you mention, call themselves "distrib- utors." Is this their fault or your proof- reader's? or is such spelling according to any recognized authority? $asi W. Hoke, 87 Nassau Street, New York, December 14th, 1895. Advertising space in any periodical of recognized merit and a large circulation costs the advertiser money. It therefore follows that it is to his interest to use that space in a way that will command the at- tention, and sink into the memory of the subscribers and chance readers of the peri' odical in question. Sometimes advertising space can' be best utilized in being left nearly blank, using very few words, but I doubt if it can ever be used to advantage by crowd- "ing into it as many words as type will allow. ' "Take for instance the Donnelly ad on the last page of the cover. It is probable that not to exceed three men ever have or ever will read that entire ad. The com- positor, the proof-reader and the man who wrote it, are probably the only persons who have had the patience to read it through. The two columns of densely set matter are positively worthless, a few good terse sentences in their place would have made the appearance of the whole ad better and would have been read by many people on account of their superior location. Words, in advertising, have but one use to which they can profitably be put, viz., in order to be read. In the Donnelly ad words have been prostitutedHo a posi- tion they were never intended to fill. 'H.aw di£Eerently written andigotten up is the Stoops ad. The same amount of space as occupied by the Donnelly ad yet I venture to say that while there is not one person who has read the Donnelly ad there are ninety-nine per cent -of the readers of Bii<i,boari> Advertising who have read every word of the Stoops ad carefully. In the Stoops ad one finds himself intently looking at the attractions billed on the minature billboards. It is an ad that the mind dwells on. Donnelly tells us of his big fence. Stoops' fences may not be so large by far, but the aver- age reader turns over the page with the idea that Stoops has the best bill posting outfit, and owns more fence than any firm in'the country. The ad of the Daugfaerty Visible Type- writer is clean cut and well written. The No. Conway Keeley Institute has a catchy ad. As there is no question but that "Heaven & Hell" between them command the attention sooner or latter of all classes of people. The words even, attract the eye more quickly than any other 'vrords4n the English language. The Gunning ad is planned in an effect- ive style but in this ad there is too much reading matter in the same style of type. The " Gunning Stands Foremost," makes up for considerable of this defect. It is with much diffidence that I criticise the Gunning ad yet to those who have seen the masterpieces of advertising executed by this -well known firm in behalf of others it cannot be denied that they fail in this case to do as good work in get- ting up an ad for themselves, as they usually get out for others. The ad of the American Bill Posting Co., I consider to stand next to the Stoops ad in point of excellence. It is novel and. attractive, it attracts the eye and one finds his attention riveted on the fine cut stud3fing its interesting features. The reader finds himself imagining " Display Advertising" thrown across the heavens by electricity, and admiring the ingenuity of the advertiser who is able, through re- cent inventions, to paste his bills worded in letters of lightning on the stars. The ad of J. H. Goodwin is a combina- tion of a good cut with poor reading mat- ter below it. It is too dense. The name of J. H. Goodwin does not stand out prom- inently enough. The best ad writer's ad is that of Jed Scarboro. The ad of the HsUeberg Fhoto-Graving Co., would carry more weight with it, if instead of using the little baby soldier boy they would use a cut that had more force to it. One looks at the cut and thinks lightly of the business. Arthur Babbitt, Ass't. Sec Wisconsin State Agr. Society The December number of Bii,i,BOAiti> Advsrtisiitg contains some dozen large ads—ads that range from one-half to two pages, a goodly number of medium-sized ads, and many small ones besides a page of classified announcements of a few lines each. It is hard to find any common measure of value for a three or foiu* line ad and one of two pages. The little one is, and must be, but a bare announcement of address and business, while the larger one can contain argument, business news, illustrations, and serve to create a decided impression as to the character of the busi- ness of the advertiser. The small ads are more nearly alike in value than the large; there is less hazarded in them, and the reward of the best is comparatively small. Putting the smaller ads to one side as relatively uninteresting in an examination of the advertising in the December number, the larger ads fairly claim attention before the medium ones. Of the big fellows it may be said all are good. Donnelly's is, I think, the leader of them. It is a bold