Advertising Novelties and Nuisances.

Waipawa Mail, Volume XVII, Issue 2978, 3 October 1893, Page 4

Advertising Novelties and Nuisances.

The gentle art of advertising is not thoroughly understood in England outside the House of Commons and the London County Council, and consequently most of our advertising novelties are American importations. Here, however, is a tolerably smart conception which it is claimed is “ quite English you know.” The other day, amongst a pile of circulars in my letter-box, I discovered an envelope bearing the following in red ink :—Caution ! —Remove the envelope carefully, and exorcise still greater care in handling the enclosed circular. Don’t throw it in the waste-papei basket, or give it to the servants to light the fire with, as the most disastrous results will follow, inasmuch as the circular is dipped in a solution of dynamite, the most powerful explosive known. Hang it up in a cool, dry place, and after a few days’ exposure its dangerous [properties will disappear, and it [can be burned like any other circular.” A footnote in small type is added. It says : “ Most firms do their heavy lying in [/heir circulars ; we alone do all of ours on the envelopes .” The truth of this remark seemed doubtful on perusing the enclosure.9|You cannot place much confidence in the words of quack medicine makers, who claim that their concoctions cure all human diseases, from toothache to varicose veins, and whose celebrated vermin destroyer, while instantaneously killing rats and mice, is utterly innocuous (if not actually beneficial) to the domestic cat. But the idea is smart, and wil] '!

doubtless bring grist to the firm’s mill. Amongst the Yankee importations of late years have been one or two unmitigated nuisances in advertising. One of the worst is the 44 sticker” —a bit of circular paper gummed at the back and rendered adhesive to anything and everything by a lick of the tongue. The 44 sticker” is indeed all pervading. Even your front door is not sacred, and it is on record that a stout member of Parliament, who patronises the ’umble ’bus more than bis private carriage, recently went into the House with this legend on his back : 44 Go to Blazer’s if you want cheap clothes.” In America the 44 sticker” nuisance extended to the currency, and became so intolerable that the Treasury issued a notice that it would not accept or redeem dollars so defaced. The scheme thus rapidly worked out its own destruction so far as the coinage was concerned, but there are still plenty of dollars in circulation bearing on the reverse such notices as 44 Return me to Snagg’s, the dry goods man, and I will fetch a bargain.” Our own coinage is safe from such treatment, for the English authorities are very particular in respect to defacing the currency. When Messrs Pears and other firms tried to advertise by stamping pennies their little game was put a stop to in very short order. A few summers ago an ingenious tradesman hit upon a splendid idea for advertising his wares. He affixed to the soles of several pairs of boots rubber stamps, and employed men to walk about at night with these boots on. Each man was provided with a pad of printing composition wherewith to ink the stamp at intervals, and in the morning the stone footways in severnl of the principal streets were covered with notices to the effect that 44 Brown’s boots are the best” in characters an inch long. The local authorities promptly put a stopper on Brown’s enterprise.