New-York tribune., 1905-07-31
DO POSTERS PAYf

The tenth annual report OF the American
Scapic and Historic Preservation Society to the
legislature. of which we have received proof
sheets. contains some interesting facts about
the effectiveness Of the outdoor advertising that
does so much to mar the beauty OF our clues
and countryside OF course any newspaper conl-
ment on this subject always invites the jlbe
that it is inspired by petty desire to preserve
a monopoly of the advertising business. But
the figures given in the report concerning the
small proportion of advertising expenditures dl-
rected by large and successful advertisers TO
poster publicity, which inficts injury so utterly
out of proportion to its commercial usefulness,
should in this case serve TO avert that reproach.
1t is evident that the newspapers and maga-
zines have little TO fear from the signboard
Even those who use posters for certain lines OF
advertising realize that their effectiveness is
strictly limited to a few kinds of articles. And
at least the scenic society, which is responsible
for the discussion, cannot be charged with COM
mercial motives, or with any purpose except TO
protect the community from a plague of ugll-
ness.
The scenic society sent letters to fourteen of
the largest advertisers in the United States.
who are credited with spending from 100000
to 81, 100000 year, asking them about their eX-
penditures, the proportion spent on outdoor or
poster advertising, their views as to its useful
ness, and other questions along that line. The
answers are highly encouraging TO those who
hope to live to see the day when fields and rocks
and city facades will no longer be disfigured
with garish notices of pills and powders. One
firm, which spends from $350,00O to S5OOOOO
year on advertising, devOtes only about per
cent of this sum to outdoor advertising, and does
not regard it as favorable medium. Another
firm has spent from a few hundred to several
thousand dollars out of an advertising budget
of S5OOO0O on streetcar and other posters, but
has been disappointed in the results, and has
discontinued that method. \ company whose
annual advertising bills amount to 100000 re-
ports: Outdoor advertising is not profitable
compared with other forms unless we want to
impress the name OF an article on the peoples
minds" For that purpose the company be-
lieves a small percentage of its expenditure is
useful. Officers of a company advertising TO
about the same extent report that they have
spent a great deal on outdoor advertising and
"think some of it has paid" company which
devotes nearly 81 100000 a year TO advertising
spends nothing out of doors in the United States
or Canada, but from one-third TO one-half of It's
allotment for Cuba in that fashion, on the theory
that the people there largely ilterate, and
can be reached in no other way. The general
manager of a large concern reports that after
experiment he has stopped outdoor advertising,
and adds: Perhaps in some new country, or
with a new product, it might be profitable, but
II would rather doubt it."
All this would seem to indicate that the poster
inundatiOn is likely to suhside. AS new and
striking bid for publicity it naturally had great
vogue but, now that solid business men are
counting the results and finding them unsatls-
factory, we may hope to see the nuisance largely
abated. If sound commercial reasons supported
the posters the fight to restrict their uglness
would be most arduOus; but if commerce and
beauty work side by side there is good reason
to hope for a gradual clearing away of these
excrescences upon the landscape.