Dkcembbr 15, 1921 



The Florists^ Review 



37 



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PUSHING HOLIDAY SALES 



CHRISTMAS ADVERTISING. 



Meeting New Situation. 



The Christmas advertising campaigpA 

 of 1921 will be distinctly different from 

 that of preceding years; florists have a 

 different situation to meet. In 1920 the 

 wealthy people were still receiving divi- 

 dend checks regularly and the working 

 class was still receiving the high wages 

 that became common in the period imme- 

 diately following the close of hostilities; 

 there was plenty of money in circula- 

 tion. This year, however, strong appeal 

 will be needed to draw out the money, 

 for where $10 was spent last year prob- 

 ably only $5 will be spent on gifts this 

 year. Christmas shoppers will demand 

 more for their money this year than they 

 did last Christmas, and they will need 

 to be shown why they should buy flowers 

 as gifts instead of other, perhaps more 

 utilitarian, articles. 



So it will bo necessary to counteract 

 the too general propaganda that flowers 

 are going to be scarce and high in price 

 at the holidays. Florists' salesmen 

 should be instructed to ac- 

 quaint customers from now on 

 with the fact that flowers will 

 be plentiful and that the price 

 will be reasonable. Forget the 

 words "expensive" and 

 "scarce" this year; substi- 

 tute the words "reasonable" 

 and "plentiful," for both will 

 apply at this holiday. If flo- 

 rists will place the emphasis 

 on these phrases and use 

 strenuous sales effort, they 

 need not be overcautious about 

 stocking up. 



Moderate Prices. 



A moderate price scale will 

 be productive of ample busi- 

 ness and adequate profits, if 

 the florist will use the means iij 

 his power to push sales. Op- 

 timistic, favoraoie propaganda 

 is the need at this holiday, 

 carrying the message of flowers, 

 as an appropriate gift and 

 stressing the fact that there 

 are plenty of them and that 

 they can be had at reasonable 

 prices. Tell the public that 

 flowers make the best Christ- 

 mas gifts. 



You have read what Penn 

 the Florist, of Boston, says 

 about flowers for Christmas: 

 "The spirit of Christmas 

 readies its highest expression 

 in flowers. As gifts, they are 

 supreme in conveving to those 

 you love all that you would 

 have represented bv vour gift. 

 The most skillful labor of the 

 master craftsman, the rieliest 

 gifts that men's hands and 

 brains can contrive, ail fall 

 short in expressing the Christ- 

 mas sentiment when compared 

 with the message of even !i 

 single beautiful flower." Such 

 advertising as this has senti- 

 ment witli character :ni<l dis- 



tinction, and it is certain to sell flowers. 

 Forceful advertising will be needed 

 for this Christmas — sales talk that gets 

 the public's eye and its attention, then 

 drives home its message with precision 

 and clearness, pointing out the unassail- 

 able arguments in favor of buying flow- 

 ers this Christmas. When buyers arc 

 prone to shop around, even for a festive 

 occasion, the florist who would meet the 

 competition that other lines of business 

 offer — and it is largo and varied at the 

 holidays — must push his own wares 

 strongly. 'The careful expenditure of 

 a liberal advertising appropriation will 

 bring results. Each florist knows what 

 mediums suit his purpose best. Some 

 examples of excellent copy may be 

 pointed out from among last year's 

 newspaper advertisements. 



Iieaming from Last Year. 



Reproductions of some of last year's 

 advertisements, gathered from several 

 sections of the country, which were re- 

 ported as highly successful, may prove 

 beneficial to other florists in planning 

 their campaign for the holiday at hand. 



y 



Give Flowers! 



FLOWtRS exprcM xhe pvn\ 

 pcrfonalitr ■* >x> oliirr gift nn. And 

 the wondrrful thing about a Flowrr 

 Gift is that it pIcawi^itryoDe. 



FOR OVT OF TOtty GtFTS 



Vhy ruk ill* eTwuvwiM HAil tad «nr«M' 

 \dy n*nai c«D Mnd ■ ChritKmja FU^n-^ 

 Crertlng for y»o by wir» t* aaj nry lo tW 

 r S. ., <:u.^ F„a Plo'cr. >d k. <!>■ 



AIX n.OWEK SHON OPEN XMAS DAT 



Many Florists Have Called This Last Season's Best Ad. 



The advertisement which appears on 

 this page, printed in the Chicago Sun- 

 day papers December 19, 1920, was con- 

 sidered one of the most successful efforts 

 for any occasion of many good adver- 

 tisements prepared for tho Chicago flo- 

 rists' publicity campaign. The ever- 

 present question of tho hurrying holiday 

 shopper is answered in striking fashion. 

 The attention of the public is directed 

 not only to the realization of the appro- 

 priateness of flowers as gifts, but also to 

 the fact that by purchasing flowers tho 

 giver expresses his sentiment in a pleas- 

 ing way and at tho same time relieves 

 himself of the worry connected with 

 crowded mails and overloaded express 

 trains in the case of out-of-town gifts. 

 The power of this advertisement was ap- 

 parent to the skillful and experienced 

 advertisers of the trade in Chicago last 

 year, and doubtless this year as excellent 

 copy may bo expected, with tho addi- 

 tional sales arguments of reasonable 

 prices and an abundant supply. 



The Allied Florists' Association of 

 Illinois employed another advertisement 

 last year which likewise deserves hon- 

 orable mention and was like- 

 wise regarded as highly suc- 

 cessful in pulling orders. It 

 appears on the following page. 

 Its message, ' ' Send a gift of 

 flowers — Blooming plants or 

 cut flowers tastily arranged in 

 basket.s. A gift having the dis- 

 tinctive quality of really pleas- 

 ing the recipient. It is an ideal 

 friendly greeting and an inti- 

 mate personal gift as well. 

 Christmas cheer and flowers 

 are synonymous," forcefully 

 presents the value of flowers to 

 the Christmas shopper. The il- 

 lustration in this advertise- 

 ment was considered an espe- 

 cially appealing one. It repre- 

 sents a little miss who, upon 

 :irising Christmas morning, 

 finds a heap of gifts awaiting 

 her, and among these gifts the 

 largest and most attractive to 

 her is a cyclamen plant full of 

 blooms. 



Pair That Pulled. 



Two quarter page advertise- 

 ments used in the St. Louis 

 n('wsj)apers by the local co- 

 operative publicity organiza- 

 tion there arc reproduced on 

 page .'59. One placed special 

 emphasis on plants. The other 

 stressed cut flowers. The flo- 

 rists of the city commented in 

 most favorable terms on these 

 advertiscinciits, ;ittributing to 

 them a real share in the (excel- 

 lent holiday business enjoyed. 



Tli(> Christinas spirit, was put 

 forward in striking fjisliion in 

 the ;idvcrtiseiM('nt used by the 

 Kosendale Flower Shoj), Sche- 

 nectady, N. Y. It presents the 

 gift idea, unhappily too fre- 

 quently neglected i)y florists, 

 by saying, "S.iiita Clans h;is 

 turned flprist tins year and has 

 niven us a host of novelties in 