advertisement. Donnelly has a good thing in his big fence and has shown his appreciation of it by devoting a whole page ad to'it. It is a big item of business news and is told in a lively, strong way. Anyone who sees that page will be likely to remember that fence. There is always one feature in any gathering, at a fair, a circus, theatre or parade, that is a distinct chief attrac- tion which everybody is anxious to see and know about. It seems to me that Donnelly's ad holds some such position among those shown in the December number. It is n(St ias well displayed as the O. J. Gude Co.'8, or the Stoops Co.'s ad, for it has too much display, and the display' lacks a distinctly leading line, nor has it the unique, impressive emphasis that Gunning knows so well h/ow to put into his talk, but it is, nevertheless The ad, the big interesting thing among the ads of the paper that everyone will be sure to note. Of the medium-sized ads, those of the ad writers are over-dever and sophisti- cated, while many of the othefs have too much display for their size. The Helle- berg Photo-Graving. Co. easily has the best ad of less than one-half page, clear, short, and to the point, and containing what most ads should—prices. The Old Colony Bill Posting Co. and G. Runey & Son have most excellent illustrations and enough display, but might have had prices or more definite information, things which Ramsey & Co.'s ad possesses, but not very clearly arranged and expressed in a way way that sounds slightly hack- neyed. Finally, while I think an ad must be bright, must be sketchy to be fetchy, I do not think ads as far fetched as those of the Hamilton Mfg. Co., the Keeley Cure, and the American Bill Posting Co. are, are the best People can be attracted without resorting to "Heaven and Hell," Death, or the Ancient Egyptians, and the chances of repulsing them would be much less. R L. CUBRAN. Lithographers and show printers report heavily increased inquiries for estimates from commercial advertisers. Bill Posters* Qossip. The City Council of Toledo, o\ has been discussing the bill posting licensein that city. As a result, the old ordinance, which has worked so well for Mr. Bills, was declared illegal, because at the time of its passage it was claimed that the Council had not the authority to grant or impose a license on anything except post- ing alone. There is now no question about the authority of the Council and a new ordinance, containing exactly the same provisions, was approved by the committee and presented for consideration at the_ meeting, December 2. Consider- able opposition was developed, and it was referred back to the committee. The out- come of this matter will possess much interest, for it has been supposed that Mr Bills had a license that was absolutely iron dad. The Spokane,\Vashington, City Couudl is discussing a measure to prohibit the building of any wooden fence more than four feet high within the fire limits ; the aim being to compel the bill poster to go out of business. tickets. The authorities there are pro- ceeding against the unlicensed dealers in them. The principal stock of these un- licensed dealers is billboard and lithograph tickets and it is to keep such tickets to stheir proper use that the prosecutions have been made. The theatre managers instigated the movement, and bill posters should be gratified, because, if there is anything which may be termed the "bane of the bill poster's business," it is the demands for tickets by owners of adver- tising space> W. H. Bumitt, of Ardmore, Ind. Ter., has bought the Opera House boards in that city, and now controls all boards in Ardmore. Mr. Bumitt has a well equip- ped plant. One of the last moves in the Salt Lake City opposition, has been for the old com- pany to extend iron supports from one of their, boards, which the new company built in front of, and by supporting it from the top, to suspend a board exactly on the side walk line and completely shut in the other board. The state of affairs which will permit such work as this, is all wrong, and the owner of this property certainly cannot be a good business man to give both com- panies conflicting contracts or leases. The Judidary Committee of the Com- mon Council at Tacoma, Washington, has recommended that the bill posting ordi- nance be modified in such a manner as to permit the distribution of dodgers for charitable purposes and calling political meetings by other than licensed bill posters. Chas. Wilson and Ned Burke, of Marion, O., have formed a co-partnership under the name of The Marion Advertising Co. to do bill posting and distributing in Marion and vidnity. The Padfic Coast Bill Posters' Associa- tion hold thdr annual convention January 7th, at San Frandscp, Cal. This associa- tion is independent and in view of this fact, some interestihg developments may be looked for. The Connecticut State Association is made up as follows: H, H. Jennings, Bridgeport;. J. L. Un- ger, Derby; Geo. Johnson, Southford; I. E. Roath, Norwich; John H. Gray, Willimantic; Col. Joseph Blakeslee, New