The Washington times., 1931-09-11
True tOType
ORCHID COLOR GASOLINE
AMONG MINOR JOYS
OF MOTORING

OF MOTORING
by GILBERT SH1LDES- -
1t was great day for American art when gasoline
went in for color. Being non-purchaser of gas Tin
other words, guest-rder) do not know which brand
is purple, which emerald, which sky-bue. l am still
waiting for orchid to appear and would like to know
whether the ingredient mixed in the gasoline to give it
such brilliant hue is of any assistance to the motor.
But the general idea appeals to Presently shall
have gas mixed to order adapted to the personality of
the car Cor of it's owner) perfume Is And the slight
to oil unmerted That oil should always be dark and
let US say oily-lookng while sparkles bright in the
sun, is sheer injustice
Empty Your Tank!
Yet notice that the manufacturers of gas do not
count on its color alone sell it. For sales they count
older and stable virtues their gas is cheap Tor
economical costing less per me) more powerful,
gives faster pick up or is in one excellent word best
While you are driving with pink gas you capvaed
by assertions about blue, cardinal red and beige COM
petitors At first you wonder why driver doesn't
nconnently empty his tank and fill up with some other
color Only after time you find out. Something is Sc
riously wrong with the style OF advertising.
Buggy-Ride Bi|Iboards
If an amateur has any rights in the matter, let me
suggest that the present style of billboard advertising is
exactly adapted the day of the disappearing buggy
the 2Omle horseess carriage and the slow rail-
road The signs roughly of the size the signs
of 20 years ago. they are placed in the same position
relative to the road; and they with the same
frequency. When you going 20 miles an hour
and six identical signs occurred per 20 miles, you saw
one every 10 minutes (Ths is the famous principle or
repetition on which much of advertising is based
But today if you going so miles an hour, you see
these identical signs at the rate OF one every three MIN
ues This that at the end of two hours you either
do not see the signs at all, you begin to hate them
and the product they advertise with everlasting hatred
Other Irritations
know that policeman twill get him" with cer
tain brand of gas because have an endless sue
cesson of posters advertising the fact that
fho ourdp in he
and is using inferior (probably baby bluel product
But my day weared by the repetition that
am not friendly toward that gas Another ADVERTISE
ment better adaped to motoring consists of series OF
sgnposts about fifty feet apart each bearing word
in legend prasIng the virtues OF snavng soap IL
is irritating only because your eye is caught you
have trying to get the next Word conversation
is impossible, and when you get to the end you know
only what you knew before
Simple Imperatives
Advertising agencies have employed psychologists
and sent out thousands of research workers and mil
lions of quesonnaires, but no one has asked, Does
this ad annoy you?" The whole mode of American
advertising has changed in generation, from the
quiet appeal to the threat and the brutal Imperative
You bombarded by commands as you motor: Eat
Stop Buy and wnofe set1es RES 1a 1a bewares e b;s
type, they find in the single circumstance that
the cheaper the product the extensively urgent
is the advertising The Eat and Eat Here and Stop at
the Next Corner-the last is particularly vicious be-
makes motorists suspicious of genuine traffic
sgns-are attached to Bar-BQ Shops not to expensive
roadhouses. The bludgeonng of the customer ought
to be left entirely to the hodup who called if
I remember, road agent in the old days
No Hypocrisy
I am offended also, by the advertiser who
that what he is doing is entirely for my good not
for his. With many, almost identical, places to
choose from, like to feel that when stop at one
comforting the favor not the man who sells to me-
/ feuda; do not require the cap to be tipped as
roll up in my (borrowed) motorcar But do not
want to feel that if hadn't bought this particular hot
dog or mouth wash pair of socks would have
ruined myself socially and financially.
Road Courtesies
great factor in the pleasure of motoring is the in
egence and social courtesy of the people the road
l suppose that driving car driving it WE'LL
not be extremely difficult, because many people
do it, but driving with instinct for all you
get out of speed limits and other road regulations and
with absolute observance of all the rules, must be
of the best things a do with his time. In
motor trip of eight hours, at high speed chiefly
national thoroughfares, encountered reckessness
road-hogging, tricks. Once in while
stupid driver would hold to the passing lane when he
hove info the lane hutt the