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> June 20, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



11 



' How the Patk Floral Co., Denver, Exhibited the Auto to be Raffled Among its Customers. 



Ilorists ;ire resiguing themselves to a 

 ])erio(l of light business. The average 

 riorist who undertakes anything at all 

 in the way of expensive advertising 

 puts his effort into autumn work, when 

 he will have a long season before him 

 in which to reap the benefits. But the 

 Park Floral Co. chose the last weeks of 

 the spring season. 



The plan was to offer chances on an 

 automobile, one chance with each 50- 

 cent purchase. Raffles are as old, al- 

 most, as business itself, but not often 

 has the raffle been for such an ex- 

 pensive article as an automobile, and 

 of course this raffle was advertised ex- 

 tensively. The machine was mounted 

 on a big 4-horBe truck and carted 

 through the streets of Denver, deco- 

 rated and emblazoned with signs. Cir- 

 culars were distributed, and it is safe 

 to say everyone in Denver was made 

 to know an auto was to be had for 

 nothing. 



So much popular attention was at- 

 tracted that it seemed the trade would 

 be interested in knowing just what 

 process of reasoning led to the adoption 

 of so spectacular a method of adver- 

 tising a flower store, and just what 

 were the results. 



To Emphasize Change in Location. 



"When business begins to slacken," 

 said J. A. Valentine, president of the 

 Park Floral Co., "when all your neigh- 

 bors are beginning to complain, then 

 is the time to begin boosting; first, be- 

 cause without some stimulant your busi- 

 ness is likely to drop back; also, and 

 second, because others are likely to be 

 retrenching and your own efforts at- 

 tract more attention by comparison. 



* * "We recently moved into a new store 

 and advertised the change in various 

 ways until we felt our old customers 

 were pretty well informed concerning 

 it. But it seemed necessary to actually 



get them into the i>lace before they 

 would be sure to remember it. 



' * We were also anxious to get a lot 

 of new customers, and while you can 

 depend upon a policy of good stock 

 and good service to hold the customers 

 you already have, it is necessary to do 

 something striking to attract the atten- 

 tion of strangers and draw them into 

 your store. 



"The desire" to get something for 

 nothing, the hope of being the lucky 

 one out of thousands, is a part of 

 human nature, and so a drawing of 

 some sort struck me as likely to at- 

 tract new customers. 



' ' There is no fad that has such a 

 hold upon the people of America as 

 automobiling, and to put up an auto- 

 mobile as a prize offered opportunities 

 for spectacular advertising that seemed 

 bound to bring results. 



"I chose the car I did because it 

 was a handsome machine at a low 

 price, and because I had already driven 

 one thousands of miles in the moun- 

 tains and had proved its worth. 



The Besults. 



"We sent out thousands of circulars 

 to all parts of the city, announcing a 

 ticket on the automobile with each 

 50-cent purchase. We used the theater 

 programs extfensively, but the most 

 effective advertising was when we 

 loaded the machine on an immense 

 truck and hauled it through the busy 

 streets, and through the theater dis- 

 trict at night. When so displayed the 

 machine itself was generously decorated 

 with flowers or filled with blooming 

 plants, but the photograph was taken 

 before the decorating was done. 



"We had the drawing at the close 

 of the performance at a popular the- 

 ater, and the tickets were drawn out 

 by Maude Fealy, the leading lady. Nine 

 tickets were drawn out for cash prizes 



ranging from .$5 to .$4o, in addition to 

 the automobile. 



' * Our florist competitors had thou- 

 sands of tickets in the box, but they 

 were not a lucky lot, as not one of 

 them drew a prize. 



"We think that the cost of the 

 scheme was about fifty per cent of our 

 increased business. Whether it paid 

 can. only be told later, when. we are able 

 to tell how many new customers be- 

 come permanent buyers. 



' ' One material advantage gained is 

 a large addition to our mailing list, as 

 each ticket was signed by the purchaser 

 and his address given. I am a firm 

 believer in personal appeals, and we 

 use the mails extensively for that pur- 

 pose. 



"After the issuing of tickets had 

 stopped, several buyers came in, but 

 went away without buying when told 

 that tickets were not being issued. 

 Prior to that, one woman came in and 

 bought 50 cents' worth and told us to 

 send them to some hospital, frankly 

 saying that it was the ticket she 

 wanted and not the flowers. ' ' 



There will be a lot of new ideas in 

 that, for more than one retailer. 



M. E. J. 



FORCED GLADIOLUS BULBS. 



I have a bed of gladioli forced under 

 glass. After cutting them, can I take 

 up the bulbs and heel them in? Will 

 they mature without injury to the 

 bulbs? ■ B. B. C. 



You can lift the bulbs carefully, pre- 

 serving a little soil with each, and heel 

 them in outdoors to ripen. The bulbs 

 made will be of good size, but, whether 

 they are of the large or small flowered 

 types, they do not force satisfac- 

 torily the following season; neither 

 do they flower any better out- 

 doors. I have tried varieties o( 6. 



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