Outdoor advertising is the term used to describe all such forms of publicity as bill boards, signs, painted or printed posters, etc. This is strictly general publicity advertising.
Like street car advertising, outdoor advertising is thoroughly organized, and the sale of space is practically controlled by a few companies. Local bill posters, who control the boards, or stands, as they are technically known, have their own national organization which standardizes the practices of the business, regulates rates, and insures the advertiser against paying for service that he does not receive.
Rates for this class of advertising are based on population and the relative desirability of the location. In a city of 500,000 population, a stand which 150,000 people pass daily is worth more than one in another section of the city, which is seen but by 50,000 people.
The advertiser pays for his space on the basis of the number of stands used, size of posters or signs, relative number of down town or preferred position stands, and length of service. Rates are figured for periods of one week, two weeks, one month, and longer.
The records of outdoor advertising are very similar to those of street car advertising. By changing the column headings of Fig. 19 from cars to stands, the form shown answers every requirement.
No outdoor or street car advertising campaign of national scope should be undertaken until provision has been made to take care of the business. The trade must be covered first; when the ad appears on the boards the goods must be on the dealers' shelves.
Indeed, this is a most important factor in any publicity campaign intended to create a demand for goods sold through the retailer. Every possible preparation must be made in advance to secure a wide distribution so that the consumer attracted by the ad will find it easy to buy the goods. Making known the name of an article in a locality where it is not carried in stock, or without telling the consumer where it can be bought, can result in little advantage to the manufacturer.
WHERE ADVERTISING AND SALESMANSHIP MEET
A very effective method of producing sales—most largely used in campaigns intended to secure direct orders, by mail—is the use of circulars, booklets, and form letters. This literature is advertising, but to use it to secure the best results requires the application of a certain amount of salesmanship. The advertising man may prepare an attractive piece of printed matter, well-written and containing convincing arguments, but unless judiciously used, the time and study put into its preparation is wasted.