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AU017ST 19, 1920 



The Florists' Review 



49 



SINCE the florists began their co- 

 operative advertising campaign 

 back in 1917, a large number of such 

 campaigns have been started. And this 

 has been so, not only because advertis- 

 ing in general, during this period, has 

 been greater proportionally than at any 

 other period, but because the sound eco- 

 nomic principle underlying cooperative 

 campaign advertising has been estab- 

 lished without any question of doubt. 



This principle is particularly applica- 

 ble to the business of selling flowers, 

 because it is directed toward stimulat- 

 ing and broadening the basic market. 

 Cooperative advertising applies, 

 through publicity, the full powers of co- 

 operative organization. It means the 

 enlarging of business for everybody 

 rather than the artificial stimulation 

 for certain periods of the year or for 

 certain sections or for certain kinds of 

 flowers or for certain kinds of dealers. 

 It does not make more business for one 

 at the expense of another, but for all 

 alike. 



We should consider the tremendous 

 extent of the market which lies before 

 us, so that, by using a little greater 

 effort than we have used and by em- 

 ploying a little more courage in our ex- 

 penditures, we may 

 reap aharvest 

 commensurate with 

 the limits of our 

 market. 



The United 

 States, as a people, 

 has found itself. 

 What we have done 

 as a nation, and for 

 the nation during 

 the war, we want, 

 now that the war 

 is over, to do for 

 ourselves. When 

 the country was 

 told to sacrifice and 

 to use thrift in 

 order to raise 

 enough money to go 

 to war, people 

 raised the money 

 and found that the 

 sacrifice amounted 

 to little. Not only 

 (lid they raise tre- 

 mendous sums of 

 money through the 

 purchase of Liberty 

 honds and thrift 

 stamps, but they 

 were also able to 

 purchase an unbe- 

 lievable number of 

 automobiles, 

 amusements and so 

 •in. 



Ready to Pay. 



They will con- 

 tinue to purchase; 

 thpy will continue 

 '0 surround them- 

 selves with luxuries 

 ^nd comforts to 

 ^ake their houses 



Synopsis of the address of Major P. F. 

 O'Keefe of the P. F. O'Keefe Advertising 

 Agency, Boston, which has charge of the 8. A. 

 F. advertising, delivered at the Cleveland con- 

 vention August 18. 



more livable. While it is true that the 

 market is turning from a seller's to a 

 buyer's market, it is also true that the 

 recognition of any big achievement will 

 be quite definite. People are in a re- 

 ceptive mood. They desire to surround 

 themselves with those things which 

 make life more worth living. They 

 know they can pay. They are eager to 

 go ahead with no fear of the future. 



We have, as our potential market, 

 100,000,000 people living within the con- 

 fines of the United States. What we 

 are chiefly concerned with is the buy- 

 ing power of these people. So it is in- 

 teresting to see how much money peo- 

 ple are earning and what they are do- 

 ing with it. 



How People Spend. 



Only a small percentage of the people 

 belong to the wealthy class, it is true. 

 Only two and one-half per cent of the 

 entire population reoeive an income of 

 over $4,000, only five and one-fourth 

 per cent receive an income of from 



Major P. F. O'Keefe. 



$2,000 up to $4,000 and only seven per 

 cent receive an income of from $1,000 

 up to $2,000; the average of eighty-five 

 and one-fourth per cent, which is over 

 three-quarters of the entire population, 

 is receiving only $1,000 or less. 



If we did not know other things these 

 figures would make us feel that our re- 

 sources were so small that only bare 

 necessities could be purchased by the 

 people. 



The United States Bureau of Statis- 

 tics compiled figures in June, 1920, to 

 show the division of the dollar by the 

 average family. According to the bu- 

 reau's statistics, that average family 

 spent 43 cents out of every dollar for 

 food; 13 cents went for clothing, 18 

 cents for rent; 5 cents for fuel, heat and 

 light, and 21 cents was thus left for 

 sundries. 



I should like you to keep that 21 cents 

 in mind, because it shows the magic of 

 the multiplication table when extended 

 far enough. 



We shall show from this 21 cents, in 

 the average family, when multiplied by 

 20,000,000, that the families of the 

 United States during 1920 purchased 

 $2,000,000,000 worth of automobiles and 

 parts. In addition to that, they con- 

 mmed $1,000,000,000 

 w o r t h of candy. 

 And they enjoyed 

 themselves in the- 

 aters at a cost of 

 some $900,000,000. 



So it is not true, 

 as some would have 

 us believe, that, be- 

 cause 21 cents is all 

 that is left of the 

 dollar, in the case of 

 the average family, 

 with which to buy 

 sundries, in which 

 should be included 

 furniture, shoe 

 shines, face mas- 

 sages, shaves, hair 

 cuts, doctor's bills, 

 donations to the 

 church, fire insur- 

 ance, life insur- 

 ance, flowers, 

 theaters and any 

 other things you 

 can think of which 

 are not covered by 

 these four divisions 

 shown, that they 

 would not be able 

 to buy anything 

 else. 



Custom. 



Now, applying 

 these figures to the 

 florists* business, 

 we should find out 

 how much of the 

 business was de- 

 rived from a real 

 desire on the part 

 of its public to 

 buy flowers and 

 how much from cus- 



