126 



HORT 1 CU LTUR K 



August 14, 1920 



RRIIVIU 



OBCONICA CHINENSIS MALACOIDES 



OBCONICA, Separate colors or mixed 

 CHINENSIS MIXED. 2^/4 inch pots, $7 per 100; $60 per 1,000. 

 Ready Now. Raised from Selected Seed 



CINERARIA, Half Dwarf Mixed, 2% inch poU, $7 per 100; $60 per 1,000. 



I T RFIITFR en ^^"""^ 15 Cedar St., WATERTOWN STA. 

 JL^a «!• rVLjV^ I Ulx V^Vy« Brokers boston, mass. 



Short P. O. Address: L. J. Reutier Co., Boston 72, Mass. 



Little Talks on Advertising 



R. H. Kennedy of Dayton, O.. is not 

 a florist, but he understands the art 

 o£ advertising and there is no retail 

 florist who cannot glean valuable in- 

 formation from the following remarks 

 on the subject: 



"To be easy to understand," he said. 

 "an advertisement must be made of 

 simple words, short sentences and few 

 ideas. Big words and involved sen- 

 tences will not be read. The purchas- 

 ing public does not care how well ed- 

 ucated you are — it simply wants to 

 know what you have to sell — its qual- 

 ity and its price. 



"For many people to read it, an ad- 

 vertisement must be set in plain type 

 and must be uncrowded and unccn- 

 fused by needless cuts, borders and or- 

 naments. If an advertisement tells of 

 but one lin3 of goods it may catch the 

 eye, but if it is crowded with many 

 ideas the chances are that it will not 

 be read. It is not the number of ar- 

 ticles you advertise that counts, but 

 the number of persons that come into 

 your store to buy the goods you have 

 advertised. I do not mean that if 

 you have a large space you should use 

 it to tell of one article. A half page 

 or a jjage advertisement is really a 

 collection of smaller advertisements to 

 each of which the principle stated 

 should apply. Each should tell of but 

 one line of goods. 



"Curlicues in type and elaborately 

 designed borders are not desirable. 

 Use simple type and plain borders. In 

 order to respond to an advertisement 

 people must be able to read it easily. 



be able to understand it easily, and re- 

 ceive a firm impression easily, favor- 

 ably and definitely. 



"To give individuality to your ad- 

 vertisements it is well to have a spe- 

 cially designed nameplate for the 

 name of your firm or store. 



"Make your advertisement different. 

 Do not copy what other people say. 

 Put your personality into them. Tell 

 your story about your goods just as 

 you would tell it in the store. 



"Cuts are good if they really illus- 

 trate, but a bad cut is worse than none 

 at all. Do not use a cut that is not 

 just what you want, simply because 

 you can get it from a syndicate 

 cheaply. If you want a syndicate to 

 plan your advertising be sure to get 

 individual attention. Ready-made ad- 

 vertisements do not always apply to 

 your particular business and will not 

 get results for your store. To make a 

 favorable impression, advertisements 

 must have an attractive appearance, by 

 having a symmetrical form, attractive 

 lettering and appealing illustrations. 



"In preparing your advertisements 

 write them out as best you can and 

 then say the same thing in half as 

 many words. 



"To make a firm impression an ad- 

 vertisement must be devoted to one 

 main subject and all subordinate items 

 separated. An advertisement may be 

 made attractive by contrast in type 

 sizes, strong head lines and few of 

 them and massed white space. Effec- 

 tive headings may be used to tell the 

 story or to capture attention only. 



"Your advertisement should take the 

 reader over the five steps of selling: 

 .\ttention, interest, desire, confidence, 

 action. Some people sometimes only 

 glance at advertisements. If the head- 



ings are schemed to make a complete 

 impression, the advertisement gets 

 both the glancers' and the 'readers.' 

 Illustrations must be suited to the sul> 

 jects — they cover the ideas of the text. 

 Desire must be stimulated by attractive 

 details; but it is mostly aroused by pic- 

 .tures. Variety is one of the best means 

 of keeping interest in your advertise- 

 ments. Change your offerings. 



"As a general rule it is well to give 

 prices in your advertisements. If you 

 do not give them the reader may as- 

 sume that the price is high. If you are 

 advertising high-grade goods, place the 

 emphasis on the quality and mention 

 the price in an incidental way. 



"Be absolutely honest in your adver- 

 tising. Occasionally sell goods below 

 cost, but do not overdo the below-cost 

 sale. Everybody knows that business 

 cannot be conducted on that basis. 



"Your advertising is your store news. 

 If you haven't any, make some changes 

 frequently and keep the store up to 

 date. 



"Do not spend a few dollars in ad- 

 vertising and then say 'Advertising 

 doesn't pay.' Advertising docs pay, as 

 attested by thousands of merchants 

 over the countrv who have become suc- 

 cessful throueh its judiciotis use. It 

 may take a little time to secure maxi- 

 mum returns, but if you make it a 

 continuous part of the policy of your 

 store you will not be disappointed by 

 the results. 



"Select your advertising medium 

 carefully. Its value, to a certain ex- 

 lent, depends upon the goods you sell 

 ;i'id the conditions under which you 

 =p11 them. Except for the small store 

 serving a district in a city, more peo- 

 ple can be reached easily, oftener and 

 at less expense by newspaper adver- 

 tisements than in any other way. The 

 m°rchant who is not using them is 

 missing a great opportunity." 



