Marketing Maps, Their Sources and Uses - Advances in Chemistry

Marketing Maps, Their Sources and Uses ARCH C. GERLACH

Downloaded by UNIV OF NEW SOUTH WALES on September 7, 2016 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 17, 1954 | doi: 10.1021/ba-1954-0010.ch011

Map Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.

Maps are now accepted as tools in organizing area concepts and displaying propaganda effectively. Statesmen have long used maps to plead a cause by emphasizing on them some particular concept. Business men are now using specialty maps with comparable effectiveness. From an annotated bibliography of 428 marketing maps of the U. S., fourteen are described and analysed to show their value in delineating sales areas for individual commodities, general trading areas, and complex concepts of marketing regions.

M a p s are among the most effective tools for organizing area concepts beyond the ordinary scope of h u m a n observations a n d for displaying propaganda effectively. B o t h functions are served b y marketing maps. L e t us consider their organizational value first and t u r n to the propaganda factor later. A n ant crawling over a large Persian rug m a y be tickled b y its fibers, but probably gains no concept of, or aesthetic pleasure from, its complex a n d beautiful pattern. Likewise, men have difficulty i n seeing and understanding the world's complex surface unless they reduce i t , b y means of a map, to a scale they can observe. T h e resultant pattern m a y focus attention upon the distribution of topographic features, political boundaries, transportation facilities, h u m a n activities, resources, m a n u factured commodities, or even ideas. Displaying Propaganda. T h e concept of maps as tools for propaganda has developed more recently. T h i s t e r m propaganda is not necessarily a b a d word, but it does connote influence, which is another word that is poorly received these days. A skillful cartographer can, b y the selection of appropriate scales, projections, symbols, and colors, focus attention on certain facts to the v i r t u a l exclusion of others without detracting from the technical accuracy of a m a p . Politicians a n d states men long ago learned to use maps not only to organize information b u t also to plead a cause, a n d this discussion of marketing maps is prefaced b y a few examples of political propaganda maps from a war atlas published b y G e r m a n geopoliticians i n 1940 and 1941. One excellent example (Figure 1) is entitled "England's Predatory Campaign." On a world map a l l parts of the British Empire are shown i n v i v i d yellow and the rest of the world is sharply contrasting black. If each country appeared i n a different color on this map, the British Empire would be far less conspicuous, but this presentation appears to set the British Empire against the rest of the world. Another example which makes even more effective use of color and lines on a map is entitled " I n d i a : Divide and R u l e . " Unrest and friction within India are emphasized by showing the various minor divisions i n sharply contrasting colors such as black, orange, green, yellow, and red. The adjacent parts of Asia are uniformly light gray, giving an impression of relative peace and tranquility beyond the boundaries of British domination. Furthermore, broken, barbed lines are used to focus more attention on the internal 100

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boundaries of India, while smooth, continuous lines delineate only the international boundaries of surrounding countries. The Germans also published a classic map to show the German population of L i t h u ania i n 1940. O n that map human figures are distributed so that 15 of them cover Lithuania completely. This gives an impression that Lithuania was full of Germans i n 1940. The map is technically accurate with a legend which indicates that each figure represents 5,000 Germans, but a little study reveals that 15 figures represent only 75,000 Germans, or 3 % of the total Lithuanian population in 1940.


Marketing Maps D u r i n g the past 2 decades, businessmen have come to use specialty maps w i t h comparable effectiveness. T h e y have applied cartographic techniques to help administrators and salesmen i n delineating operational territories, i n plotting the sources and distribution of products, and i n selling ideas to the public. F o r example, here are four different methods of mapping facts about marketing medical products. The first is an odd looking map of the United States (Figure 2) on which state areas are proportional to the volume of drug sales within them (S). I t badly distorts the shape, size, and position of states i n relation to each other, but i t should be worth a lot of money to certain Chambers of Commerce groups i n Florida who would, for once, look with favor upon this portrayal of their state as a shrunken appendage of the United States i n sharp contrast of the conspicuous enlargement of California, where there is a far larger demand for medical remedies. The second map shows drug sales b y counties on an outline of the United States {12). Those few counties which appear i n solid black sell 5 0 % of the drugs sold i n the United States. This gives a far different picture than the first, highly generalized map, based on state-wide statistics. A table i n the corner of this map is an opportunistic insert by This Week Magazine i n which the map was published. The table shows that in the counties which sell 5 0 % of the drugs i n the United States, This Week Magazine has several times the circulation of other popular magazines such as Life, Time, and The Saturday Evening Post A third map of drug sales is even more precise i n locating sales centers (4). E a c h center is shown by a black dot and the city is named. Around each center is a yellow circle whose size is proportional to the total drug sales i n that city. Consequently, the map pinpoints the sales centers and at the same times gives an impressionistic con cept, with reasonable mathematical accuracy, of the relative importance of those sales centers.

