6 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Take for instance, the slogan of the Associated Paint 
and Varnish Manufacturers—“Save the Surface and You 
Save All.” 
This has proved to be one of the best business-build¬ 
ing slogans that has ever been put out although it has 
not been repeated and copied quite as widely as some 
others so far as the general public is concerned. This 
slogan does not in any way direct anybody to use paints 
or varnishes. It does plant a potent suggestion. It may 
require a little studying over for any one to see exactly 
what it means the first time it is seen. That is not an ob¬ 
jection, but rather an advantage, because it makes it 
stick. Anyone who has once got the meaning of this 
slogan can never thereafter see an unprotected surface 
of a building or other property in which they are inter¬ 
ested without getting the full force of the argument 
back of the words “Save the Surface and You Save All.” 
It is merely a suggestion—it does not tell anybody to do 
anything—but it does get results. 
Then take the slogan of our friends, the florists—“Say 
It With Flowers!” The purpose of these words is not to 
direct people to say something but to tell them what to 
say it with, when they do have something to say. It does 
not tell them to buy flowers or to use flowers. It is 
merely a suggestion that what they have to say may be 
said with flowers. 
And yet the result has been that it has sold more flow¬ 
ers than could ever have been sold by any phrase direct¬ 
ing people to buy flowers. 
“Eventually—Why Not Now?” 
That seems, at first sight, like a very foolish kind of 
slogan. Surely it does not direct anybody to do anything, 
and moreover has the disadvantage (?) of being a nega¬ 
tive statement, instead of a positive one. I remember a 
good many years ago the first time I ever saw those 
words “Eventually—Why Not Now” on a sign board 
from a car window. I was just beginning to study the 
business of advertising, and my first thought was “how 
foolish to spend money on such a silly slogan as that.” 
But that slogan has proved mighty effective. Its ef¬ 
fectiveness depends wholly upon its power of suggestion. 
It sticks in the mind; you cannot get away from it. 
One of the most famous slogans of all is that of the 
Victor Talking Machine Company—“His Master’s Voice.” 
The Victor Company in fact has employed the power 
of suggestion throughout all their sales methods. They 
have never sold phonographs; what they have sold 
is music in the home; in your home. If they use a full- 
page advertisement in color costing thousands of dollars, 
it is not employed to show the beauty of one of their 
machines, but a picture of the world’s most famous musi¬ 
cians and songsters, thronging into your living room. 
What Has the Nurseryman Got to Sell? 
The answer which first comes to mind of course is 
“trees, shrubs, plants.” 
But I say that this is not what the nurseryman has 
got to sell. What he has got to sell is not trees, shrubs 
and plants, but an IDEA—the idea that planting is as 
essential to the modern home, as is good plumbing, or 
heating, or music in the home. 
Sell that idea —and the trees, shrubs and plants must 
follow as the fruit follows the blossom, or growth fol¬ 
lows germination. 
Slogans Must Have Wide Scope 
Any slogan designed for use by those engaged in an 
industry which is as diversified in its products as the 
nursery industry is, must of course be very broad in 
scope. It is to my mind impossible to attempt to desig¬ 
nate all of the various kinds of things which must be 
covered. I believe it is a mistake to designate any of 
them because if some are mentioned and others are not, 
some part of the field from which the harvest is to be 
reaped will be left uncultivated. 
The slogan which has been selected by the Market De¬ 
velopment Committee, after a great deal of considera¬ 
tion and correspondence, does cover the entire field. It 
suggests the use of all kinds of planting material, not 
any particular line. It suggests the use of plants in 
quantities, rather one or a few at a time. It applies to 
all sections of the country and to any season of the year. 
What is to be planted will depend naturally upon the 
kind of a home it is that is to be planted—whether it is 
a small suburban lot; a good-size country place; or a 
farm home where wind-breaks and a fruit orchard would 
be as much a part of the planting which should be done 
as would ornamentals for the suburban lot. 
Moreover this slogan has the distinct advantage of ty¬ 
ing up directly with what is now and will be the biggest 
“market developer” we will have for many years to 
come—that is the present building program which is 
being put into effect all over the country. It lends itself 
to use by landscape architects, by everyone who is inter¬ 
ested in real estate as well as by the nurserymen them¬ 
selves . 
The effectiveness of any slogan of course is in direct 
proportion to the thoroughness with which it is used by 
those who are interested in it. There will be more build¬ 
ing going on this coming spring than there has been done 
at any time in the United States. If all the members 
of the American Association will make use of the slogan 
proposed by the Market Development Committee and 
make a definite effort to follow up the sales made pos¬ 
sible by this new building, it cannot help but create a 
lot of business for all classes of nurserymen, wherever 
they may be located throughout the country. 
AMEBICAN ASSOCIATION OF NUBSEBYMEN 
Louisiana, Mo., October 1, 1922 
Office of Secretary and Traffic Manager 
First Quarterly Report—July, August, September 
receipts 
Balance in Treasury, July 1, 1922 . $21,378.43 
Interest at Des Moines on 1921 balance. 54.79 
Dues received to date. 1,640 00 
Advertising received to date. 42.50 
Revenue from B. B. claims to date. 32.79 
Revenue from Collection Bureau to date. 738.90 
Sundry collections to date. 40.10 
Total collections to date . $23,927.51 
