Traveling publicity campaigns

Many factors enter into the planning of an itinerary, a time schedule, and the managing of audiences. What places to visit; whether within a given period of time allotted to the whole tour it is better to make a number of short stops at many places, or long stops at fewer places; whether a large or small audience of a particular kind is desired; whether visitors at train or truck should be encouraged to stay as long as they will or to remain only through a definite prearranged program, and then to move on in order to make room for others. All these questions must be answered before the tour begins, or better, after a brief trial trip. In some instances, special circumstances will exist that leave no room for choice in such a matter as, for example, the number of stops to be made. But ordinarily there are many decisions to make and they should be made in relation to the definite purpose of the tour. Perhaps the whole series of difficulties that arise may be summed up in two words—“don’t crowd.” As has already been suggested, the purpose itself should be simple and limited, not crowded with the attempt to achieve the impossible, so that there is no room for the definite immediate purpose to stand out boldly where it can be seen. Don’t attempt to crowd into this brief tour the information or activities that belongs in the follow-up program. The same advice extends down to the handling of audiences and every other feature.

The Places to Be Visited

In considering the type of places to be visited, the two main considerations are the size of the place and whether it contains the kinds of people who may be expected to take an interest in the subject matter. Many of those who have conducted trains report that they create more interest in communities of ten thousand or less than in larger places. The larger the town the more varied and numerous are the rival attractions. In the cities the train yards are often busier than elsewhere and, therefore, the noise and confusion as well as the difficulty of handling crowds at the train is greater unless the train be stationed away from the busy yards.

The towns should be selected with reference to the relation of the community to the subject matter. To take an obvious example, it would hardly be appropriate to send an agricultural train into a mining town. The whole plan of campaign may have been made in relation to one type of population, either rural or industrial, and it is rather a waste of time to try to make it serve a population of a kind that it has not been prepared for.

In planning the itinerary of a tour that must be completed in a given length of time, it is usually necessary to decide between the importance of visiting a small number of towns and of making a long stop in each, or of visiting a larger number for fewer hours or days. Some trains have made from five to ten stops in a day, while others have spent from several days to a week in one place. A day to a town, however, seems to be the more general rule.

A stop may be limited to an hour or so because it is thought more important to cover a given amount of territory within certain time limits than it is to stay long enough in a place to reach a large share of the population or give much information. Or the purpose of the tour may be accomplished by presenting to an audience, all of whose members arrive at the same time, a single program lasting an hour and dealing with easily understood facts or ideas. The Liberty Loan trains furnish good illustrations of a purpose of this sort. If your campaigners are not in a hurry to get over the ground by a certain date they will probably find it more satisfactory to spend a full day and sometimes longer with the people of each community visited. The program may then be repeated for a number of audiences and the traveling specialists will have an opportunity to promote closer relationships with local leaders. However, conditions that govern a decision regarding the length of time to spend at a place differ so widely for individual enterprises that general suggestions have not much value.

The stops of a truck tour are more easily arranged than those of a train since the latter is dependent upon the convenience of the railroad. One gain through this greater flexibility is the possibility of return visits to the same place. In this way the truck helps in its own advance publicity work by making a brief stay which attracts attention and spreads the news of its return for a longer stay a little later. In its work in the congested districts of the city, the Cleveland Children’s Year Special followed what its director called a “skip stop” system, visiting a neighborhood long enough to leave a number of people sufficiently well informed to talk about it, and coming back two or three days later to find an appreciative audience ready for the program.

Receiving the Visitors[8]

Visitors are the real reason for the enterprise which is undertaken solely for their instruction or benefit if results are hoped for, and they should not be forgotten at any stage of the planning. We have already considered them in the choice of subject matter, the form and quantity of the material, and its arrangement. Now, having equipment and plans ready, what shall be done with the visitors when they arrive at the train?

Obviously, their comfort and convenience should be prepared for and every possible help provided for them to understand and enjoy what is displayed. Plans for doing these things should be based on the expectation of as large an attendance as can be handled satisfactorily, and even on some overcrowding, unless small groups are deliberately sought.

As is explained in the section on advance work, local committees should be appointed whose members will co-operate with the regular staff of the train.

A reception committee may welcome special delegations and introduce them to the members of the train staff. If there is a formal program, local leaders are usually asked to take part in it, and as it is important in relation to the follow-up work that they have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the subject matter and the methods demonstrated on the train, their presence throughout the day should be secured by advance arrangements. An added value in having them at the train is that in the eyes of visitors they will become identified with the movement and thus be in a better position to lead in the local follow-up work.

Helpers are needed to look after the safety of the visitors, to form any waiting crowds into lines, direct people to the entrance, keep them moving in a single direction, prevent unnecessary congestion at any given point, and note questions and suggestions that should be passed on to members of the staff. If local volunteers are well prepared to perform these services the saving of strain on the hard-worked staff will be very great.

The Rate of Progress in Exhibit Cars

Reports show that managers of trains have been satisfied with both extremes in the rate of progress of visitors in moving through the train. One train director reported with pride that by his system he was able to “run 5,000 through in an hour.” At the other extreme are the directors who during their stay in a town give a single demonstration in a car that holds only about one hundred people.

The method of “running people through” very rapidly is useful only if the exhibits are simply curiosities or objects of interest that may be quickly noted, and that we may risk having soon forgotten without loss to the cause that is being served. For example, the Liberty Loan trains depended chiefly on their program of talks, music, and the appearance of the returned soldiers to arouse interest. The large guns displayed on flat cars were visible while the talking was going on. It did not particularly matter after that whether visitors were passed through the trophy car so rapidly that they had only a glimpse of the various objects.

