Advertising in the Southwest: New Mexico and Arizona Capitalizing on Climatic Conditions and Opportunities in National Advertising

ARIZONA and New Mexico communities have expended the sum of approximately $450,000 for advertising during the past five years, largely for residents and tourists, with an agricultural objective in some instances.

It is interesting to note that the Albuquerque Civic Council has spent a total of $75,000 since their campaigns began in 1925, and that over $50,000 was used for advertising space in national magazines.

We have also carried on a, very extensive follow-up campaign.’ says Kyle S. Crichton, Manager, ‘using a booklet, two pamphlets, and four follow-up letters on each prospect. We believe it is the most thorough of its kind in use by any community campaign, and it has certainly been the cause of our exceptionally fine results in the matter of new arrivals.’

Let us examine the reports at Albuquerque for the past three years: —

The first year, from October 1925 to September 1926, the Council expended in national advertising the sum of $11,420.90. Inquiries from all sources numbered .3925, of which number 4593 were keyed. The arrivals numbered 586. The average cost of keyed inquiries was $2.49, while the average cost of all inquiries was $1.93. The average advertising cost per arrival from all sources was $19.49.

The second year, ending in September 1927, registered an advertising-space cost of $12,042.50. There were 6810 inquiries from all sources, with a total of 6262 keyed inquiries. This year the arrivals numbered 550. The average cost of keyed inquiries was $1.86, while the average cost of all inquiries was $1.77. The average advertising cost per arrival from all sources was $21.89.

The third year, ending in September 1928, registered an advertising-space cost of $6800.85. There were 4208 inquiries from all sources, of which number 3709 were keyed. The total arrivals numbered 467. The average cost of keyed inquiries was $1.83, and the average cost of all inquiries was $1.62. The average advertising cost per arrival from all sources was $14.56.

In these figures there was no way of counting people who came temporarily. There was no way of checking up on people who arrived after the first member of the family or party was located. In this checkup have been counted only those persons who have directly reported to the office upon arrival or got in touch with the Council.

If we take into account the estimate that has been made that each newcomer from an advertising campaign is worth $1000 a year to a community, each year this business has been worth over $500,000 to Albuquerque.

At the outset, Albuquerque used a very revolutionary copy angle. This community was the first on record to mention the word ‘tuberculosis’ in its advertising headlines. The present-day copy employs the health appeal, and this has been extended to include scenic and historic points of interest in New Mexico. Starting out with that objective which seemed to give greatest promise, the campaign was extended to include other attractive advertising appeals.

Tucson, through her Sunshine Climate Club, has expended $175,000 since 1924 to attract residents and tourists. In 1920, the official census gave the city 20,292 people, whereas the estimate to-day is 43,000, making Tucson the second city in Arizona.

The results statement which covers the activities of the Tucson Sunshine Climate Club from September 1, 1922, to September 15, 1928, indicates the amount of actual money put into advertising each year for the past six years and the results both as to inquiries and as to arrivals. The copy appeal stresses sunshine. Some of the headings of the advertisements indicate this copy angle. For example: ‘A thousand miles of Sunshine in Tucson,’ ‘Get out in the Sunshine this winter in Tucson,’ and ‘There is warm, dry Sunshine now in Tucson.’ The follow-up plans stress service to the arrival.

Since 1923, Phoenix, through the Phoenix Arizona Club, has expended over $175,090 in a national campaign for tourists and residents, using national magazines and newspapers. Roger W. Babson, in one of his statements, indicated the importance of Phoenix with its diversity and irrigation possibilities for development. He spoke of it as a gold spot. Immediately advertising followed, saying, ‘ Keep the Gold Spot Gold.’ This activity undoubtedly had an influence in increasing Ibe 1928 appropriation for national advertising in Phoenix.

The Nogales Wonderland Club has expended $40,000 during the years 1927 and 1928 to attract health seekers, tourists, and residents. Taking advantage of a situation which has been partly responsible for travel to Cuba during recent years, some stress has been given to the proximity of the Mexican border, with its varied attractions.

It will be noticed that practically all of the advertising organizations in Arizona designate themselves as ‘clubs.’ This plan may be for the purpose of getting closer to the health seeker, the tourist, and the prospective resident. So we have still another organization, the Douglas Borderland Climate Club, which has used a limited number of national magazines in the fall and winter months, appealing to invalids.

Roswell, New Mexico, has alway s had a limited advertising budget, but saw the value of advertising as early as 1916. For five years a definite campaign was carried on aimed at people who were seeking to improve their health. A check of houses In the spring of 1916, before the advertising campaign was launched, showed 216 vacancies in the city, as against 12 vacancies one year later. The building programme was then started. To-day, Roswell has a population of 10,000, and the next largest place in Southern New Mexico has 4000.

Last summer health-seeker advertising was resumed. This activity will be increased slightly during 1929. ‘We are thoroughly sold on the value of such advertising,’ says Claude Simpson, who has been directing the Roswell activities for many years, ‘but our difficulty Inis been in keeping our accommodations up to the demand. I do not mean that our display advertising has brought all of the business of this nature directly. I do mean that it has been largely responsible for it indirectly.'

When we fully understand that communities in stales like New Mexico and Arizona, with rather small populations, recognize the value of community advertising campaigns to feature their climatic conditions, thus bringing in more people who become permanent, we are sometimes at a loss to understand why older communities, with strategic locations, valuable resources, and transportation advantages do not see the necessity of remaking their economic background.

Recognizing this necessity for remaking and reshaping the economic outlook, the Southern New Mexico Association has been acting as a coöperating agency and has done effective work with only a limited budget.

Still further to quicken interest in travel to New Mexico, the Indian Detour Department, in Santa Fe, has spent more money in advertising this detour in the national magazines than any other community or section in the state.

Again, communities have been featuring the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico, In 1923 not more than 80,000 people visited this forest; but in 1927 there were 108,000, and in 1928, 130.000. All of these activities have been carried through with the main purpose of attracting people to this section of the Southwest.

Oklahoma has cotton and wheat. There is a line of demarcation through the State from east to west, based upon climate and soil conditions. Texas is a vast territory with three geographical divisions. Arizona and New Mexico are taking a wise course in appealing first, in the national field, to those seeking climatic conditions and plenty of sunshine. The agricultural development will follow.