276 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



Floral E)ditIoii. 



Advertising Apples on an Ambitious Scale 



THE success which has attended the 

 apple and other fruit advertising cam- 

 paigns that have been conducted in 

 Canada during the past couple of years in- 

 dicates that larger and more expensive cam- 

 paigns are likely to be conducted in the 

 future. This fall a national campaign for 

 the popularizing of apples ks a food and as 

 a means of increasing both consumption 

 and prices is being launched in the United 

 States by the Northwestern Fruit Exchange 

 of Seattle. The details for this campaign 

 have been worked out with great minute- 

 ness and it is attracting wide attention on 

 the other side of the line. The following 

 particular.^ concerning it were given in a 

 recent issue of Printers' Ink: 



Last ye.ar the Northwestern Fruit Ex- 

 change conducted a small experimental cam- 

 paign on Skookum apples in New York. 

 About $3,500 was invested, mostly in the 

 elevated and subway. A small sum was 

 similarly used the year before. Encouraged 

 by the striking success of this advertising, 

 the Exchange is now starting a campaign 

 that will reach all over the United States. 



The Northwestern Fruit Exchange is the 

 selling agency for about twenty-six local 

 growers' a.ssociations, and claims to be the 

 largest shipper of box apples in the world. 

 From its inception it has been educating 

 the grower in better methods of picking, 

 grading and packing the fruit. It has been 

 gradually building up markets and getting 

 ready to make a wide appeal to the consumer 

 through advertising. 



It is estimated that the Exchange will have 

 in the neighborhood of 1,100 cars of Skookum 

 apples to market this year. At about 640 

 boxes to the car, the total output of the fruit 

 to be sold under the Skookum brand will 

 run well over 700,000 boxes. Of course an 

 estimate made while the apples are still on 

 the trees cannot be accurate. The number 

 of cars may greatly exceed 1,100, but it is 

 unlikely that it will be any less. These 

 figures are referred to because they deter- 

 mine the advertising appropriation, which is 

 ten cents on each box. Therefore, the Ex- 

 change will have approximately $70,000 to 

 put into advertising and sales promotion. 

 The amount may be considerably larger 

 should the number of boxes of Skookums ex- 

 ceed the estimate. The uncertainty as to 

 the exact sum that will be available, makes 

 it impossible to lay out the campaign in 

 every detail any great time in advance of 

 the season. 



Judging from past results the advertising 

 of apples seems to be a good way to invest 

 money with the certainty of getting a high 

 rate of interest on it. In writing about the 

 results of previous advertising, W. F. Gwln, 

 vice-president and general manager of the 

 Exchange, said: 



"We are pleased to state that the result 

 of the campaign was very gratifying, and 

 we were able not only to recover the money 

 put into advertising, but a substantial pre- 

 mium." 



What he means by "premium" is that as a 

 result of the publicity, Skookum apples sold 

 for more than the market-y-in some cases 

 as much as thirty-five cents a box. Thus 

 the advertising cost was recovered and a 

 substantial amount besides. Continuing, Mr. 

 Gwin said: 



"We feel that we have accomplished some- 

 thing truly remarkable in making New York 

 City 'sit up and take notice' with such a 

 comparatively small appropriation. Even by 

 our competitors we have been complimented 

 on the accomplishment of what to experi- 

 enced advertising men seems an impossible 

 task, i.e., really creating a profound impres- 



sion upon the metropolitan district of New 

 York with a very small sum of money." 



Advertising will claim the bulk of the ap- 

 propriation, although a feiw thousand dollars 

 will be expended in sales effort to supple- 

 ment the publicity. Fruit inspection will 

 cost $3,000, which also has to come out of 

 the advertising fund. Only "Extra Fancy" 

 apples will be put up under the Skookuin 

 brand. According to the Northwest Stand- 

 ard Grading Rules, adopted at Spokane in 

 December, 1915, this grade of apples is de- 

 fined as "sound, smooth, mature, clean, hand- 

 picked, well formed apples only, free from 

 all insect pests, diseases, blemishes, bruises, 

 and other physical injuries, scald, scab, 

 .scale, dry or bitter rot, worms, worm sting, 

 worm holes, .spray burn, limb rub, visible 

 water core, skin puncture or skin broken at 

 stem." 