On the other hand, the attendance in one place of so small a number as one hundred would hardly justify the work of planning and carrying out a tour unless either the small group are carefully selected as leaders capable of passing on the information to others, or the community is so small that this number is as many as might be expected. It ought to be possible to estimate in advance, or at least after the first week of the tour, the length of time required for the average person to see all that is important for him to see and understand. With this period in mind it is possible to estimate the number of people who can be handled in a given length of time. For example, we may assume the following conditions:

The attendance is, of course, never distributed so evenly as this over the day, and all the visitors do not stay exactly the same length of time. Probably with a fairly even distribution a train with a maximum capacity of one thousand will handle satisfactorily about eight hundred people. An estimate of the rate at which visitors may be passed along will be found exceedingly useful in deciding many questions, such as the arrangement and content of the exhibits, the length of time to continue a demonstration, the number of times to repeat it, the length of the stay, and the quota of attendance to work for in the advance publicity.

For example, would you rather have fewer people and have those who come stay longer, or would you prefer having a larger attendance with those who compose it spending less time with you? The selection of exhibits and the program should be arranged according to your decision on these points. If you are giving a few people detailed information which it would serve your purpose better to give to a larger number, you are throwing away your opportunity for want of a little careful calculation. The mistake most frequently made is to plan exhibits and programs on the expectation of having each visitor spend a long time at the train carefully examining each display, and then when the people arrive, to pass crowds through quickly without giving them a chance to see what has been prepared for them.

Distributing the Attendance

Apparently not many of those who have conducted trains have attempted through their advance work to prepare for arbitrary distribution of attendance over the entire period that the exhibit is open. The period from two to five o’clock in the afternoon seems to have been found the most popular by the largest number of those reporting on attendance, with some falling off reported after four o’clock. The period before ten in the morning is agreed upon unanimously as the poorest time to get people out. The experiences reported as to the hourly attendance between ten and four o’clock varies so widely that it would seem to indicate that under the right conditions it should be possible to get people to come throughout this period.

Good advance work can fill up many idle hours. A description of methods of advance work to accomplish this is contained in another chapter, but while we are considering the visitors it may be well to look over the groups that could most easily come at the least attractive hours. On a number of trains arrangements were made to have school children attend with their teachers according to a prearranged schedule, usually during the morning hours. This is an especially good plan when the train is on view all day, because the children tell their experiences when they go home at noon and thus help to get their parents to attend in the afternoon. If there are a larger number of school children than can be handled conveniently it is a good idea to limit attendance to the older children, basing the lower age limit on the estimated number of children that can be accommodated. If they do not fill up the train completely during the morning, it is possible to arrange for the attendance of delegations of leading citizens and other representative groups who come in a body to welcome the train when it is opened to the public, or to be personally escorted through it at a given time. This, of course, has news value as well as the advantage of using the morning hours. The Safety First Train of the government at each stop arranged to have such a morning delegation.

In some places the noon hour may be used for the attendance of factory workers and other employed people who are not far from the train. This is successful if advance preparations are made and if the subject matter is of interest to the workers. It is often possible to adapt the program and some part of the displays to their interests. Using the noon hour depends, of course, on having a large enough staff to allow each member an hour for lunch. The period from five to eight o’clock in the afternoon is probably of the least value. Usually the staff members themselves need relaxation during this time if there is to be an evening session.[9] If there is no session the train may pull out late in the afternoon. If, however, it is desirable to make use of this period, it may be possible to arrange for personal conferences or group conferences at the train or in town with persons especially interested in the subject who wish to have information that is not of interest to the general public or to talk over plans for the future.

Reports as to the success of evening sessions vary greatly. Many have used the evening successfully for outdoor motion pictures or for meetings in town. The fact that many who could not leave their work during the day can come then seems to argue that it is possible to have a good attendance if the advance work has been thorough—provided also that the location of the car or train is satisfactory and that the time schedule will permit.

Explaining the Exhibits

While the exhibits should be so simple and well arranged as to be easily understood, any exhibit of objects, pictures, and printed words is more enjoyed and appreciated if it is brought to life by a personal interpretation given with enthusiasm. The explainer calls attention to what is displayed much as a chairman introduces a speaker. A good introduction makes the audience more friendly and responsive to either a speaker or an exhibit. The explainer who travels the length of the car with one group can take care of only a few people at a time, and if there is a continuous movement of people through the car only about one-third of them have the advantage of the explanation. If, on the outside or in another car, a lecture or demonstration precedes the reviewing of exhibits, the speaker may close the talk with an explanation of the purpose and character of the exhibits and some suggestions as to what to look for. With this preparation people may pass through the car unattended and perhaps meet an explainer at the far end who will answer questions and give out literature together with an invitation to take part in the follow-up program. Or the explainer may meet people as they enter the car and give a brief introduction to the exhibits.

Local people, with general information on the subject, can give valuable help in explaining points about particular exhibits which have to be repeated many times. These helpers should receive advance material and in addition should come to the train for coaching before it opens and be stationed at assigned positions.

Staff members who are continually meeting people, work under considerable strain and may easily become tired or indifferent through over-work. So much depends on their enthusiasm and their readiness to offer help that this factor should be carefully checked up, and if any member of the staff shows signs of losing interest or failing to get a response he should be replaced or at least given a period of rest. By relieving staff members of irksome details and by providing in other ways for their comfort, as well as by arranging the schedule of hours so that they do not work beyond their strength in any one period, much can be done to avoid this loss of freshness and enthusiasm.