Apuil 13, 1916. 



The Florists^ Review 



41 



TIMELY TALKS 



ON TRADE TOPICS 



HOW FLOKISTS ADVERTISE. 



Improvement is Apparent. 



Ask any thoughtful inaii, not a florist, 

 wliat to him has boon tlic piiiK'i])al 

 manifestation of progress in the llo- 

 lists' trade the last few years ami he 

 will tell you that it has beei: in Ho- 

 lists' use of printers' ink. Whil(> 

 there has been consistent improvement 

 in the varieties grown, in the ()uality 

 lit' stock produced and in the methods 

 of marketing plants and cut flowers, 

 still the improvement has been so 

 i:radu:il that it has es- 

 caped the attention of 

 most of those outside the 

 business, but the man in 

 the street can see the im- 

 jirovement in florists' ad- 

 vertising. 



More and Better. 



The advertising of flow- 

 ers has improved in two 

 I)articulars: First of all, 

 there is more of it than 

 there used to be, and it is 

 a truism that "any ad- 

 vertising is better than 

 no advertising." In the 

 secontl place, there has 

 lieen marked improve- 

 ment in the character of 

 copy used. 



The day may not liave 

 passoil, but it is passing, 

 when a florist will fee! 

 that he has advertised 

 merely because he gave a 

 solicitor an order for 

 spac(\ It gradually is 

 coming to be understooij 

 that a page of one publi- 

 cation may be like a page 

 of another, so far as di- 

 mensions are concerned, 

 lint that there is a. vast 

 ditTerence when it comes 

 to circulation and a still 

 greater difference in the 

 matter of influence witli 

 and njion the r»\ideis. 



I'lorists are li u y i n g 

 space more intelligently 

 e\ eiy year, with h^ss re- 

 uard lor tlie f.act that 

 tlie publisher may ikm'.I 

 tlie liusiness ;iiiil more re 

 uard foi- till' pulling j)o\\ 

 CIS of the publication it 

 self. .Vnd, lia\ing bouiilil 

 spjico in a livt' ])ublica 

 tion, they are filling it 

 with l)etti^r copy. 



Cooperation. 



One of tlu^ [lojuilar and 

 l'roiif;,ble m e t li o d s of 

 llower advertising is the 

 ■ o(')pc>rative plan that Ims 

 been employed so exten- 

 sively since Th(^ IJeview 

 suggested it as a means 



of iioosting ]\rothers' day. Keprotluced 

 on this page is an advertisement that 

 occujjied six full columns of a Detroit 

 newspaper last faster. It is typdcal of 

 this class of advertisements — a striking 

 i-ut, a little general talk that must 

 necessarily bo \ague ami lack in selling 

 power because of the many interests 

 i-e|ii'esented, .anij the names of the sub- 

 scribing tlorists. In spite of tlie limi- 

 tations imjiosed by this method of ad- 

 Ncrtising, it has been fouml generallv 

 successful and satisfactory. Jt will bi' 

 used in many cities for Eastei-. foi 

 .Mothers' dav and for Memorial da v. 



Copy Calls for Study. 



Tlie average florist, just beLiiii niiii,'- to 

 ad\crtis(\ is not a jti-olicieiit cop\- 

 writer. The tendency i>~ to lilj the 

 space with too nincdi i>icturc. too much 

 talk, too little description and too lew 

 prici's. Where s[)ace is cheap the lloiist 

 fr(^queiitly does as <iid the K'aiisai; 

 whose advertisement is re|«ro.|ui-e,| with 

 this article: lie bought a full pa^e lie 

 cause it dill not represent a laiue i\\ 

 penditiire of money ami tlien he advei- 

 tiseil i-;aster instead of the llowiws h.- 

 had for sale! It's a commoii mistake. 

 liy way oi' contract, 



note the adv ei t isemeiit oi" 



I'enn, t h e P.ostonian. 

 whose a d v e r t i s<^m e n t 

 faces that of the Kansan 

 on the two following 

 ]iages of this issue. Fach 

 advertisement Is rejuo- 

 d u c e d photograiihicallv, 

 nundi reduced in size. 

 The Boston advertise- 

 ment, in the original, was 

 only lialf tlie size of the 

 Kansan 's, but it will not 

 take great analytical pow- 

 ers to detect tlu^ superior- 

 ity in the matter of sidl- 

 ing quality. 



"Will It Sell?" 



It never should be for 

 gotten that the )'(\'ison 

 I'or advertising i< to s(dl 

 the ticudsts' nieich.-indise. 

 To iMS[dre ;i ile^ire Cor the 

 things we have I'oi- sale 

 we would bettei' restrict 

 the space i^ivcii to pic- 

 t lire- (if t he Asceli^^ioii and 

 I'.r'er K'aM.it and tlierebv 



:.;a i n 

 t II re 

 -,-ril„ 

 Imt 

 ^tate 

 Th. 



coIlV 



JUC- 



o|ipniTiinity to 



our )ilaiit-. to ije- 

 ' tliiuii attractivelv 

 accurat(dv, and to 



the price>. 



prep.aration ot' 



is one ot' the most 



Fi 



or 

 h as t 



T ot' all. 



displav 



it,-l, 



^urpr/.r ,our RrlaCiwf ond Fntnd, in ul*»r . iri», uiM o F/ournnt PImra or a Ssa*e/ al Cw Fhovi of £aW«r Timt ■ WMrh Itwmht 



FLOKIST TELEGRAPB DEUVEXY SEKVICl 



A Co-operative Easter Ad Employed by Fourteen Detroit<rs. 



important details of ad 

 vertising. It should be 

 tluMight out with care, it' 

 the maximum re-ult is to 

 lie olitai!i(>.l. 

 1he lay-out 

 should lie sue 

 the eyes ol' tl 

 po-silde iiiiiiiIm 

 eis. Second, the 

 sentences nt the 

 the ad should be 

 to inspire a desin 

 things iidverti-ed. 

 and jterhaps most impoi- 

 l.iiit of all, tlie j.lants and 

 cut flower- ofTer.'d slioiild 

 be .|es<-i-ilied in term* that 

 will be intelligible to the 

 jiuldic. Where immedi- 

 ate, direct sale-; are aimed 

 at, prices should be 

 i|Uote(l. '*i'ou will know 



liieatest 



of read- 



ii[ieilili_; 

 top o|' 



siich as 



for the 



Third. 