Figure 1.

England's Predatory Campaign in Five Continents; 1605-1940


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A fourth map (Figure 3) shows wholesale distribution centers for drugs i n a highly impressionistic fashion (11). Fifteen to eighteen centers become exceedingly con spicuous because colored lines are drawn toward those centers from the surrounding trade areas, but the lines overlap in marginal areas, so that the flow of trade there cannot be determined precisely.


F r o m the L i b r a r y of Congress collections of some 428 marketing maps, a fewothers have been selected to demonstrate contrasting ways to show market centers or market sales areas for i n d i v i d u a l commodities. One map shows the distribution of steel warehouses i n several categories (1). The map is a real source of information but requires considerable study because so many meaningless, geometric symbols are used to designate the various types of steel ware houses that one has to refer constantly to the legend i n order to interpret the symbols correctly. Another is a motor marketing map showing the density of automobiles i n various parts of the United States (9). Statistics have been collected on a county basis and i t is easy for an observer of the map to determine where the greatest sales prospects exist. It would be more effective to use red for the highest density because i t is more con spicuous than yellow, which indicates greater density than the red areas on this map. A map (Figure 4) showing the distribution of Penney's Department Stores gives a clear impression that Penney stores are widely distributed throughout all parts of the United States except the Southeast (18). A sales manager for Penney's marketing or ganization could not possibly overlook the void i n coverage south of the Ohio and East of the Mississippi. Another map shows the sales of This Week Magazine i n various parts of the United States (14). Large white circles indicate cities with the highest sales density. Large black sections surrounding them show areas of secondary density and make the city center symbols disproportionately conspicuous. Other color shades are used to designate regions of decreasing sales density. Such a map would be useful both to impress adver tisers and to organize sales efforts. P l o t t i n g T r a d e A r e a s . T h e next series of maps demonstrates three ways of plotting trading areas on maps. U n l i k e marketing maps for i n d i v i d u a l commodities such as drugs, autos, steel, stores, and magazines, these are designed for planning and organizing marketing activities. The first, by Brooke, Smith, and French (Figure 5) shows trading areas by counties

Figure 2.

Drug Store Sales Map

States as they would appear if area were proportional to drug stores sales; 24 leading states



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(2). Counties with several common denominators for marketing activities are grouped within heavy lines that delineate marketing regions. There are many such maps but various firms draw the lines i n different patterns and i t is important to know the basis on which the regions were established. This is usually explained i n the legend of such maps.

Figure 3.

Western Half of the F.W.D.A. Distribution Map

Instead of separating trading regions from each other by boundary lines, another type of map ties towns to trading centers by means of arrows (8). F o r this type of map, precise studies are required to determine the extent of both retail and wholesale deliveries, the frequency of long distance phone calls, the distribution of newspapers, the sale of bus and rail tickets, and possibly a score of other factors that businessmen consider i n determining the relationships of subsidiary marketing centers to the larger trade centers. A fine little propaganda map entitled " T h e 11 Western States Viewed from L o s LITERATURE RESOURCES Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1954.

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Angeles," shows the United States at such an angle that Los Angeles appears to be at the center of the map instead of i n the southwest corner of the country (7). B u y i n g power of various regions is shown i n colors that gradually fade out toward the northeast so that more attention is focused upon Los Angeles as the hub of trade for the 11 Western States and Texas.


