Billboard advertising (Jan-June 1898)

iT. 7 ?^"*^"*^^' ■ :■■>■,:■■ ■■-■■ ■■*('.." 8 The Billboard. PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT 117 East Eighth Street,. Cincinnat, O., U. S. A. Addream all eomm-unleatlon* For the editorial or business departments to THE BILLBOARD PUBLISHING CO. Subscription, $1.00 Per Year, In Advance. ADVERTISING RATES: '"- Advertisements will be published at the uni- form rate of ten cents per agate line; copy for advertisements must reach us on or before the twenty-fifth of the mont h. Our terms are cash. BillboardAdvertisingis soldinLondonat Low's Exchange', yr Charing Cross, and at American AdvertisingNewspaperAgency, Trafalgar Build- ings, Northumberland Ave., W. C. In Paris, at Brelano*s, ty Avenue del Opera. The trade sup- plied bjf the American News Co. and its tranches. Remittance should be madeby cheque, post-ojffice or express money order, or registered letter addressed and made payable to The Bit-board Pub. Co. The ediior-cannot undertake to return unsolicited i manuscript: correspondents should keep copy. . When it ts necessary to mire us the instructions : and copy for advertisements, great saving in the * matter of teleernph tolls may be had by recourse to '..the Donaldson Cipher Code. . Entred as Second-Class Matter dl Post Office /at Cincinnati* Ohio. JANUARY, S898. THE BILLBOARD THE BILLBOARD. <-•■; A.GREAT many advertisers, particularly .; those to whom the ways of bill posters are new, make a great mistake in the way they go about placing their business. It is all right to secure bottom figures, but it is all wrong to haggle. In many—in fact, nearly all the'smaller' towns the bill poster generally wields the brush himself, and letter writing is the most arduous task that he is called upon to perform. Nine times out of ten he will quote his lowest rates in replying to your first letter. If _ you succeed in gaining a further reduc- tion it will not. profit you. Bill posters, are much like other people—intensely human. The advertiser who pays the least wDl generally find that he gets the least. It is a very poor practice to pay less than is asked by-a bill poster. He has too many ways at hand in which "he can balance up accounts. If he keeps you off of a single good location, you are loser by your., course. Pay a fair price, and pay it cheerfully and promptly; al- ways pay association prices, and beware . of the bill poster who quotes lower rates. * • " During the past month we "have re- ceived numerous suggestions in the way of measures and plans looking to the im- provement of existing conditions in the small towns. Some are wise; and some ..otherwise. One correspondent opines that bill posters in very small places should endeavor to control all distributing and own bulletin boards as welL Another ' thinks that the publisher of the news- .■. paper should also own the boards and control the distributing, inasmuch as he might in this way make it worth his while to devote all of his time to advertising. All agree that an advance in prices is im- perative, some few even advocating a re- ■■ turn to the exploded flat rate. The latter suggestion will not do at alL It has been tried, and has failed. Aside from the fact that space in small towns is not as val- - uable as the same space in cities, .there is "the greater proportionate expense of ap- portioning, such as shipping, correspond- ence, inspecting, etc. A return to the - flat rate is not to be thought of. Yet something must be done, or else bill post- ing will continue to be regarded as sup- plementary or accessory to publications. It will never enjoy the important consid- eration it merits until there is a reliable service in the villages—until an article can be successfully advertised every- where oa the boards alone, without re- course to other mediums. * * * In advocating a return to the flat rate of 12 cents, a correspondent points out the fact that many city bill posters are adding adjacent small towns to their plants and charging city rates therein. But that is no criterion. Such towns are nearly always -the suburbs cT the city in question, and belong, if not to the cor- poration, at least to the same community. They are nearly always connected by street or electric cars. Paper is shipped in one consignment to one address, and inspection is had at Utile or no additional cost It is the isolated small towns we speak ■ of—villages that are a community in themselves. The prices must be raised. That much is plain. Without adequate .returns from his boards no one is going to give them the time and. attention necessary to pro- • vide a satisfactory service. But, while the prices must be advanced, a differential must a'so be maintained. Therefore, it would seem that the prevail- ing schedule must be raised all along the line. Will the cities consent? 