The purpose of advertising is to focus public attention on items or services that are for sale. Advertising is related to, but different from, promotion, publicity, and public relations. All are needed for the successful growth of any business.
A modern horticultural business must advertise to retain old customers and add new ones. To be productive, advertising must generate both sales and profits and generate them in quantities greater than could be expected without advertising. Customer traffic and sales volume are not enough to make advertising successful. It must make profits for the business.
There are two types of advertising, each with a different objective. The purpose of immediate response advertising is to make customers reach for the telephone or come into the store soon after reading or hearing the advertisement. Such advertising must offer merchandise or services at a time when customers are receptive to them. For example, flowers and special arrangements are of predictable interest to consumers at holiday time and should be advertised by florists just prior to the holidays (Figure 22-5). Home landscaping is on the minds of property owners in the spring more than in the winter. The timing of the advertising is important for maximum return on the advertising dollar. The purpose of attitude advertising is to build the reputation of the business. Done on a regular basis, attitude advertising seeks to implant in customers’ minds an understanding of the services or products available from the business along with a sense of its status or reliability (Figure 22-6). Successful attitude advertising will cause customers to seek out the business in the future without comparative shopping.
