20 



The Florists^ Review 



Mat 22, 1919. 



have done neither of these things we 

 are likely to be among those who say, 

 "Memorial day never meant much to 

 my business. ' ' 



Many Wreaths Used. 



Magnolia and cycas wreaths have be- 

 come as staple in flower stores as sugar 

 in the groceries. Nine out of every ten 

 flower advertisements that will be pub- 

 lished in the newspapers next week will 

 offer a wreath as a leader. Advertising 

 a leader is the best way to develop the 

 business — it is the method the pioneers 

 used. 



Newspaper space, when the number 

 of readers is taken into consideration, 

 is the most effective and the least ex- 

 pensive of all forms of advertising. 

 But if the ads are to do all the work 

 that is possible, they must make a dou- 

 ble appeal. They must have a punch 



and they must make the right impres- 

 sion upon the buying public. 



When we prepare our advertising 

 copy we must forget that we are talking 

 to a great number of people. Imagine 

 that we have a prospective customer 

 in our store and we want to sell him a 

 wreath, say, for Memorial day. In try- 

 ing for this sale, if you are a skilled 

 salesman you would undoubtedly first 

 call his attention to th6 sentiment of the 

 day; next you would tell him about the 

 special wreaths you have made up for 

 the expression of this sentiment, their 

 lasting qualities and finally how little 

 one of them will cost. In other words, 

 you would try to create in this man a 

 desire to possess one of these wreaths. 

 We must do the same thing with the 

 men and women who read the news- 

 paper ad — try to create in them a desire. 

 We must not take it for granted that 

 the desire is there and that the mission 



of our announcement is merely to tell 

 where a wreath may be obtained. 



Leader Idea Profitable. 



While thei'e is a good profit in the 

 sale of leaders even at an attractive 

 price — a price that will bring buyers to 

 the store — this same leader many times 

 will be the means of making a larger 

 sale. When a man or woman enters a 

 store with the fixed intention of making 

 a purchase, he or she is a ready subject 

 for the real salesman. 



Special flower days are not so numer- 

 ous that the trade can afford to over- 

 look any of them. Consistent boosting 

 by the trade has created some of these 

 days. Mothers' day for instance. Each 

 recent year has seen these days better 

 from a business standpoint than the 

 year before. They will keep right on 

 getting better, too, but we each must do 

 our own boosting in our own town. 



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c^ MOTHERS' DAY ECHOES 



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EE VIEWING MOTHERS* DAY. 



Why Was It Successful? 



How does the recent Mothers' day 

 look to the members of the F. T. DJ 

 What part did publicity play in making 

 the day successful? 



Mothers' day business in Detroit sur- 

 passed all previous records, both in vol- 

 ume of business transacted and number 

 of sales made. I cannot say that the 

 weather was ideal, because the day be- 

 fore the holiday it rained intermittent- 

 ly and was cold and blustery — in fact. 

 Mothers' day was an extremely dis- 

 agreeable day to look forward to for 

 business. Sunday morning it again 

 looked dreary, but did not rain. 



The question arises: What was the 

 cause of this great volume of business? 

 Was it because of the wonderful senti- 

 ment connected with Mothers' day, or 

 was it because of something else? My 

 belief is that sentiment played an im- 

 portant part, but that, without the aid 

 of publicity, Mothers' day business 

 would not have been one-half of what 

 it was. By publicity, I do not mean 

 simply the advertising done by the va- 

 rious florists' organizations. However, 

 there is no question that the method of 

 advertising adopted by Detroit florists 

 is to be highly commended and was in 

 part the means of this increase in busi- 

 ness. 



Proclamations and Sermons. 



But what about the publicity given 

 Mothers' day by means of the various 

 proclamations, from the president of 

 the United States down to the mayor 

 of your city? The ministers who gave 

 Mothers' day sermons, eulogizing 

 "mother" and pointing out the beauti- 

 ful sentiment of the day — what of them? 



How about the editorials in the daily 

 newspapers, of which there were many? 

 Some of these even went so far as to 

 ask one to wear a flower in memory of 

 "mother," whether living or dead. 



Now, do you think that the press 

 would print those glowing editorials if 

 advertising matter were not placed with 

 them? I have my doubts. 



A large department store in Detroit 

 had a full-page advertisement, about 

 one-fifth of which was devoted to Moth- 

 ers ' day and in which was printed a 

 picture of "mother," surrounded with 

 flowers. This advertisement included a 

 beautiful description of the sentiment 

 of Mothers' day. It stated that while 

 the store did not sell flowers, it carried 

 a fine collection of flower receptacles. 



The Mothers' day stickers, almost 

 universally used by florists, are to be 

 highly recommended and should be used 



The Editor U pleased when 

 a Reader presents his ideas 

 on any subject treated in 



As experience is the best 

 teacher, so do we learn 

 fastest by an exchange of 

 experiences. Many valuable 

 points are brought out l>y 

 discussion. 



Oood penmanship, spelling and 

 crammar, though desirable, are not 

 necessary. Write as you would talk 

 when doing your best. 



WE SHALL BE CLAD 

 TO HEAR FROM YOU 



about ten days previous to Mothers' 

 day. They should go out on all boxes, 

 packages and plants. 



Banners Prove Helpful. 



The large banners used by Detroit 

 florists on the sides of delivery cars 

 were a wonderful means of obtaining 

 publicity. Thej' attracted the attention 

 of the public when many other methods 

 failed. 



Advertising in the newspapers is, be- 

 yond question, the surest and best way 



to inform the public on what we have 

 to sell. Put in your advertising matter 

 something to create a strong sentiment 

 for Mothers' day. Try to leave out, 

 as much as possible, commercialism; 

 keep the sentiment aglow and the pub- 

 lic will more readily respond. 



What part did the F. T. D. play in 

 this important campaign of publicity! 

 Do you realize that a large part of the 

 Mothers' day business was obtained be- 

 cause of the telegraph service? I can 

 safely say that this particular branch 

 of our business increased at least twen- 

 ty-five per cent and that it was the 

 means by which the public expresqpd 

 sentiment in distant places. The pub- 

 licity given F. T. D. service was re- 

 sponsible, in a large measure, for the 

 healthy increase in Mothers' day busi- 

 ness. The F. T. D, service should be 

 more strongly advertised, so as to en- 

 lighten the public to the fact that it is 

 just as easy to have a fioral tribute de- 

 livered to any part of the United States 

 or Canada as it is in your home city. 

 The florists should strive to gain the 

 public's confidence, and convince the 

 people that the trade can guarantee good 

 service and give full value for money 

 expended. Then they will be surprised 

 at the results. 



A Splendid Advertisement. 



The publication of comments by the 

 recipient of the gift, as well as the 

 sender of an F. T. D. order, makes a 

 splendid advertisement. The F. T. D. 

 has made splendid progress in the last 

 eight years. The last year, particularly, 

 has been a source of pleasure and grati- 

 fication, as the gain in membership has 

 truly been great. This proves that re- 

 tail florists throughout the country are 

 beginning to see the light and that the 

 F, T, D. service might be comparable 

 to, or at least be called, a new era move- 

 ment in the retail florists' business. 



In order to advance this so-called new 

 era movement, it is necessary that the 

 hearty cooperation of every member be 

 placed at the disposal of the associa- 

 tion. A lukewarm or a half-hearted 

 effort is not desirable, but the energy 