'i'heir service is worth it, results justify it and there is reason to believe that advertisers will sta-d it cheerfully. * * * The International Association of Dis- tributors took a big jump in point of ■• membership last month. At this writing some fifty applicants have been accepted, about sixty rejected for cause and as many more applications are on file wait- ing investigation-regarding the applicant's character and standing. The rules of the organization require the secretary to make the most searching inquiries about appli- cants before they are admitted. This keeps the membership from growing as fast "as it would otherwise do, but it also keeps out scamps and scalawags. Adver- tisers are fast learning that the trade mark:of the I. A. D. on a distributor's letter head means that that distributor can be relied upon to give careful, honest, painstaking service. As a result, they are putting I. A. D. members on their lists as fast as they can get them. The I. A. D. will control the house-to- house work of the country before the year 1898 is at an end. * * The American Association of Fairs and Expositions is an accomplished fact. The organization has been perfected and everything now is in working order. This association has long been badly needed. What the fairs of America need worse than anything else at the present time is systematizing and the controling influence of a governing association. The American Association of Fairs and Expositions, will meet this want. It al- ready numbers among its members the state fair associations of all the principal states. We predict that with this start the smaller associations will soon apply for membership. It will be a great day when the agricul- tural societies of the country are all united in one grand league. Here is success and a long life of use- fulness to the American Association of Pairs and Expositions. In our capacity of official organ of the organization we promise to further its aims and purposes by all means in our power. BILL POSTING, PAST AND PRESENT. By Jam W. Hoke. This is Christmas Day in the morning, and I have a letter from the editor of Billboard commanding me to send on at once copy for the January number, "as the last form goes to press Dec. 27." Now, one of the unwritten clauses of my contract with Billboard is that I am to find fault. In fact," some of Bill- board's constant readers are beginning to call me the Great American Fault Find- er. .One reason .why I am expected to find fault is because any fool can do that. But I must confess that here is one who is at last up a stump. Rack my brain all I know how, I can't think of a blessed thing to-day to find fault with. The bill posting business is improving so rapidly, the bill posters of the entire country are improving their plants and methods so rapidly. - that the man who could find fault on Christmas morning must surely be a dyspeptic. This improvement in the bill posters' methods has in many towns resulted in increased prices; these increased prices have been. met by some advertisers as a thrust at their interests, and I hive re- cently felt called upon to take' sides with the billposters and against some adver- tisers who claim to have been robbed. A new concern of manufacturers, the members of which had heretofore been traveling salesmen for an old concern which in years gone by had done' some bill posting, started in business a few months ago, and one of the first things they did was to get out a three-sheet pos- ter. As is customary with a great many starters in this line of advertising, these three-sheets were sent out to thiir vatijus wholesale agents in the principal cities. In due course, the bill posters' bills began to come along, and then began a weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. The charges were seven cents a sheet, nine cents a sheet; even t jvelve cents a sheet. Horrible! Three cents was what they ex- pected to pay, same as in the past. I have had a number of interviews with these people, and believe I am beginning to convince them that while in the past they have paid only three cents in some towns, the possibility is that their paper was not well posted, in as conspicuous places, nor given the full time