Some of the more directly analytical maps of marketing regions are of even greater business interest. One shows county character according to the predominant occupation of the populace (3). The counties i n red have a majority of the adults occupied i n business; those i n green are primarily industrial areas; and the remaining, white counties are fundamentally agricultural. This type of map has been in considerable demand for legislative reference service during election year because politicians take a genuine interest i n the predominant occupations of their constituents. T h e map appears to be broken i n a north-south direction i n the Mississippi Valley because the smaller counties i n the Eastern United States would not be legible if reproduced at the same scale as the larger counties i n the Western United States. Consequently, there is a break i n the map and the eastern third of the country is shown at a larger scale. Another map of the United States represents buying activity i n various regions of the country (10). Green sections i n the F a r West and the Northeast are the most fluorishing. Yellow sections of the M i d d l e West and Southeast are considered healthy in their buying activities. The R o c k y Mountains, Great Plains, and Missouri Basin had relatively poor buying health at the time this map was compiled. Colored rings within each of the major regions bear numbers to show the relative standing among a l l 12 dis tricts and also contain index figures which represent the actual ratio to buying activity within the district the previous year. One of the most complex marketing maps is published i n black and white b y the Department of Agriculture to show migratory routes of .agricultural labor (15). This map requires considerable study and interpretation. Numbers scattered over the United States are interpreted i n an extensive legend which names the crops produced and indicates the harvest season for each of the numbered areas. Lines across the map indicate routes used by migratory farm laborers as they follow the crops north from summer to autumn. L i b r a r y of Congress Collection. These maps are only a few of those available in the L i b r a r y ' s collection of some 2,225,000 maps, 18,000 atlases, a n d several

Figure 4·

Distribution of Penney's Department Stores




Figure 5.

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Trading Areas by Counties

hundred globes. Most of the maps are not cataloged, but they are filed by area, subject, and date. To facilitate their use the Map Division has compiled annotated lists such as the one titled "Marketing Maps of the United States," by Marie C. Goodman and Walter W . Ristow (6). It is a bibliography of some 428 marketing maps published by both government and commercial sources and ranges in subject coverage from the sale of brassieres to the distribution of wholesale plants for heavy industries. The first 253 maps are pertinent to all or major parts of the United States; the last 174 entries pertain mainly to individual states or metropolitan districts and are arranged alphabetically by States. The entire volume is indexed to show both the author and the subject entries. The first edition ran out of print within 3 months, but a revised and enlarged edition is now for sale by the Card Division, for 70 cents. Maps described in the bibliography are not sold or distributed by the Library of Congress. Copies may be obtained from the publishers in most instances or borrowed on interlibrary loan through a local library for the cost of postage. Literature Cited (1) American Iron and Steel Institute, New York, "Geographical Distribution of Steel Warehouses Handling Industrial Steel Products," April 1951. Colored. 15 X 21 in. No scale given. Subtitled "Majority of locations; excluding those specializing in hardware items and standard pipe." This map shows 349 cities and towns in 44 states in which most of the industrial steel warehouses in the United States are located. (2) Brooke, Smith, and French, Inc., Business Survey Dept., "147 U. S. trading areas, Detroit, New York, c. 1940." 16 X 24 in. No scale given. Shows county outlines. No cities indicated. (3) Burn, Walter P., & Associates. "County Character: Dominance of Employment in Industry, Business, or Farming," prepared for Printers' Ink Monthly, Dec. 13, 1946. Colored. 11 X 16 in. U. S., eastern part 1:9,500,000, western part 1:12,500,000. Counties are colored to indicate whether the greatest number is employed by industry, by business or by farming. Derived from analysis of labor force by industry classifications (Bureau of the Census). (4) Chain Store Age, "Drug Marketing Centers (United States)," New York, Lebhar-Friedman Publications, Inc., c. 1950. Colored. 24 X 36 in. 1:7,500,000. Shows 209 principal marketing centers, location and number of chain drug stores in these marketing centers, number of paid subscriptions to Chain Store Age (drug editions) among these chain stores. Marginal LITERATURE RESOURCES Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1954.

