118 



HORTICULTURE 



November 15, 1919 



TAKING ORDERS FOR BILLBOARDS 



This Feature of S. A. F. Campaign Now Under 



Way 



At last the arrangements lor tne is- 

 suance of the proposed billboard car- 

 rying the slogan "Say it with Flowers" 

 have been completed, and our Promo- 

 tion Bureau is ready to take orders. A 

 sample billboard was set up at the re- 

 cent meeting in Buffalo of the Florists' 

 Telegraph Delivery Association, and 

 it appeared to meet the approval of all 

 present, so much so that, altogether, 

 irders are in for eighty-seven of these 

 i eautiful signs. 



The contract which the Publicity 

 Committee has been able to place 

 makes it possible to deliver a billboard 

 at any railroad station in the United 

 States for $50, freight paid to destina- 

 t ion. A similar billboard ordinarily 

 would cost at factory $90, so the great 

 saving effected through our contract 

 is obvious. 



Any florist who has or can control a 

 site suitable for the display of one of 

 these boards is urged to place an or- 

 der for one at once. Besides helping 

 the Campaign he will be helping him- 

 self, for he will be permitted, should 

 lie so desire, to hang a supplementary 

 sign beneath the regulation billboard 

 lulling attention to his own establish- 

 ment. 



The sign is 20 ft. long and 7% ft. 

 wide, and is in appearance similar to 

 the sign shown in our illustration The 

 construction is of 26 gauge galvanized 

 i-on. on wood frame, and shipped i'i 



four 5 ft. sections, with face bands. 

 The board weighs, approximately, 250 

 to 300 lbs. The slogan will be painted 

 to conform in design and color to the 

 regular glass and transfer signs sup- 

 plied by our Promotion Bureau. Three 

 coats of paint are used, with one coat 

 of heavy outside wearing varnish ap- 

 plied after the last coat of paint is dry. 

 The back of the board is painted with 

 one coat of pure oil black. The wood- 

 en supports, as shown in our picture, 

 are not supplied, but they are of a na- 

 ture to be easily procured locally. A 

 blue print, or drawing, detailing the 

 construction and method of setting up 

 is to be furnished with each billboard. 

 As sent out, a sign should remain in 

 good condition for many years. 



Without doubt, a large number of 

 florists will wish to take advantage of 

 this opportunity to bring our industry 

 prominently before the public. As has 

 been pointed out frequently, the flor- 

 ists are fortunate in that so many of 

 them are provided with sites that cost 

 them practically nothing for a display 

 of this kind — along much traveled 

 highways, railroad tracks, against pot- 

 ting sheds and outbuildings which are 

 in public view, and often in cities on 

 tops of buildings, in connection with 

 their store buildings, or on adjacent 

 vacant lots. If a small body of men 

 could, extemporaneously, as at the 

 meeting in Buffalo, offer to take eighty- 

 seven billboards, to cover so many 

 sites, what numbers of locations must 

 be generally available? The Publicity 

 Committee is confident that orders 

 will quickly be forthcoming which will 

 insure the erection and display of a 

 thousand billboards. The price a mere 



bagatelle when the value of the mate- 

 rial and service is considered. There 

 is much to be said in favor of outdoor 

 publicity, especially when applicable 

 to the subject of our Campaign. One 

 thing is certain — never was an oppor- 

 tunity for helpful and direct publicity 

 ever presented at such little expense 

 as that now presented to the florists. 

 The Secretary would be pleased to 

 hear from all those who can take ad- 

 vantage of the offer here made. Sim- 

 ply send in the order for a sign, ac- 

 companied by a cheque for $50, and the 

 sign will be promptly delivered at any- 

 designated railroad station. 



A New Kind of Publicity. 



The value of our slogan "Say it with 

 Flowers" has been recognized in a di- 

 rection quite apart from the course 

 of our Campaign. Just as the writers 

 of fiction and sentimental prose are 

 frequently using it in their work when 

 they wish to convey a thought as to 

 an easy method of expressing feeling, 

 the song writers have seized upon the 

 line as a title for a song. All who 

 were at the Detroit Convention had 

 the pleasure of hearing one such song, 

 but it does not seem to have got into 

 the realm of publicity. Now a promi- 

 nent song publisher of New York is 

 introducing to the public a similar 

 song, of gTeat merit, in Fox Trot 

 measure, and is employing singers of 

 high order to exploit it. The first ex- 

 ploitation was in Detroit during the 

 past week. Harry Breitmeyer, of John 

 Breitmeyer's Sons, writes the Secre- 

 tary as follows, in regard to it; "This 

 week Miss Grace LaRue is featuring 

 the song at our Temple Theatre. The 

 Detroit florists have each taken one 

 day to send Miss LaRue flowers, as 

 well as to place vases of flowers in 

 the theatre lobbies. I assure you it 

 his made a hit with theatre goers, and 

 "Say it with Flowers" is the talk of 

 the public The son« is a wonder. If 



A "Say It With Flowers" Billboard 



