Billboards

Billboards are a blight upon the Nation. Such a statement, often made, drives every outdoor advertising man into a sputtering rage. His trade association has rigid rules against placing billboards where they may be resented by "fair-minded" citizens--in purely residential districts, around parks or in front of "natural scenic beauty spots." Ethical outdoor advertising men are not supposed to use "snipes" (small roadside signs), "daubs" (painted on rocks or fences) or "tackers" (tacked on trees). Furthermore, all good outdoor advertising men deplore the word billboard. They all refer to their medium as "poster panels" or "painted bulletins."

Last week the Outdoor Advertising Association of America held its 44th annual convention in Chicago. In the "Hangar" ballroom atop the Hotel LaSalle the billboard men praised their new Traffic Audit Bureau, which does much the same job that the Audit Bureau of Circulation does for publications. And they voted unanimously to retain a ruling laid down in 1915: no hard liquor advertising on poster panels. But as before members may accept such advertising for painted boards, and beer will still be acceptable on both kinds.

Involving a sacrifice of perhaps $2,000,000 a year, the action on poster panels was inspired by no high-toned moral considerations but by the fact that: 1) a large number of the 75,000,000 U. S. citizens who are supposed to read billboard advertising regard hard liquor advertising in church & school communities as something less than a mixed blessing; 2) many a big advertiser like Henry Ford, Howard Heinz or W. K. Kellogg would be profoundly shocked to see his posters hard by one for Golden Wedding rye; 3) poster space is sold in "showings" or fixed units.

A showing is so many billboards in a city area. The buyer may buy a showing in one community or 17,000 showings in 17,000 communities; or one-half or one-quarter showings. In every case the rate is the same--$7.80 per month for each regular billboard, $35 per month for each illuminated. Before the Depression the volume of outdoor advertising in the U. S. ran about $75,000,000 annually. This year it will foot up to some $38,000,000, of which $30,000,000 is national advertising. There are still over 200,000 billboards (cost: $125 each) throughout the land.

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