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ADVANCES IN CHEMISTRY SERIES date includes listings, by cities, of stores operated by leading drug chains; also analysis of the chain store drug market and the market outlook. Four inset maps for metropolitan areas. Crowell-Collier Publishing Co., New York, "Drug Store Sales Map (United States)," 1946. Colored. 9 X 11 in. Not drawn to scale. A distorted map showing States as they would appear if area were proportioned to drug store sales. Goodman, M. C., and Ristow, W. W., "Marketing Maps of the United States," Washington, D. C., 1952. Available from Card Division, Library of Congress. Hollister, Clay, and Loomis, Robert, "Trading Area Map of Eleven Western States and Texas Viewed from Los Angeles," Los Angeles, c. 1948. Photostat positive, hand-colored. 14 X 21 in. 1:10,000,000. Has retail trading areas coded for buying power, buying power per square mile and wholesale sales for the year 1946. This map reflects only general factors. It is not necessarily a guide to an effective sales program for any specific product. It is intended for use in orientation, in planning market research, and as a point of departure in developing a marketing pattern suited to your particular product line. Includes a table, "Statistics on Trading Areas for the Year 1946." Each trading area is called by the name of the city which is its principal trading center. Map shows wholesale area boundaries, retail area boundaries, and State boundaries. International Magazine Co., Inc., Marketing Division, New York, "New Marketing Map of the United States," c. 1935. Drawn by Rand McNally & Co. Colored. 41 X 58 in. No scale given. Has 10 insets of multiple trading center maps. The purpose of this map is to give manufacturers who are striving for national distribution, the simplest means for directing their sales and advertising efforts on a practical and economical basis. This map shows the normalflowof trade by the logical grouping of communities into consumer trading areas, and it also shows the national market in its three broad divisions. Nineteen business factors, studied comparatively, enter in the determination of these consumer trading areas. Motor Age. "Automotive Marketing Map (United States)," Philadelphia, Chilton Co., c. 1949 Base map copyrighted by Hagstrom Co., Inc. Colored. 29 X 47 in. ca. 1:4,000,000. Seven enlarged insets of areas of dense population. Indicates the total vehicle registration (cars, trucks, buses) of each county, by color. Also indicated are the 359 leading automotive wholesale centers and cities of 20,000 population or over. Total vehicle registrations used as a basis for this map are compiled by the Chilton Co. automotive headquarters, and represent a total as of the end of the 1948 registration year. Sales Traffic Digest, Inc., New York, "Buying Health Map (United States)." c. 1941. Colored. 28 X 33 in. No scale given. Report for March 1941, issued April 22: Financial Stability and Sales Information. Includes color scheme for comparison with "average month 1936" and "same month, year ago." 14 graphs for large cities at bottom of map. This Week Magazine, New York, The F. W. D. A. Distribution Map of 1948, Showing Areas Served by Members of the Federal Wholesale Druggists' Association," c. 1948. Base map copyrighted by Hagstrom Co., Inc. Colored. 30 X 47 in. ca. 1:4,000,000. Names and addresses of 56 members of F.W.D.A. are listed at bottom of the map. This Week Magazine, New York, "Leading Counties: Retail Drug Store Sales (United States)," 1948. Colored. 14 X 23 in. 1:12,500,000. 67 counties having 50% of U. S. total are colored red. This Week Magazine, New York, "1,272 Counties Containing 1,601 J. C. Penney Stores (United States)," 1948. Colored. 14 X 21 in. 1:12,500,000. (Hagstrom's outline map series). Penney counties shown in red. Includes table : " J. C. Penney Co., Inc. ; Magazine Circulation and Coverage." This Week Magazine, New York, "The This Week Magazine Market, 1,129 Counties with Effec tive Coverage of Families (United States)," 1948. Colored. 14 X 22 in. 1:12,500,000. (Hagstrom's outline map series). 24 cities with 54% coverage shown with large black dots; 37% coverage (retail trading zones outside cities) in green; 359 counties with 10 to 20 per cent coverage in blue. U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., "Major Migratory Routes in the Agricul tural Labor Market," (crop areas, seasonal work charts, state employment service head quarters offices, U. S. Department of Labor, U. S. Employment Service and Affiliated State Agencies, Farm Placement Service) 1951. 1:6,000,000 approx., 30 X 40 inches. As the title indicates a mass of material on migratory labor is presented. The omission of arrows to show the movement of labor is regrettable. Some of the charts are difficult to read. The use of color and an alphabetical arrangement by states or a numerical listing of crop areas would improve the map.

RECEIVED April 22, 1952. Presented before the Division of Chemical Literature, Symposium on Literature Sources for Chemical Market Research, at the 121st Meeting of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY, Buffalo, Ν. Y.


Marketing Maps, Their Sources and Uses - Advances in Chemistry

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