Municipalities and Mobile Publicity
Page 47
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Whilst Certain Municipal Operators Use Their Motors Extensively for Advertising Many Others Could Profitably Do More in This
'THERE are some municipalities 1 which make considerable use of their transport vehicles for the purposes of publicity. In certain cases the efforts are confined to such units as refuse collectors, electricity vans; laundry vehicles, etc., whilst in others buses are also brought into service.
In the majority of cases, however, there is still scope for further work in this direction. Announcements may concern not only advice to householders, such as " Burn your rubbish," " Use more electricity," " Keep the streets clean," etc., but notices regarding entertainments, shows, football matches, conferences, etc., which combine the merits of advertising the particular functions concerned with an enhanced employment of the transport media.
Co-operation Between the Departments.
To carry this out effectively, it is important that there should be close co-operation between the publicity department of the corporation and the supervisors of the road-transport department. It would not look well, for instance, to display the announcement " Burn your rubbish " on a bus, particularly if the vehicle happened to be of somewhat antiquated pattern; the comments aroused might be caustic.
Likewise, the placing of the advertisement should be appropriate. If, for example, it is to relate to an exhibition, then it is advisable to use it upon only those vehicles which are in service to and from the point at which the exhibition is being held. This practice may save worried inspectors and conductors a lot of trouble. The result may mean that .the transport system will gain many hundreds of pounds, and the exhibition may be much better patronized than would otherwise be the case, It is extremely difficult to assess the value of announcements giving general advice. Experience with particular items, however, indicates that the cumulative effect must be considerable, but with what might be termed a stock item, efforts should be made to change both the wording and its position, otherwise the effect will gradually be lost.
For some purposes an illuminated sign may he utilized to give additional effect; but, here, again, only niatters of special and current interest should be treated in this manner. The appeal should he made not only to the public in the streets, but to those who ride in the vehicles. This, of course, applies only in the case of public-transport facilities, and the matter should be presented so that it is immediately before the eyes of the travellers, many of whom may have nothing else to occupy their time while on the vehicles but to study such announcements.
The notices themselves should convey some idea of what they represent. For example, one referring to a flower show could incorporate a floral design. The wording should be brief but to the point. We have known cases in whic judicious advertising of this nature has increased the revenue of particular services by hundreds of pounds per week.
When the pressure on the Conductor is not too great he could 'be supplied with leaflets conveying further information, and be encouraged to. distribute these amongst the passengers; who Might be requested to Make inquiries from him. Perhaps this second method is preferable, because it avoids the untidiness which would otherwise be caused by the indiscriminate distribution of leaflets.
Much more use could also be made of bus stations or stops for suitable placarding; in fact, this can be carried out wherever there is likely to be any congregation of people with,, perhaps,. several minutes to wait and little else to attract their attention.
Selling a Municipality's Services. •
In dealing with this subject we are not considering the matter of advertising by local traders, but purely the matter of the sale of its services by a municipality.
Reference might be made to•changes in the services, such as during holidays or week-ends, and attention drawn to places of interest, this, mainly, where the traffic catered for consists, to a large extent, of visitors.
The employment of elaborately lighted or decorat,ed vehicles, sometimes with bodies of unusual design, often. attracts considerable attention and comment, and may well repay the expenditure involved.
One of the most important points in arranging advertisements either on or in vehicles is not to overdo them, They should he distinctive but not blatant, for ratepayers might well object to nice-looking vehicles being transformed into advertising hoardings. The number should also be limited, otherwise the value of individual interest is apt to be lost or, at least, considerably reduced. A few well-chosen words create a better impression than a long, rambling and wearisome statement.