They must also meet' certain definite re- 

 quirements as to color. In spending money 

 to make sure that all apples packed under 

 the Skookum label are up to the established 

 standard in quality and appearance, the Ex 

 change is observing the first principle of 

 advertising success — having the product 

 right. It is an example of the thoroughne.-5s 

 that characterizes every detail of the cam- 

 paign. 



Specialty salesmen will be used in somo 

 sections to back up and supplement the ef- 

 forts of the jobbers' men. Fruit jobbers, in 

 many places, do not go out aggressively after 

 business. They let the growers and other 

 dealers in the commodity come to them for 

 their requirements. It is to make sure that 

 Skookum apples will not be neglected in 

 those localities where wholesalers are in the 

 habit of taking it easy, that salesmen are 

 to be employed. The cost of these repre- 

 sentatives will be taken out of the appro- 

 priation, but the amount will not be large. 

 AnyTvay it is a very necessary expenditure, 

 as it will bolster up the weak spots in dis- 

 tribution, and make more certain the suc- 

 cess of the advertising. One of the import- 

 ant phases of the work that the salesmen 

 are expected to accomplish is to get hotels 

 and restaurants to list Skookums on their 

 menu cards. 



The campaign is well rounded out. It 

 ramifies in many directions and connects all 

 the factors concerned. It is probably one of 

 the most complete drives that has ever been 

 made in the merchandising of a fruit. Maga- 

 zines, newspapers, billboards, street cars, 

 trade papers, novelties, hangers, premiums, 

 display matter, poster stamps, window 

 stickers, direct literature and dealer elec- 

 tros are to be used. 



Full-page advertisements in colors will ap- 

 pear in quite an array of magazines. The 

 fruit will be temptingly displayed in its own 

 natural colors. Much of the copy is based 

 on the health appeal. The healthfulness of 

 apples is brought out, and backed up with 

 statements from authorities. The quality 

 of the apples is described. The reader la 

 told about the sanitary conditions under 

 which they are picked and packed. The 

 magazine copy, as in fact all of the adver- 

 tising, shows the trade-mark of the fruit, 

 which consists of a grinning American 

 aborigine making goo-goo eyes at one or 

 more Skookum apples in a manner that bv 

 comparison would make Sunny Jim look like 

 a Gloomy Gus. 



"Skookum" is the word that the Indian 

 used when he wished to express his delight. 

 It is equivalent to our slang phrase "bully." 

 Readers are told always to keep their eyes 

 peeled for this Red Man. The address of 

 the Eastern Division of the Exchange, in 

 New York, and not the address of the execu- 

 tive offices in Seattle, is signed to the ad- 

 vertisements. Inquiries will be followed up 

 from New York. The campaign is in charge 

 of the Mutual Service Corporation. 



Street-car advertising will be used to a 

 considerable extent. A wide variety of cards 

 of compelling variety have been prepared. 

 Something new in this line will be intro- 

 dueed. One of the cards shows several well- 

 known advertising characters, such as Velvet 

 Joe, Cream of Wheat Chef, the Little Fairy, 

 the Dutch Cleanser Maid and many others. 

 Among them beams the smiling face of the 

 Skookum Indian. The Idea is to get the 

 reader to pick it out from the rest, and also 

 to associate this new character with those 

 that have been established in popular favor 

 for years. Those who are in the habit of 

 reading the funny papers, will recognize an 

 old friend on another card, headed "Hey! 



By sorting: his apples in the orchard, Mr. James Ellis, Ancaster, Ont., not only saves valuaJble 

 time, but al.so gets his fruit packed with a. minimum n-an»ber of bruises. 