contracted for, as they are almost invariably certain of to-day. I have told them that if they will try to remember, they will recall the fact that in the past their paper in many towns was put 011 the rough side of clap- board barns, off on side streets, white now their paper is posted on well built bill- boards, erected on the most prominent thoroughfares. That they were given nt> guarantee that the paper should show for any length of time, while now they ar< absolutly sure that if they contract for thirty days they get thirty days. Ami not only is the paper protected-for the time contracted for, but if storms destroy or mutilate during that time the paper is promptly renewed and kept in fine condi- tion during the entire time. That whil- in the past they supposed their paper was all posted, there was really; very little chance of their knowing absolutely; but now they are supplied with .lists of loca- tions of their posters, and can go over the ground and check off every poster. But, most important of all, while in the past, bill posting' seldom paid the adver- tiser, now it invariably does—-if "the arti- cle advertised has merit and if dealers are properly supplied with the goods. THE OPE N ASSO CIATION. He who opposes his own judgment against the consent of: the times ought to be backed'with unanswerable truths; he that has truth on his side is a fool as well as a coward if he is afraid to own it be- cause of the currency or multitude of other men's opinions. De Foe. Our advocacy of the open association is backed by' irrefutable'arguments, sup- ported by unanswerable .truths and we possess the courage of our convictions. We are for an open association first, last and all the time.'* Ttiria Them Down. The Billboard is in receipt of numer- ous requests for advice regarding the pro- position of the Sterling Remedy Co., the Mordaunt Chemical Co. and Warner. We advise our readers one and all to promptly and decisively decline. Do not entertain them for a moment. All swapping prop- ositions are illegitimate, and nearly all of them are specious and misleading. Get cash for your services. Do Hot accept pa- per which may or may. not be altogether worthless. There is scarcely a newspaper publisher in the country but has a barrel full of this kind of "stock". Gullible publishers have been worked in this man- ner for years. Bill posters, we hope, will not be so easily taken in.■■ Turn them down. Get coin of the realm for what you sell, and you will be able to pay cash for what you buy. " " WELL, WELL, WELL! This is Really too Bad! "High-faluten" is the way in which the editor of The Bill Poster oi London, Eng- land, refers to the article about which McManus raised such a row. New York City prices take another jump February 1 st, to four cents per week straight. Two years ago, when they were raised to 3 % cents, some of the billposters feared for the result, but the most san- guine expectations have been tealized, and as the increased prices, have allowed of building better boards and renting bet- ter locations, the advertisers are thorougly satisfied to pay the advance. Van Beure 1 and Reagan are now following Munsm's lead, and building all hew boards of sheet iron. Munson has very^' feW wooden boards left, and they; are- rapidly being faced with iron. LATEST FROM THE FAR WEST. 5>»*,r- ra*»-:£sE»^.■-.?.. San Francisco, Cal. Dec. 23, '97. This Billboard'Pub. Co.,' Cincinnati, O. Gentlemen: —Your letter of the' 17th -i 11st, to Owens & Varaey, asking for in- formation concerning'a meeting of the Cal. Bill Posters' Association, has been referred to me. An exhaustive account of this alleged association meeting need not have been very long if it told the truth. Last month Mr. Geo; H. Siebe, signing himself as President pro tent of the California Bill Posters'- Association, sent out invitations to bill posters of Cal- ifornia nearly all of whom •' are members of the Pacific Coast Bill Posters' Associ- ' ation,'inviting them to a meeting of what he was pleased to call'the California Bill Posters' Association, to be'held at the office of Siebe & Green, at 8 P. M. of December 8. .-"- ■ ?