Haven; John Buxton, Norwalk; E.S. Car- penter, Danielson; W.U.. Maguire, Thom- aston. These gentleman are wise in forming their Assodation, but several important dties are not'represented. They should Ministers In Milwaukee and Hoboken riake Themselves Rtdiculoiis. Milwaukee had a spasm of virtue Isist month and a delegation of ministers and members of the W. C. T. U. took a walk through the principal streets tearing down the lithographs of the Black Crook Co. The Kansas City Star aptly says that " they are too good in Milwaukee to do anything but drink beer. They have- q't*U the vices anyway." The example set by Milwaukee was fol- lowed by the "over-good" people of Hoboken. These misguided mortals sought to obliterate the advertisement announcing the coming of Bob Ingersoll. They succeeded in tearing down the bills but failed signally to accomplish their object. As a result of the crusade Col Ingersoll lectured to a crowded house. New York City rates go up January ist, to 4 cents for first week, and 3;^ cents for continued showing. Bryan & Co., of Cleveland, O., have bought the Akron billboards. The acqui- sition of Akron by this enterprising firm will be of much benefit to advertisers, because Bryan & Co. will put in a plant which will be a credit to all concerned. Mr. Al. Bryan is at the head of a stock company organized to build a theatre in Akron. Akron has been slow for a long time, but it's different now. The Maryland militia on their recent visit to the Atlanta Exposition ' played havoc with M. J. Dooley's billboards. The Baltimore World says: "Mr, Dooiey kindly expresses the wish that the ' boys' may never encounter a fiercer enemy than they did when they captured the billboard. The Mayor said he would refer the matter to Captain J. Frank Supplee. Some of the ' boys' certainly did ex- tract considerable noise and enjoyment out of Mr. Dooley's boards." The city authorities of Bay City, Mich., broke their own laws by posting election notices on the fire alarm poles of that dty. There is a penalty of ^250.00 for pasting bills on private property without permis- sion from the owner, at Fultonville, N.Y. A Denver Bulletin Board, Painted by The Curran Co. A special convention of the A. B. P. A. has been called for January 6th, at the Grand Hotel, Cindnnati, Several questions are to be considered, the more important of ■which is the action of the New York State Assodation in re- gard to Gude, and Bii,i,boari> Advertis- ing, a:nd the course to be pursued by the Assodation toward Billboard Adver- tising in the future. Chas. M. Whitmier, the senior member of the firm of Whitmier & Filbrick is laid up with a broken ankle. Send in yom- subscription now. In Brooklyn, N. Y., a license of jEioo.oo is required of all parties selling theatre The Mayor of Erie, Pa., has vetoed the license ordinance for bill posters in that city. The Erie Bill Posting Co. were ar- rayed against it on account of the excess- ive price contemplated and the doubtful nature of the benefit of such a license. The Mayor's veto was allowed to stand, although much pressure was brought to pass it over his head. make application to join at once, because the advantages of intelligent organization are inestimable. Col. Joe Blakeslee, of New Haven, is conducting his business in accordance with a very strict law, and he lets people know^ it, by incorporating in his business card the section which relates to distribut- ing and posting. The idea is worthy of emulation. We think that the law is a good one and present it Section Statutes: " Every person who shall deposit, throw or affix any paper or advertise- ment in any public highway, or on private prem- ises or property, without consent of the owner of said premises or property unifss the same be left at the door of a residence or place of business, or who shall a£Sx to any tree, rock or structure, within the limits or a public highway, except notices posted in pursuance of law, any paper or advertisement, shall be fined nofmore than $ioo or imprisoned not more than six months, or both." A. M. Palmer, the well known New York theatrical manager, has been sued for money due for bill posting. Qeorge Leonard's Pet. Mr. Leonard's pet is a little board, 400 feet long, 10 feet high, located in the very center of Grand Rapids. It is built of six inch tongued-and-grooved flooring, and is constructed just as substantially as any . frame house. All the street car lines from the hill districts pass it, and it is illumin- ated by three electric lights at night Col. Burr Robbins says that it is the pret- tiest board he ever saw, and the advertis- ing agent who does not get a stand on it, feels that he has a kick coming. SOMETHINQ NEW. One feature of the Interstate Assoda- is the frequent and unannounced inspec- tion of the boards by officers of the Asso- ciations, who make statements to the advertisers about the condition of the hoards and bills as they find them. Eugene Vallens & Co., of Chicago, will advertise La Flor de Vallens Cigars, on the billboards of New York. ■,sl