w Advertising MUST communicate

/tr OOD ADVERTISING rells lll your cusromer why he should buy what you want to sell and why he should buy it from you.

While many home centers provide good service, they fail to communicate what they do well. "Reading the advertising of hundreds of home center companies over the years, I see very little about filling customer needs," says Alfred Eisenpreis, senior vice president of the Newspaper Advertising Bureau. "Your advertising doesn't tell what is today's most important retail storythat of customer service," he emphasizes. "Your advertising is the monotonously single voiced emphasis on price."

"And if you continue down that road, the options shrink and competitiveness grinds you down. Whether 90% of the store's merchandise is what most others carry or 95%, the key differentiation is always the customer mindedness, the people of the store. This is the one quality you need to keep."

Just as your merchandise should reflect the various customer groups your store serves, your advertising should reflect individuality. The edge of difference between your store and your competitors should be promoted, he adds.

Each commodity group represented in a home center is a marketing niche, according to Eisenpreis. He recommends that retailers focus on specialty customers and target advertising at submarkets.

"One way to do this," he says, "is by using segments of the newspaper for segments of the store, capitaliz- ing on readership concentrations in such section as sports, fashion and lifestyle, home improvement and even real estate."

Eisenpreis is also concerned that home centers, like department stores, waste an unconscionable amount of a customer's time. He points out that cusromers must spend a lot of time finding exactly what they want and getting the answers to questions about the merchandise. "Like what's the difference between this for $300 and this for $400," he says. "The answer, $100, is not totally satisfying."

Story at a Glance

Advertise your ability to fill needs, not price. stress service... develop a market niche and individuality for your store don't be a sheep.

Keep your ads consumer oriented is the message that appears between the lines when he talks. Tell the customer why he should shop at your store. Give him reasons other than price, such as wide selection, excellent service, convenient location and hours.

Advertise your differences. Don't follow the competition. Point out how you are better. Make your store important. "lmportant businesses live," Eisenpreis points out. "Businesses which are happy with spillover and scraps often disappear."

Establish a niche market in your advertising. "Niche marketing is a major dimension of the years af{ead for all retailers," he emphasizes. Make it easy for your reader to spot what he wants in your ads. "A retailer needs to create, nurture and foster a culture in which to satisfy the customer is the only rule in the book" is the way Eisenpreis expresses it.

Advertise your services. Let the customer know that you have more than price to offer him. "Let me make it clear, in the home center industry, many companies have an outstanding record of considering customers, of caring for them, of teaching them, of holding seminars, of rewarding salespeople who are customer oriented... make sure that if you have a high service culture it is not diminished and not lost," he emphasizes.

Localized and individualized advertising are other recommendations from him. With customer surveys, exit polls and the help of electronic sales figures analyses, a store can pinpoint the geographics and demographics of his customers and the merchandise they buy. Ads should be tailored to these characteristics and preferences, the advertising executive advises.

"The mission of a retailer, any retailer, is to fill customer needs. The process should be efllcient and cost effective but the main point is product: why should I buy what you want to sell?" This is the core of [:isenpreis' message. ls your advertising measuring up?

Ar EVERAL states including Cali- lil fornia. Arizona and Texas are leading an effort to decrease the amount of ozone in the breathable atmosphere by passing laws to restrict the sale of some solvent based paints and architectural coatings that contain ozone producing volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Principal products affected by the new laws include solvent based flat and non-flat paints, wood stains and preservatives, water repellent coatings, lacquers, shellacs and others. The list varies from state to state and district to district.

Story at a Glance

Tough fines for failure to comply withair quality regulations... solvent-based paints and architectural coatings sales atfected ... manufacturers try to help dealers through legal maze.