u 



The Florists' Review 



Jdnb 4, 1914. 



using flowers extensively for Mothers' 

 day. We had, in addition, a distinct 

 understanding with all the papers that 

 they would exploit the matter in the 

 reading columns and enlist the atten- 

 tion of the ministers and encourage 

 them to spread the gospel of Mothers' 

 day before their flocks, all of which 

 was well done. 



•y The cost of that effort of the local 

 florists was about $200 and the amount 

 was raised by assessing each dealer the 

 amount that, in the opinion of the 

 committee, seemed equitable. A few 

 florists protested against the amount 

 assessed against them, and one or two 

 refused to participate at all in the 

 project, but when the business of the 

 occasion was over, these same "kick- 

 ers" came to the front with their con- 

 tributions and have never since re- 

 fused to participate in our cooperative 

 efforts. I must not neglect to state 

 that the contributors were not confined 

 to retailers, but growers and whole- 

 salers, too, joined in the movement and 

 contributed in the proper spirit. As 

 we used all the local papers, our copy 

 in each case was modest in size. 



General Publicity Best. 



Last year we made what can now be 

 called a mistake, by trying in our ad- 

 vertisements to educate the public in 

 the matter of the proper colors to use, 

 following the generally accepted idea 

 of white flowers for the dead and 

 bright flowers for the living. We found 

 this attempt led to a confusion on the 

 part of the public, and it was corre- 

 spondingly detrimental to the florists. 

 This year we avoided this mistake and 

 advised all kinds of flowers and plants, 

 and the results show we are on the 

 right track. We do not use the name 

 of any florist in this publicity work 

 and disguise as best we can the com- 

 mercial hand, appealing on broad gen- 

 eral lines, as in the advertisement re- 

 produced herewith, for the celebration 

 of the day most fittingly with the use 

 of flowers. 



The cost is reduced to the minimum 

 by having the bills charged by the pa- 

 pers to the florist who has the lowest 

 rate for his individual advertising. We 

 find it hard to get special rates on this 

 cooperative advertising, but we are 

 able to get notices in the reading, col- 

 umns to a considerable extent, exploit- 

 ing the day we advertise, and even 

 have had cartoons depicting the event 

 of Mothers' day. 



This year Mothers' day trade was 

 immense, cleaning up the market com- 

 pletely, and it is safe to say no one 

 here any longer questions the value 6f 

 cooperative advertising for such days. 



Encouraged by our first effort with 

 cooperative advertising last year, we 

 repeated it for Memorial day. We elim- 

 inated all reference to the soldier's 

 grave, but were strong in reminding all 

 living of their duty to the deceased in 

 remembering them with floral decora- 

 tions, not alone in the cemetery, but 

 in the home and in public places; and 

 awakening in their hearts the memory 

 of those departed and a desire to give 

 expression to their memory by the use 

 of flowers. 



Memorial day trade last year was 

 also fine and gave such activity in all 

 branches of the trade that this year it 

 was feared that enough flowers would 

 not be available to supply the extra 

 demand that would follow similar ef- 

 forts. 



Supplants Individual Efforts. 



We also employed the cooperative 

 plan last November for Thanksgiving 

 and again for St. Valentine's day last 

 February, and all were delighted with 

 the results. It should be borne in mind 

 by those who contemplate this method 

 of stimulating trade that individual ex- 

 pense for the same purpose may safely 

 be eliminated. The newspapers are be- 

 ginning to realize this to their sorrow, 

 but some of them frankly admit the re- 

 sults obtained by the cooperative plan 

 largely justify the elimination, to a 

 considerable extent at least, of indi- 



vidual advertising for occasions of gen- 

 eral interest to the trade. 



I cannot at this date see any improve- 

 ment over our present methods for ex- 

 ploiting Mothers* day next year, but 

 might incidentally mention my fear of 

 some of the work being fruitless if the 

 growers and wholesalers persist in rais- 

 ing the prices of some items on the list, 

 notably carnations, to a prohibitive 

 figure. We cannot afford to allow the 

 public to see florists dragging a day 

 full of such beautiful sentiment into 

 the keenest realm of commercialism. 



Another Day for Flowers. 



Another holiday for which the same 

 plan could be used to develop special 

 trade is Children 's day, the second Sun- 

 day in June, a time when flowers are 

 plentiful and the trade easily handled. 

 A minister a few days ago told me he 

 thought it strange that florists did not 

 inject the use of flowers into such a 

 day, the celebration of which would be 

 made thereby so much more complete. 



TOPEKA TRIES IT. 



Having noted the success with which 

 florists in other sections have used co- 

 operative advertising, a quartette of 

 florists at Topeka, Kan., joined in the 

 use of a half page advertisement in two 

 colors in the Topeka Daily Capital for 

 May 28. Most of the space was occu- 

 pied by display advertisements for the 

 four florists, but a large display head- 

 ing and illustration emphasized the 

 desirability of procuring one's Memo- 

 rial day flowers from a florist who is 

 prepared to serve the j)ublic every day 

 in the year. Those who joined in the 

 advertising were James Hayes, The 

 Rosery, Mrs. Lord, .and Hollcraft. Ex- 

 cellent results are reported. 



Grand Bapids, Wis. — Paul Beasa says 

 that in two years he has doubled his 

 business. He has now three housew, 

 each 22x100, and grows a general line 

 of stock. 



/j^ 



A Word On the Fitting Observance of 



MEMORIAL DAY 



FLOWERS by 

 a 1 most universal 

 consent have come to be 

 accepted as the most ap- 

 propriate token of our remem- 

 brance for Memorial Day. Re- 

 member the dear ones passed away 

 and adorn their last resting place 

 with flowers on this day which is set 

 apart for thfc vivid memory of them. No 

 one should neglect the duty and kindly act of 

 placing flowers in memory of the deceased on 

 MEMORIAL DAY. 



THE FLORISTS 

 have specially pre- 

 pared for this occasion 

 suitable emblems and floral 

 effects of durable material 

 such as wreaths of magnolia 

 leaves, oak leaves and galax 

 trimmed with a few natural or arti- 

 ficial flowers of lasting quality. Sprays, 

 too, of all natural flowers can be appro- 

 priately used. Also there are plants in great 

 assortment, geraniums, cannas, etc., for, 



cemetery planting. 



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The E>etroit Florists' Club Disguised the G)mmercial Hand and Boosted Flowers of AH Kinds. 



