Word: billboards
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...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...
Along with Mr. Howard on the credit side of Keep Moving's ledger is a vulgar man named Clyde Hager. Right out of Gasoline Bill Baker's "Pipes from Pitch men" department in The Billboard, Mr. Hager, clutching suitcase and stand, scuttles back & forth across the stage pursued by a policeman until late in Act I. Then, setting up his tripes and keister, he proceeds to vend his patent potato peeler. It is all very authentic, with many protestations that his company is really giving away its product for advertising purposes and is willing to throw...
Last week it became known that ill health had forced Sign Man Hardy to give up. In his home State now there are few signs left. Virginia passed an anti-billboard law under which all signs save official markers were removed from within highway rights...