•''■'" . When the Pacific Coast Bill Posters' Association adjourned last" Julyv the ad-- jourmnent was until December 8th at 1 P. M. In the invitation sent out by Mr. . Siebe, it was stated that tlnrmajority of the bill posters of ■ California would be represented either'in-person or by proxy and in-connection with the invitation the statement was made that if the bill pos- ter addressed did not attend, they would consider that he was against the majority of the bill posters of- California. The Pacific Coast Bill Posters' Association met at 1 P. M. December Sth, -and as you will see by the minutes of the proceedings, a copy of which I forward The Billboard, the meeting was the most largely attended and enthusiastic we have had for some time, Considerable business was tran- sacted in the afternoon, and took a recess until 7 P, M., and after finishing the bus- iness of the session, adjourned to a neigh- boring banquet hall on the invitation of Owens & Varney, At about 8 o'clock or at the time for which Mr. Siebe had stated the California Bill Poster's' would meet, Mr. Siebe ap- peared at the office of Owens & Varney in a condition of vinous exhilaration and demanded admission to' the meeting of the Pacific Coast Bill Posters 1 Association on the strength of the fact that he had some time ago bought the business of Mr. Al. Stilwell in Oakland. When I in- formed him that according to the by-laws of the Pactfic Coast Bill Posters' Associa- tion the buying of a business did not give him any right as a member of our associ- ation unless elected in the regular way, he demanded a copy of the by-laws. I told him if he would call the next day that as a matter of courtesy I would fur- nish him with a copy, but as the rooms in which our association met were just above the office of Owens & Varney, and it was necessary to lock the office, I would have to ask him to retire. This he impudently refused to do, and it was necessary to eject him. Accompanying him on this visit were Messrs. Grubb & Gordon, two young fellows who once in a while do a job of sniping in and about San Francisco. It perhaps is not necessary to suggest that if there was a large attendance at his office to organize the California Bill Pos- ters' Association, he would not have had time or the desire to be admitted into the meeting of the Pacific Coast Association. These are facts within my own knowledge and I enclose one of the invitations sent out by Mr. Siebe to a member of our As- sociation. The banquet room to which our associ- ation adjournel at at.out 10 o'clock in the evening is in a large restaurant near by. While we were at supper a note was brought in calliug out one of our mem- bers into the general dining room. This gentleman, Mr. Hooson of Hay wards, in- formed me afterwards that he found Mr. Siebe with a number of men sitting at a table and he was introduced to them— one, as the bill poster at San Mateo, another, as the bill poster of Milpitas, and so on. Mr. Hooson remained in San Francisco the next day and saw some of these gentlemen posting paper on Siebe & Greens fences. When he expressed surprise that bill posters of other towns were posting bills for Sibe & Green in San Francisco,' they said they were helping them out on account of a rush of work. Is not the nature of the bluff apparent? Mr. Hooson and one or two others' of our association called at the office of Siebe & Green next day as "a matter of curiosity and Mr. Hooson was informed that Mr. . Morrissey of Marysville and another gen- tleman present had joined the 'California Bill Posters' Association, but. on being called on by Mr. Green to corroborate this Statement, they denied the soft impeach- ment 'Since that time, Mr. Hooson was informed that he was a member of the California Bill Posters' 'Association, but he had not even applied for membership. I enclose a letter from another member - bearing on this point which speaks for itself. By the way, Mr. Neild of Vallejo, a former member of the Pacific Cost Associ- ation who had been present during our sessions aud at the succeeding banquet, has since resigned from the Pacific Coast Bill Posters' Association, having doubt- less succumbed to the flattery of being elected Vice-President of the California ' Bill Posters' Association, the President of which is Mr." Siebe and the Secretary Mr. Loverich, Manager of Siebe & Green's Oakland business. ' I do not believe that the so-called Cal- . ifornia Bill Posters' Association is at all a bonafide organization. I have since the meeting been informed by another mem- ber of our association who called at Siebe & Green's office, that Mr. Green was fur- ious at him for not attending the meeting of the alleged bill posters' association. Why should he be in such a state of mind if he had succeeded in his plans for or- ganizing an association? I notice by letter on page 19 of the last number of The Billboard, that Siebe & Green state that