fkUl NEW YORK

REPORT THIRD LIBERTY LOAN COMMITTEE OF BUFFALO
The Advertising Bureau
was organized into the
seven divisions of Space,
Copy, Outdoor Advertising,
Theaters, Street Car
Bulletins, Street Car Signs
and Electric Signs.
Immediately after the
organization of the divisions,
conference was had
with newspaper publishers
and with a single exception
extremely favor- ADVERTISING BUREAU
able rates were given to
the Committee for Liberty Loan advertising. The advertising program included daily use of
the six Buffalo English dailies, two Polish and two German dailies and frequent use of seven
weekly papers.
The Advertising Bureau used 6,430 inches of newspaper display advertising in the English
daily papers; 3,081 inches of display advertising in the foreign dailies; and 1,416 inches of
advertising in the Buffalo weeklies. The total 10,927 inches as against 13,080 inches used in
the second campaign was due to the satisfactory progress of the campaign at the close of the
third week and the smaller quota of bonds to be sold in the Third loan. The total expenses
of newspaper display advertising were $9,720.19 as against $12,561.31 in the second campaign.
Apparently from ten to fifteen thousand dollars is needed for newspaper advertising of a
Liberty Loan campaign in Buffalo, the amount varying with the size of the quota and the
progress of the campaign—using the advertising columns with smashing force toward the
latter part of the campaign if the progress has not been satisfactory. The increased quota
of the Third issue increased slightly the cost per bond of newspaper advertising. In the second
campaign it was two and one-tenth cents for each one hundred dollars of bonds sold ; in the
present campaign it was two and four-tenths cents for each one hundred dollars' worth of
bonds sold. The figure is strikingly low. The only comparative expense table which we have
seen submitted by other cities shows three and five-tenths cents for each one hundred dollars'
worth of bonds sold.
The work of the Space Division is illustrative of the high character of the work of the entire
advertising bureau. Because of the unwillingness of the Government to assume the expense
of certain portions of the campaign, including newspaper display advertising, it becomes
necessary to raise a local campaign fund for each Liberty Loan. A letter stating this fact
was sent out to eight hundred seventy of our leading citizens on April 6th and a second
follow up letter on April 13th. There was no personal solicitation for the fund and distinct
effort was made to impress the persons solicited with the idea that the subscription should
not be burdensome and should not affect in any way the purchase of bonds by the subscriber.
As a result of this correspondence $25,360 was raised.
The Space Division on April 11th solicited advertising in Buffalo daily papers by letter
asking advertisers to mention Liberty Loan in all of their advertising for the remainder of
the campaign. A force of seventeen volunteers, all men of affairs, made personal calls upon
the advertising merchants and repeated the request. As a result Liberty Bonds were mentioned
in seventy per cent of the advertising appearing in Buffalo papers during the last
three weeks of the campaign. A representative report on April 20th is as follows:
[ 7 ]