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advertising the clean, crisp appearance which will make your message more readable and appealing. The vast majority of all kinds of advertising is prepar"d by professionals and for a very good reasonit is more effective. This is particularly important for retailers who may have limited budgets; professional help will make your dollars work better for you.

Within this frame of referenec, advertising then is a matter of specialized expertise in a broad spectrum of skills. Experience has shown that certain advertising concepts can be relied upon to be generally most efrective and reliable. In reviewing the advertising of four retail lumber and building supply dealers who were winners in the LMA-Merclwnt Magazine ad contests, some of these facets will be discussed.

Category #2: Silvera Lumber Co. Antioch, Calif.

Another example, Silvera Lumber Co., points up tlre importance oL planning advertising. The advertisements t}ey submitted for review featured a bold company signature and prominent display of the various sales features. Th"y were well done. The advertisements drew heavy trafrc and sales were good.

But of particular interest was their statement that 'if all our ads could draw like these di4 we would have no worries."

lnherent in that remark is a failing common to retailers relatively unfamiliar with the principles of successful advertising. One of these is the simple premise that a salesman doesn't always rnake a sale on the first call. He csn goof the first call just as a retailer can run an ill-conceived and illprepared ad. The oumulative :efrect of good advertising invariably pay. ofr. The retailer who hesitates to plan a consistent program because ttsome" ads pay off and "some" do not should examine the quality of his efiorts closely and perhaps seek professional counsel. Not alJ ads will pull; but experien@ can eliminate those ads which because of concept and form have little chance of success even before they even appear.

Category .f4: Minton's Lumber & Supply

Mountain View, Calif.

A winning example of retail lumber deal. er advertising is the comprehensive program maintained by Minton's. Sensibln they employ the use of various medianewspaper, radio, and the mail. Eurphasis is consistently upon the Minton name and the brand names they ofier. Particularly successful, reports Minton, is their annual "Home Products Show" featured in a full page advertisement. The principle of consistency pays off for Minton. Initiative and coordination are required for a retailer to plan monthly, seasonal, and annual events. Then it requires courage to continue the efiort over a period of time and back it with sales promotion and advertising. The results are obvious: consumer awareness of their store, services" and products. The final result is increased traf. fic and sales.

A requisite of successful retail advertising is the necessity of acguainting employees with the details of what is being done. Even better, their cooperation in planning builds enthusiasm and everyone feels a part of the effort. Nothing is more disastrous than to have a customer refer to a firm's ad and find the employee unaware of what his firm is advertising!

At Yosemite Lumber, ad layout and copy were prepared by the-ir employees without assistance from the newspaper or professional counsel. And they were quite well done and successful in producing traffic and sales. Further, they accept the principle that a "lumber dealer" doesn't have to always sell "lumber" in his ads. A successful ad for Yosemite featured wrought iron products; it was a correct assumption that their name alone would convey what most people knew anyway-that they carried lumber products.

In this there is a pertinent thought which every retailer must consider: What "image" of his company is he creating in the minds of his customers? Many lumber dealers sell. hardware in competition with stores specializing in hardware. Many lumber dealers sell paints and finishes and compete with paint stores. There are always redsons why customers will choose one store over another, and the excitement of new and different merchandise, demonstrations, and special sales are among those reasons.

The wise dealer will not limit his thinking when it eomes to what he will and will not stock; rathero he will be concerned ,fvith why customs"do ceime to him and how ho can acquire more.

Category .f5: Hurbbard and Johnson

Palo Alto & Mountain View, Calif.

In business for25 years, Hubbard &Johnson don't rely upon ooyears in businessrt to stimulate and increase their sales. They have combined physical expansion with a comprehensive advertising and sales promotion program planned in conjunction with them by Schram and Associates, editorial and marketing services firm Ios Altos. Calif.

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The Hubbard & Johnson program includes these elements: r Weekly 3 col.-full ads in 6 local newspapers o FM radio spots oriented to the in. terests of women o *Welcome Wagon" programs o Extensive Yellow Pages advertising o 4lpage mailed "flyer,, to Z5o00O homeowners o 50,000 paint brochures mailed (co-op effort with the supplier) o Special ads oriented to interests of specifiers o 4-page brochure oriented to interests of industrial & commercial firms . and a raft of other well devised sales promotion features.

The lesson learned from Hubbard & Johnson is not new-it is, like most successful business principleg a well tried and proven concept: You must spend money in well planned efforts to make money.

Consistent advertising, a willingnees t6 try something new, and professiond.licoirn. sel all combine for Hubbard & Johnson to produce succeesful sales results.