they have taken in an additional number of towns. Of the places named, Ocean View, Baden; Mil- brae, Belmont, Carlos, Milpitas and Albiso are hardly more than stations along the line of the Southern Railroad from San Francisco to Lan Jose. In Redwood City is located George West, who has been in business there as a bill poster for a num- ber of years and has been a member of the Pacific Coast Bill Posters' Association. This gentleman has been threatened by Siebe & Green with destruction of his business because he did not care to have any transaction with them. You will notice that in the same letter it is stated that Mr. Geo. H Siebe has been elected President pro tern of the new association. This statement is made under date of November 23rd and you wilt notice by one of the letters which we enclose that that the organization at that time had not had a meeting. Notwithstanding the fact that there has been in The Billboard one or two arti- cles that have been unjust to Owens & Varnev we appreciate your fairness and thank'you for the opportunity to be heard in reply to the bluffing statements made by Siebe & Green, I am. . . '. Yours fraternally, , . J. H. Simpson, Sec. P. C. B. P v Ass'n. LATEST FROM THE FAR WEST. San Francisco, Cal., Dec. 21, 1897. Billboard Publishing Co., Cincinnati, O. . "Gentlemen—We herewith send you the original copy of the meeting which took place, of the California Bill Posters' Asso- ciation. In addition to the. above, 'we have the following reply to make: . John Williams, bill poster of Portland, Ore., who. was elected vice-president of the Pa- cific Coast Bill Posters', has resigned from the ranks as. vice-president and as a mem- ber of the Pacific Coast Bill Posters' As- sociation, through the. influence of Siebe & Green. "M. D. Neild, Vallejo, Port Costa, Benecia, Martiuez, etc., also re-' signed from the Pacific Coast B. P. Assn. and joined our ranks. Mr. H. G. Wil- shire, the owner of the plant called the Merchants' Ad Sign Co., at Los Angeles, accepted the toeasurership of the Pacific Coast B. P. Association. . Our Mr. Green immediately left for Los Angeles to start a plant of our own, but after talking the matter over with Mr. Wilshire the latter concluded to resign as treasurer and as a member of the Pacific Coast B. P. Association, and has also joined the California B. P. Association, and has even gone further by making a combination with.Siebe & Green, whereby if anybody sends work to a rival concern in. San Francisco no work will be taken from the party for Los Angeles, Oakland, Alameda and fifty other towns. . If .we do say it ourselves 1 ; we are simply doing wonderful, This association will be the strongest of its kind in the world to-day, and we know that every member will live up to the., letter of the rules of the association, for if they do not we will immediately start a bill posting plant of our own, the same as we have done in Petaluma, Santa Rosa, TJkiah, San Rafael and numerous other towns. It is not our intention to.go opposition and erect plants in smaller towns unless we are really com- pelled to. We do this in order to protect the advertisers and give them what they ask for. We believe, in fact, we know, that such a course will meet with the ap- proval of the advertising public in general. It is, indeed, a very heavy blow to the Pacific Coast B. P. A, which we really don't know who is a member of it, but when we took away its vice-president and its treasurer, leaving them only a presi- dent, viz., Lee Bros., of Santa Rosa, where we have our own plant, and Mr. Simpson, its secretary, who is a solicitor, for Owens & Varney, it beyond doubt proves that we are leaders of this situa- tion. And why shouldn't we be? We are acting honest and square, and can get the business, and that is what bill posters want. The kind notice that you gave us was greatly appreciated, and. you may rest as- sured that when the time comes we will reciprocate. Bob Campbell and J. Ballard Carroll we know are with us, and if they should be against us at the Associated Bill Posters' Association meeting, which will take place in Buffalo, you may rest assured that we will lose no sleep over it, but will make the A. B. P. A. feel it worse than we will; for if they will stand on ceremony of friendship instead of on business princi- ples, you will find us fighting harder than ever, and probably some day some of our enemies may have au opposition even in the East. It is not hard to do it. We are making a deal in San Francisco which will materially