AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

HOW PEREGRINA'

26th April 1921, Page 12
26th April 1921
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 12, 26th April 1921 — HOW PEREGRINA'
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

'BLICITY. .ATTRACTS.

The Perambulating Display Afford

in as an Asset to Business Expansion.

By

nager:" THE SUCESSFUL development of any husinet undertaking is almost entirely dependent o the methods which are employed to Make th commodities which are marketed widely known. : a trader has faith in the products he is making c selling, he will instinctively realize that the best wa to create a lasting market for them is• by judioiot advertising. The means by which this object ca hest be achieved will vary accordin7 to the nature c the goods being .sold and to the individual opinior of the trader.

Broadly speaking, advertising can be divide.d int three main avenues of usefulness—these -being (1) fixe publicity in. the form of hoardings,. etc. ; (2) newt paper advertising; and (3) mobile advertising.

In the Case of a fixed poster on a wall, helium obscurity of the surface on which the flimsy pape is affixed negatives its value, whilst structures flea to the ground Will, in their present form, always b subject to the wilful depredations. of the inevitabl small boy who delights in tearing off pieces of th paper. Then, again, the multiplicity of the advertisements which usually appear on a single hoarding minimizes their individual value.

Newspaper advertising is unique. It possesses advantages not associated with other forms of publicity.

I now come to the third form, i.e., mobile advertising, the form with which I am chiefly concerned. I do not propose to deal with that form in which a motor vehicle user sub-lets the space on the bodies of his vehicles. This is undoubtedly a valuable means of publicity—as many have proven by the use of London's buses and Carter, Patersbn's vans—but little scope is possible in the matter of display, the revenue received from this source being a matter of secondary importance to the user. In such cases a, catch phrase or a pithy slogan is much more likely to eatch.the eye than the usual fops], of " copy."

I will now deal with the various phases of advertising by motor vehicle from the actual user's point of view.

Shaped Bodies. •

Undoubtedly the most attractive form of mobile advertising • is that; wherein the body is shaped to resemble a Gargantuan example of the article marketed. Certain classes of goods lend. themselves to this form, notably pencils, fountain pens, tyre seetins bottled beers, etc., and many excellent samples of this description are now to be seen upon the road. Wadies of this type often restrict interior loading ctipanity, but this saCrifice must be made if this special

form of publicity is favoured. Special attention should be paid to lettering. It is a mistaken policy to utilize as much wording as possible on the van body, particularly in the case of" fancy " bodies. As an example of the ineffectiveness of cramped wording, take the, ease of the petrol can body incorporating a patent filler, which is illustrated in our composite. The body, which is an original conception, would probably attract nine out of every ten people, but its direct value as a novelty has, in my opinion, been lost through attempting to tell you more than is necessary, especially as the Pettett patent filler is so well known to members of the motor trade. In its *Present form it would undoubtedly be useful were it continually at a standstill, but since the average vehicle in an ordinary day's work spends most of its time in actual running, its potential value is largely wasted.

• Types. of Lettering.

The subject of suitable lettering for types of van bodies is a wide one, an.d is largely a matter of individual taste. I will deal with it chiefly under the headings of plain and fancy types.

Plain block lettering is suitable for most bodies. The size of the lettering employed is, of course, governed by the body space available and the amount of wording required on the sides. Where no partieular desire is expressed for special wording, I advocate, in the case of plain block lettering, the name of the company, the address of the chief office, the commodity marketed, and the telephone number on the body sides, the names and address being re

peated on the back if the panelling of the doors will permit. The wholesaler may be content with the name of his product on the body sides, and, in the case of proprietary and well-known articles, perhaps this is all that is required, but the address of a retail user should not be omitted.

The use of dainty and delicate scroll lettering is not suitable for the smallest bodies where space is restricted, as itis frequently illegible when the

vehicle is travelling at speed_ Fanciful lettering should be confinedto larger box van bodies and special types and should then only be used in cases where this style is not incongruous with the article sold. One would hardly expect a meat carrier to use scroll lettering on his van bodies, whereas a drapery establishment would have every justification for so doing.

ChOice of Colours.'

So many users depend wholly and solely on colouring and lettering for attracting the attention of the public that this phase of the subject is worthy of special attention. Dark lettering on a light background is of little more value, from the publicity point of view, than light lettering on a dark background, although the latter is undoubtedly the more serviceable combination. Contrasting colours of harmonious hues are always more pronounced in effect than two different shades of very much the same depth of colour. I cannot imagine a more striking and effective -eplour combination than the plain black lettering on a lemon yellow background as used on the Dunlop Rubber Co.'s vans, whereas the brick-red lettering on the orange background as usedby a London evening paper as, in my opinion, an example of the clashing of colours.

Generally speaking, colours which possess the same basic foundation (orange and red are an example) do not make effective combinations. Lt should be borne in mind that certain colours lose their value; at night, chief amongst which .are dark shades of blue, brown, red, etc.„ -although lettering in such colours picked out on a. light background can easily be read in artificial light.

