The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-15
ON ADVERTISING CITIES

From the Louisville Courier Journal.
 1HE Springfield Union, comment
 (9 ing upon the news that business
 men of Buffalo are to spend $500 in five years to advertise their city, calls attention to the fact that Spokane, Se- attle, Colorado Springs. San Antonio and Denver are among the cities that adver- tise and get results. Denver and Seattle rely chiefly upon securing conventions and entertaining the visitors so well that they take home good impressions and ad- yertise these cities at home. The others employ publicity bureaus. Houston is to increase its size and fame by means Of Boosters cub and display advertls- ing in newspapers and magazines. Los Angeles, which the Springfield Union does not mention, is one of the best advertised cities in the world, and California spends more for advertising than any other state. Oklahoma has done something in this d. rection. The rapid growth of Los Angeles and the rapid rising of new and great CT San Frelcisco from the ashes of the old city-have been made possible by the fine California spirit which expresses it. self in continuous "boosting" of Califor- mia and her cities. And let us not forget Honolulu, with its Promotion Commit tee" and its everlasting push No part of the civilized world is too remote Tor Honolulu to penetrate with advertising matter calling attention to the marveious climate of the Hawaiian islands, to ther geographical location, "at the crossways of the Pacific" and to the advantages they offer to all who are lured to their shores by the somewhat strident but ever-confident and cheery voices of the boosters.
 New York is advertised without much effort on her part because the nation IS concerned with developments in the first American city, and what would be ad- yertising for a smaller city, in New York publications is gladly accepted as pure reading matter" by those publications and bv the press and periodicals elsewhere when 1t bears upon New York progress
 Pfttsburg recently published a book to ex- plain that she is not so black as she has been painted, and other efforts to secure favorable publicity have been made in the east A few cities in the south have attracted favorable attention by adverts- ing. Knoxville recently laid down con- siderable cash for space in newspapers and Knoxville is one of the live" south
 ern cities, although still a small one. But
 generally speaking the fullest advantage
 of the use of printers ink has been taken
 by the western cities. It is in our far
 thest west, the Pacific coast and Hawaii,
 that the advertising campaign is most
 vigorously pushed It is hardly necessary
 to say that experience has demonstrated the wisdom of the course taken by the advertising westerners Honolulu would
 never dream of abolishing her expensive promotion committee, and if Frank Wig gin were to die tomorrow the leading civic problem in Los Angeles would be where to find another man so well fitted to promote the interests of his city and state, by advertising, as that elongated and sophisticated-ooking prince of publicity promoters.
 When the advertisement of cities be- comes more general in America-that is to say, when the east, which brides It. self upon it's progress catches up with the west-good results other than those aimed at by the advertisers will be as- sured. Out of the rivalry between cities there will develop a degree of pride that will demand progress at home. Improve ments made in one city and vigorously