cut the business of Owens & Varney, and we expect to ac- JO complish our purpose within the.next ten days, and as soon as we do you will hear' of it immediately. . In fact, we are almost- sure we will accomplish what we are after. If you would like to know haw much , lithograph work we have been doing, kindly write to the Donaldson Lithograph- ing Co., and*they can give- you the'exact-; amount of paper we have ordered from them within the last thirty days, and had they more commercial lithograph pasters, . say 24-sheet stands—we like large paper-— ' we could give them orders for ten times ,v the amount. We wish to thank you kindly for all : courtesies you have shown'us, and again say we shall reciprocate. Wishing you a Merry- Xmas and a Happy New Year f we remain, . Respactfully yours, Siebe & Green. Die. by J. C. G. ' Portland, Ore., Dec. 24. 1897- Editor The Billboard, Cincinnati. O. - Dear Sir—I have resigned from the Pacific Coast Association, but have not joined the Cali- fornia Association, as I don't belong* to Califor- nia, and consider that a state association. I went to California and was treated like a gentleman, both by Owens & Varney, .through Mr. Simpson, their manager, and by the firm of Siebe & Green. There is a fight as to whom shall control the California bill posters, and as I did not consid t> I had any right to side with one side or th« other. I don't want to say anything about their i troubles. As I said, I do not consider it any o*i my business, and want to be -good friends with j both the Pacific Association and the Califora Association One other thing I would like to mention: If I had remained in the Pacific As- sociation, according to their rules, I could not take work from any one in opposition to their;:; method, and I do not believe any bill poster can > afford to blacklista firm that.sends them work; \ or, in other words, we are in the business to work for the man that advertises, not the firm that he scuds his work through. Now, for instance. Blank & Blank, tobacco or - medicine firm, don't want to ask the firm of Blank & Blank, biU posters or contractors, be you friends with this association or that'' But can you have my work done in certain citi sin a good and honest manner? - '". ' . I havealways made it a rultmmy business to do work for anyone that paid for it. be he my best friend or my worst enemy. X claim that we are in a measure a public servant. Boardsopen to all. __"__ ' My best Christmas and New Year's wishes for Tub Billboamd. Respectfully. Johk T. WOUAIIS. Los Angeles, Cal., Dec is, 1S97. Editor The Billbo.*jii>, Cinciuuati, O. Dear Sir—In answer to your inchnry of De- cember ts,.would say that our preaccesssors, the MercnamV Aa-aigu Co., were members of the Pacific coast mil Posters' Association, but that now they have been superccoea by the Wilshire Posting Co., and tnat tne latter company is a member ot tne CalU'ornia uul Posters" Asso- ciation. __ . WlLSHIKB POSTING CO. H. G. Wilshire, Pres. Editor's Note.— We have presented a fair and impartial account or this con- troversy, but we should not feel that we" had done our entire duty did ve not state candidly, tnat in our estimation Siebe fit- Green nave got all the best 01" tne n^ht; We believe tnat Mr. O'Mealia, in accept- ing the Pacific Coast Association, acted: boin precipitately and unwisely. We also believe that Mr. dtahlbrodt has, with his customary perversity, got hold of- trie wrong parties. ADVERTISING WON'T DO IT ALL. By $am W.Hoke. Some months ago I placed an order for; posting the "Girl from Paris Cigar" hi Knoxville and surrounding towns. By- ; great good luck the posting was delayed": tdl the retail trade was thoroughly work-- ed, and as a consequence when the adver- tising induced a man to call for a "Girl from Paris Cigar", the dealer could sup- ply him. About the same time a larger quantity of : paper was sent to anotner town, but from accident the salesman, could not reach the town till the posters were dead. In the meanttme the smoker who asked for a "Girl from Paris" was put off with something else—his old stand- ov, usually, and he was very well satis- fied. So when the salesman did call, the retail 'trade was in no hurry to take tluri goods, as all who had ever asked for "Giriwj irom Paris" had seemed satisfied witbj" something, else.. r . . Result: In the first sectioh.the sale ha been enormous, and is increasing, whttsi' in the other section the sale is practically nil. :"'"' The best advertising in the world,, un-jv aided, will not sell go^ds.