Symbolic Models.

The shaping of bodies after the commodity sold often invoives the expenditure of a considerable sum of money, which rather Militates against, this practice becoming more general. In such cases the use of an enlarged model erected on the roof of the Van symbolical a the goods marketed is' to. be commended. Those goods which lend themselves to this form of pdblicity should possess length rather than height. Several vehicles equipped in such a manner are shown in the group of illustrations on the previous page. The method of mounting the model is the feature calling for special attention. The Everard pipe is well 'mounted, likewise is the Heinz trade mark, but the cigar on Martin's van, being ineunted flat on the top of the body, tends to conform to its shape, and is thus rendered inconspicuous. If the Cigar were supported on stilts about 8 ins. or 9 ins. high, the model would be far more

likely to attract attention. • The Ewart geyser has the disadvantage of height, which, apart from the fact that it tends to make the vehicle unstable when it is travelling at speed, also destroys its symmetrical appearance. The use of symbolic models should be confined to the lightest types of vans, otherwise the vehicle will either overwhelm the model or"the latter will be disproportionate. Some models I have seen are very " wooden " in effect. One of the best I know is that wherein the letters forming the word " Onoto " are pierced by a model of the fountain pen of this name.

Decorative Design.

Decorative designs painted on the body sides are most effective, especially if the colours and letter ing are carefully chosen. The van employed by the manufac turers of Mason's sauce is a good example of this form. A panel of wording is tastefully' embellished with a neatly arranged bunch of the fruits which are used in the manufacture of the

sauce, the colouring of thefruit closely resembling the, natural tint, and the whole standing out in bold relief upon a light grey background. The Black Cat van, which We illustrate, is another example' although in this case the desired effect is secured by the use of bold outline.

Trade marks are used by some owners of largely advertised proprietary articles, as in the case of Johnny Walker whisky, Nestle's milk, Heinz's pickles, Sharp's Kreemy Toffee, eta, and where the article is familiar to the buying public and the trade mark design is outstanding, this method has many points to recommend its use.

Under the headinA of decorative design might be included those vans which have, neatly painted on 'their sides, a picture indicating the use of the article advertised. The Cherry Blossom van is an example illustrated.

Some owners have pursued the rather effete notion of " playing" on words, the name of the com pany being represented by the object signalized by that name. Very few names lend themselves to this style of publicity, and, although it is distinctive, it is, to my mind, wanting in business dignity. Swan and Edgar's vehicles are notable instances of this kind, the first name of the company being represented by a, white swan embossed on the body sides. Mirrors, chiefly oval in shape, are sometimes used, upon which wording is either sandblastedor painted. The former method is the more satisfactory, as letters imprinted by sandblasting cannot become scratched or -erased.

• Night Illumination.

Much of the potency of motorvan advertising is lost •at night, especially during the winter months, and it is surprising that so little attention has been given to the subject of night illumination. Where a permanent sign is erected on a vehicle an advertisement can best be shown by a transparency. The general effect, in such cases, can be aided -by the arrangement of the electrical circuits in such a manner that changing colours can be employed as in the case of the sky signs. Where an advertisement is affixed to, or is part of, the body little scope is possible for night illumination, except, perhaps, in the case of the back of the body, in which case electrical leads could be taken along the roof to lamps projecting beyond the body. This is a method employed by the proprietors of some evening neivspapers.

I have yet to hear of the first use of revolving shutters on motorvan bodies, by which a fre'quently' changing advertisement, lighted from behind at night, is constantly thrown before the eyes. So many light delivery vans are now equipped_with electric lighting sets that the possibility of night illumination has been considerably simplified', although it must not be assumed that, because electric lighting equipment is on the vehicle, it is adequate for the illumination of advertisements. The battery and dynamo are usually calculated to provide sufficient light only for the internal and external lighting of the vehicle, and when additionalpower is required for other lights the watt consumption of the lamps deemed necessary for this purpose should be added to the watt consumption of the vehicle lamps themselves. This will provide data from which it will be possible for a manufacturer of electric lighting equipment to calculate the amperage required. I have endeavoured to divide the various forms of motorvan publicity under certain definite headings, and although there may be special phases of the subject with which I have not dealt, I think that I have had something to say of all those forms in common use. There are certain isolated forms which are only of value to a single user. For instance, illustration No. 13 in our composite depicts an exceedingly clever, yet simple, idea. I would ijnpress upon users the importance of maintaining their vehicles in spick and span condition, for the effectiveness of any advertisement -is neutralized by circumambient shabbiness. It is useless spending hundreds of pounds on an_ ornate and attractive body unless it can subsequently be maintained in tip-top condition.

Tags

Organisations: eta
People: Johnny Walker
Locations: London

comments powered by Disqus