ADVERTISING POSSIBILITIES OF THE VAN.
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Constantly Travelling Before the Eyes of the Public, a Van May Profitably be Considered an Important Advertising Medium.
business man who purchases a
motorvan secures a valuable advertising medium, but, unfortunately, many of the vehicles seen on the rood to-day are not used to their full capacity. A travelling advertismerit is much MOTO valuable than one which is to be found in one pauticulax spot each and every day, because it is impossible to ignore a moving object, and thus the motor vehicle scores over a fixed sign. Concerns doing a great deal of advertising have found it pay well to use motorvans solely fox advertising purposes, so that it is surely worth while for the user of a van for business purposes to consider if he cannot get same advantage in This direction. Recently there have also been lllustrated in the pages of The Commercirri Motor vehicles, much out of the OTdinaLry in shape and general construction, but it is probable that many users of vans will not consider it advisable to go to this expense or to sacrifice loading space. for advertisement purposes, as some of these vehicles do, With very little expenditure beyond the original cost of the van, a tolling advertisement can be provided, however, and it behoves even the hatilage contractor, with nothing but his services to sell, to make the most of his opportunities, beyond the strictly legal. lettering necessary to distinguish a business vehicle from a private vehicle.
The fact that a van is kept in good condition, polishod-and.-sma,ritly painted., is an advertisement in itself, but smart lettering neatly displayed quickly brings back a substantial return in enhancing Ube standing of a business man
and encouraging trade. There is growing in this country an appreciation of lettering of good type and of coloutt, that blend, and a consultation with a compe
tent and up-to-date sign writer should quickly bring forward some ideas for drawing up am advertisemeret. The idea should not be GO give as much information as possible in a Posited space, but to remember that a quickly moving vehicle gives pedestrians time to grasp one thought only. Consequently care
should be taken to keep the wording to the smallest number of liet,tmers end to depend upon colours and form to attract notice. The spaoing of the wards and
the use of appropriate but simple forms of decoration all count in -drawing up a suoDessful advertisement.
The sides of a van present the largest space which can be covered by an advertisement, but this is not the only space to which attention should be given. On the road only a momentary glimpse is obtained of a full broadside of a van, the spectator seeing for a much longer period either the front or the back, more particularly the front of the vehicle as it approaches. The placing of an advertisement so that it can be seen from the front is, therefore, of the greatest impor • tame, but here trouble begins to be en=intend. The radiator earmot be covered for mechanical reasons, whilst the driver's line of vision must not be obscured. This leaves only the space above the driver's hood available, and if a, solid screen is to be used wind resistance mint be considered both in the case of driving the vehicle and in fixing the screen. These considerations have caused to be adopted the shaped cut-out letters in which there is a variety of styles, but the cliffieulty is in finding space for. more than the name of the owner of the vehicle; but this is not a great disadvantage when an unusual form of letter is habitually used in the name, or the facia board can be specially illuminated.
Apart from the benefits of travelling advertisements on the sides of a van the advantages of motor vehicle's to a business man do not end in the advertising of his goods on a travelling hoarding, or in the cutting down of delivery eosts even. In providing motor delivery direct to his customer's door, additional advantages are secured by the customer, and this is appreciated and is the means of increasing trade. Further, there is the advantage to be gained by the saving in packing when road vehicles are used axed the goods are handled only once, and there is also a lessened amount of breakage in the case of fragile goodS. Prompt delivery also counts a good deal, and when all these factors are placed in favour of a motor transport service the real cost of the service is extremely low. Let anyone inquire what value the managers of the big London stores, for instance, place upon the advertising of their vehicles, and the items set on that side of the balance-sheet of a mechanical transport department will materially reduce the actual Tamping cost.