The San Francisco call., 1908-11-22
BOOMING OF FRUITS
BY PICTURE SIGNS
English People Are Influenced
by Artistic Posters in the
Store Windows

consul J. Perry Worden of Bristol, in
reporting that Americans may consid-
erably increase their trade in American
fruit in England, adds that if they are
to do so they must push their represen
tation more vigorously by personal
agency, and especially by attractive. eff
fective advertising. The consuTs report
continues:
The store windows in Bristol are
bright with lithograph signs of Jamaica
and Canadian fruit shipments, but very
few American placdrds are anywhere to
be seen. although considerable Ameri-
can fruit is regularly brought into this
port How effective such advertising
may be is seen in the fact that one of
the leading dealers, pointing to some
clever pictures of Jamaica bananas and
some very artistic cards of California
seedless (naveD oranges, declared to
me today that he can sell fruit at cent
a pound more, and twice as much of it,
if his display be accompanied with at
tractive placards.
In general, it may be said that if one
were to judge by the prevalence of such
card advertising as Canadian apples"
'Capadian fruit" one would imagine
that no fruit reached this market from
the United States. The reason for the
illusion is easily discovered. as Cana
dian shippers send plain and beautifully
illustrated placards with nearly every
consignment, while the American ship
pers send little or no advertising mat
ter. The result is that the passerby
or possible purchaser is misled as to
the quantity of fruit imported from the
United States. American apples in par
ticular are very popular here, especially
in the early season, and the sale of
California oranges, particularly the
seedless variety, is steadily on the in
crease.
A good illustration of the value OF
this pictorial advertising is found in
the service rendered the Jamaica ba-
mana industry by the Autographed card
In touring England in 1892 and 1895 the
writer noticed the scarcity of tropical
fruit here, and it was only some four
years ago that the Jamaica banana i'm
porters entered on their campaign for
the market of England. Then 1t was
that suddenly branch was opened in
Bristol, hundreds of windows and bill
boards were placarded with bright COL
ored posters showing the cultivation
and collection of bananas in their ma
tive environment, signs were carried
about the streets, and the yellow fruit
was sold for whatever it would bring
Bristol took to bananas, and the leading
merchants here state that within two
months the Jamaica banana trade had
firmly established itself in this city, and
by its ever changing and attractive
placards, and better fruit. has held it's
own ever since
Another illustration of the possibili-
ties of advertising fruit is found in
the hundreds of placards recommending g
Valencia oranges for influenza. Owing
to an epidemic of this disease in Bristol
of late, and the clever placards OF
Spanish fruit, the sale of Valencia or
anges has advanced over 500 per cent
SO suddenly that dealers have scarcely
been able to meet the demand.
It is evident, therefore, that If Amer
| leans wish to increase the sale of Amer
lean fruit in Bristol and other parts of
England, or even hold their share in the
fruit market here, they must meet the
conditions created by other competitors
and the ever greater demand by the
English public for illustrated period
icals and advertising. One very artistic
placard, showing some California seed
less oranges with the legend THE Aris-
tocrat of the Orange World" has nearly
doubled the sale of California oranges
here and If American shippers would
| give more attention to the supplying of
such advertising matter there is no
doubt that the traffic in their fruit
would greatly increase.
The English are natural travellers.
and an appeal to their Imagination is
scarcely ever in vain; hence placards
showing the orange plantations, ap-
pie orchards, etc., should be as effective
as pictures Of banana groves. During
the latter part of April some of the ffn-
est apples ever sold here were brought
from Oregon and quickly disposed of at
fancy prices. Had these apples been
accompanied by an illustrated placard
or two. giving some idea of the life in
that distant northwestern state, the
name Oregon" would have been more
indelibly stamped on the mind of the
apple buyers. clever sentiment on
such cards would add much to their
force. and if the price can be stated
distinctly and neatly, it would be we'll
to add that to the lettering