The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-17
A CRAZE FOR CALENDARS.
Thousands of Beautiful Designs, Expensively
Printed, Distributed by Corporations.

Thousands of Beautiful Designs, Expensively
Printed, Distributed by Corporations.
Philadelphia Press.
mo more calendars given out" or some legend
to that effect, can be seen prominently displayed
In the offices OF many insurance companies The
practice of distributing CALENDARS and almanacs
as advertising mediums is at the height of its
popularity. Nearly all those intended for use
during the present year have by this time been
scattered broadcast throughout the land and are
now upon the walls OF Offices The notice that
mo more calendars will be given OUT serves as
warning to waste paper merchants whose
myrmiGons feed during the first week of the
year on those who issue the almanacs. AS rule
a customer of a corporation whose appearance is
in his favor, on applying inside, finds that a
clerk is able to fish out calendar from some
where in spite of the notice.
The calendars, on account of competition, are
getting more beautiful every year. The insur
ance companies realize that when q business
man receives twelve of them he can only utilize
a certain portion, say half and of course, the
prettiest ones are selected. The idea on which
the calendars are based is, of course, to famil-
iarize people with the name Of the company
giving them. It is not expected man will
patronize a corporation merely because it gives
him calendar. Experience shows, though
that people, through seeing the name Of an in
surance concern day after day, win, when its
name crops up in conversation elsewhere, mani
fest good deal of confidence in it They knew
that the name is a household word to them and,
although they hardly remember how it became
so, they retain the impression that the company
mentioned is en- excellent one to trade with.
The Philadelphia company that has the repu-
tation of issuing the largest number of calen-
dars this year sent out It's, 600, at cost of $50
per 1000 These went all over North America
About 500 of their agents received consignments
of calendars, with their names and that of their
town and city specially printed on them. Half
dozen other companies ordered as many as
$4,000 and 5000 each. The cost of the calen-
dars generally used by insurance companies is
from $40 TO 5000 per 1000. OF the latter class
there are specimens that are real works of art,
criminately, as are the cheaper ones The dear.
being equal, are those to which are affixed tab
let's for each day in the year. 1t takes consider
able trouble to prepare them.
The companies are also annually taxed at this
season to supply the demand of their agents for
blotters. In addition to the advertisements of
the corporations, these also have on them calen-
dars in miniature. Half million little blotters
is not very large record for concerns having
Sub-oficeS all over the country. In some of the
towns where agents of Philadelphia companies are
located lawyers. editors and business men gener-
ally depend largely upon the agents for this de-
partment of stationery. In very small towns
the agents, although they may give away more
cashin the shape OF blotters than they receive
in the way of business, daren't object In some
villages in Colorado, Kansas and New Mexico
where sand is sprinkled over paper to dry the
ink, it is said the natives would not know what
botting- paper was were it not for the insurance
agents.