Sponsor (Jan-June 1953)

Why an advertiser should he interested in transportation as a medium I lard card advertising ran help the city markel advertiser to buy maximum number ,,t remembered impressions, at low cost. In the average city, eight out of 111 people, 15 years of age and older, ride public transit, are exposed to ear curd advertising. This includes 76rr of all men. ::r , of all women, and XI f7 of all housewives. Most people ride regularly : Approximateof the men ami 599? of the women ride jour lo 10 times or more a week. Average one-nay ride is 2."i minutes. ■Is high us 62$ oi a city's basic population were proven readers o) u specific ear card alter it had been displayed in half of the city's vehicles for Ml) days. Average readership of a 28" card is 20r'c of the basic population. Car cards are standard 11" high, hut lor budget flexibility, widths vary from 11" to HI". Service may be purchased in one market or any combinations oi markets throughout the country. Amounts ol Mr. MacGlennon serine sold {full, half, and quarter) give additional flexibility lo advertisers who employ the medium. hull <olor -for ]iackage identification, appetite appeal ami human interest is another advantage of the ear run! medium. Car eanl advertising can be readily merchandised. Extra cards mm be printed for store and window display. Window streamers can be made from car card plates printed on soft paper. Is ii by-product of the $4 billion transit industry, the car card advertiser utilizes a ready -made audience, gathered by the (amnion need lot public transit. Without the expense of building and maintaining its audience, car card advertising quite naturally becomes low cost. National average is about 70-per-l.OOQ circulation. Although relatively small in the total advertising picture, car card idealising has scried its advertisers well over the course of 70 years. George 15. M \cGlf.nnon, Managing Director \ull. Assn. of Transportation Advertising. Inc. 'Continuing siuuy oi Transportation Advertising Transportation Advertising: The term "transportation advertising" includes: 1. Car card advertising inside buses, street cars, subways. and suburban trains. 2. Traveling displays, the large signs on tlie outside of buses and street ears. .J. Station posters, one-, two-, or three-sheet posters in stibwax. elevated, and suburban stations. Transportation or transit advertising is the most stationary of the major media — its dollar volume totaling $20 million in both L945 and 1952. But it is up today ovei 1950 and 1951, primarily due to new accounts, extended schedules of present advertisers, and increased availability of the outside traveling display. Advertisers are using a wider range of card sizes, both larger and smaller than the usual 28" card. Fluorescent colors have increased acceptance. New vehicles are more comfortable, larger and better lit. I ransit companies are adjusting mules to cover new areas of city development. Civic authorities, business leaders. Audience of average 28-inch cards Study | Display period Basic population % of basic population Number Newark October 1944 440,000 20 ",8,000 New Haven November 1944 170,000 16 27,000 Detroit March 1945 1,260,000 ?6 330,000 Cleveland Mar.-Apr. 1945 860,000 2? 195,000 Milwaukee October 1945 535,000 20 106,000 St. Louis December 1945 733,000 21 154,000 Chicago May 1946 2,930,000 16 480,000 Frisco-Oakland October 1946 1,150,000 IS 170,000 New Orleans January 1947 370,000 15 56,000 Buffalo March 1947 635,000 18 1 15,000 Boston October 1947 1,110,000 29 325,000 Providence April 1948 460,000 16 72,000 Johnstown October 1948 80,000 25 20,000 TOTAL 10,733,000 20 2,138,000 i Is were displayed undci norma] conditions <u ;i standard .'!" day thowinA .ii SOURCE: ARF's "The Continuin! portatlon Advertising 13 Studj Summary," copyright 1050 by Advertising Foundation and transit companies are experimenting with city traffic plans to speed the movement of people via public transit. National ridership in 1952 — the total number of fares of each vehicle gives you the circulation — is expected to continue at about 16 billion passengers yearly. What's the latest in transit research? The Advertising Research Foundation last year completed its fourteenth study — of Los Angeles. Here are some highlights from the 13-Study Summary, published in 1950, which is based on interviews with 20,417 persons over a four-year period at a cost of $200,000: 1. Eight out of 10 persons 15 years and older use the mass transit system at least once monthly. 2. 76' ■ of the men and 84' <• of the women are riders. 3. More persons in the 15-29 year age group ride than in the 30-44 year group or the 45 and older group. 4. There is little variation in the percent of riders found in each of the four rental groups, but more in the two lower brackets ride five times weekly. 5. Average length of ride is 25 minutes. 6. One-fourth of all riders see the average 28" card. 7. Toni's "Which twin has the Toni?" card ranked first of 149 listed in 13 studies, with an audience of 62' < . 8. Top 15 cards had simple layouts, headlines with name of product, one or more illustrations I except one), a picture of product or package I except one i . 9. Up to 50 words can be used for complete message. 10. Up to 40'/, of people asked will claim they saw your card before you've displayed it. So be careful in estimating total audience. Here are the comments of one media expert who studied this section for sponsor: • "Transportation advertising lias even less prestige value than outdoor advertising. • "It is somewhal limited as to t\ pe of job it can do. • "In a waj similar to outdoor, it has perhaps more publicit) than strong sales pull, although this is not always true. Some people have applied it to secure better direct sales kick by linking it fairly well with retail outlets served b\ the transportation. • "It generally must be thought of as part of a campaign rather than its backbone." • • • ]JII!lllllllllli!ll!IHH!ill!i!!lll!l Illllllllllllllll!!llll!llllll!|:i!l!!lllllll!lllllllilll I!llllllllillllllllllllllllllll!llll!llll!lllllllll:i|li;illl l!!llll!llll|i|!lllll!lll!!!l iilHIilHI !ll!!!!l!ll!lllllflllllllillllllll!M!llll!ll|l!!l!!l!l!IIJH 48 SPONSOR