ADVERTISING BY MOTOR VEHICLE.
Page 9
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A Few Suggestions for Increasing the Advertisement Value of Tradesmen's Delivery Vehicles and So Reducing the Cost of Running Them.
By "Vim."
IHARDLY THINK that many of my fellow agents who read my last article will have disagreed with my statement that the easiest way to reduce running costs is to increase the earning power of a 'vehicle, supposing those running costs to be reasonably near the average. We all know how difficult it .is to get the last ounce or two of efficiency out of a machine of any kind, and that the trouble and cost of doing so are frequently worth more than the result achieved. I advocated an attack on the other side of the balance-sheet, with the object of puttiiig up the incomings of a motor vehicle, where the nutgoings were not excessively high, and stated that, in my opinion, this object could be gained in the majority of cases by increasing the advertisement value of the vehicle.
. It is with some trepidation that I advance the, following suggestions. Advertising is-not yet an exact science,. It still remains an art, and therefore very largely a matter of opinion. So I realize that I am on controversial ground, and am far more likely to be sneered at than congratulated. Also, it is beyond question that the kind of publicity that would suit one firm would not suit another : that there is no best way of advertising. If there were, every advertiser tvoukl adopt it, and it would cease to be effective. Originality, indeed, is the keynote of successful publicity, and that is why it is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules. My present purpose is to give, if I can, ideas to agents, which they may be able to develop for the use of their customers, rather than descriptions of complete advertising devices. A. special body, constructed to represent the owner's line of business, of which there are SOMe marvellously ingenious examples on the road, is undoubtedly a magnificent advertisement. But it is very expensive to buy, and few local tradesmen are prepared to put down so much ca,pital. After all, they buy their vehicles to carry goods for them, and advertisement is a comparatively minor consideration, whereas to the manufacturer of a patent mouth wash say, who probably spends tens of thousands of pounds a year on publicity, the advertisement value of a striking body is at least equal to the transport value of the vehicle as a whole. There are, of course, plenty of important local tradirm concerns to whom the cost of special bodywork would undoubtedly be a good investment, but usually they have not the liquid capital to spare for such enterprises. The question is, how to render their vehicles distinctive and attractive for a moderate outlay of money.
It is rather strange that none of the people who specialize in advertising novelties appears yet to have turned serious attenisen to the immense field of motor transport. "Animated" or " moving " signs always compel attention, and, considering that it is the easiest thing in the world to provide the power for "animating" signs attached to motorcars, I should have thought that, before now, several of the firms who manufacture these devices for shops would have been compefing for the newer business. Halfaedozen ways are available for providing movement for a sign attached to a car. It can be driven from the transmission or road wheels in ens of several ways, so as to be animated only while the vehicle is travelling'; or from the engine, -so as to work as long as the engine is running; or electrically, where there is an electric lighting installation. Again, a small wind motor would furnish enough power for most signs, and would have the advantage of being quite independent of the whims of chassis designers, so that one type could be standardized for all vehicles.
A van or lorry is in itself a moving sign, but it is
only one among many. The public will generally look at a motor vehicle as it passes them on the streets, but it does not necessarily follow that they will be impressed by it. If, however, it were equipped with some unusual device, possessing motion different from that of the vehicle, this would certainly arouse interest; and from interest would come speculation as to-what that device was, and as to whom the vehicle belonged. The word " sign " is employed here in its widest sense.
Without going very closely into details, these rough
ideas may be helpful to an agent who is on the lookout for mechanically operated attractions for his customers' cars :—(1) For a boot business: Shallow showcases glazed with Triplex, and let in each side of a van. Have endless belts running over the shelf of each case from pulleys concealed behind the panelling a the body, and thence under the case. The belts have specimen boots and shoes clipped to them, which pass in procession across the window space. (2) For a furniture business: Body of van is painted to represent the exterior of a house, and in each side a window is provided. These windows have curtains behind them, and, as the car moves, these curtains are continually drawn back and to again, revealing, while they are drawn back, some topical legend, such as" Jenkins's Furniture, for Ideal Homes." (3) For a toy shop : An infinite variety of suggestions offer. themselves. For example, a rocking horse painted on each side of the vehicle having a separate head cut out of board and pivoted at the neck, and, similarly, a. separate tail, so that the animals will 'nod their heads and move their tails, these two items of their anatomies being interconnected and' operated either mechanically or by means of counterbalances wlsic_ht the movement of the cars keeps oscillating.
The name of the firm that owns the vehicle must
be prominent. No good is served by leaving the beholder interested in the advertisement without knowing the name of the advertising firm. Only a few evenings ago some friends and I were discussing the merits of famous posters, and one of stile most beautiful of these was mentioned and received unbounded praise for its artistry and attractiveness. But when one of our party raised the question of what that ,po'ster was advertising, not one of us could say! We had all admired the picture,. but. it. had clearly failed in its object. Therefore, in making a customer's motor vehicle.' attractive do not overlook the fact that the public must be told his name. The back of the vehicle is probably the best position for
• emphasizing that name. Let it appear isronsinently on the sides and front, but rely on the back for the final message, which means se much. A person whose eye has been caught by some novel form of display on the side presented to him will almost certainly gaze after tlse car when it has passed him, to discover, if possible,. the owner's name. In this connection, a.revolving sign, carried at roof level, and kept turning over and over by wind pressure, should be very effective.
A lorry is more difficult to turn into a real advertisement than is a van, butthe roof of the cab offers possibilities for the exercise of ingenuity, and, as a rule, there is room for something to be erected over the load without interfering with it in any way.