12. The element of seasons.—There may be certain times of the year in which the demand for an article is greatest. There may be other times in which there is no sale for it. The manufacturer may or may not be able to overcome this condition. Many manufac turers are using advertising in an attempt to do what electricians call "superimposing the peak upon the valley." That is, they are trying to raise the sale in the dull season and to lower it, if necessary, in the good season, to make a more even output the year round. You can't sell ice skates in the summer, but you can make ice skates and roller skates in the same factory.
13. How to study seasonal demand.—Most adver tisers realize how much the climate and the weather affect sales, but few seem to know how to take ad vantage of these conditions and plan for them in ad vance. The facilities of the United States Weather Bureau are at the disposal of those advertisers who know how to take advantage of them. Most adver tising managers of department stores keep in close touch with the weather reports. Bakers are said to rely upon them to determine each day the amount of bread that will be consumed. If the day is to be cold or rainy, a proportion of housewives will proba bly bake their own bread. If it is to be hot, they may not care to make the exertion, and, if it is to be a beautiful, sunny day, they will probably prepare to go calling or shopping. After years of experience bakers are said to gauge accurately the day's demand in this way.
Suppose you were selling ice skates, furs, mufflers, sleds, sleigh-bells, sun helmets, fans, seeds or bulbs. A careful study of climatic conditions will show you the centers of your most natural markets. If your product happens to be rubbers, rubber coats or um brellas, a study of the average rainfall in different sections may assist in determining your most profita-. ble markets.
If you are selling straw hats, underwear or awn ings, climatic conditions and unswerving customs will arbitrarily fix your seasons for you, and you must time your advertising accordingly. It must be borne in mind that seasons come much earlier in some parts of the country than in others. Spring clothing is sold in New Orleans during February, while in Du luth May is often early for its sale. There are two seasons for selling underwear. The summer season commences in some sections as early as May and rarely lasts longer than eight weeks. The winter season commences in November and rarely lasts longer than six weeks. The advertising of these goods is timed to commence about a month in advance of each selling season.
The season for wearing straw hats is supposed to commence in most localities on June first and to end on September first. The best part of the buying season is over, however, about three weeks after the first of June, and lucky indeed is the dealer who by cutting prices many times is able to dispose of the remaining stock to those whose hats wear out before September first. If you were advertising straw hats, you would probably want your advertisements ready and in the hands of the local newspapers by the first of May.
14. Dealers' and consumers' seasons.—For those who sell thru dealers there are, of course, two classes of seasons, the dealers' season and the consumers' sea son. With some products, automobiles, for example, these seasons are practically the same. With others, such as wearing apparel, there may be six months between the time the dealers order and the actual sale to consumers. The advertising man knows this and plans accordingly. He usually prepares his "dealer literature" and his "consumer literature" for one year's campaign at the same time so that he may show the dealer reproductions of the consumer litera ture which is to appear later. In these days the dealer, after satisfying himself as to the quality of, and the profit on the goods, next wishes to satisfy himself as to quality and the quantity of the adver tising which will assist in creating a demand.
15. Staples and novelties.—One of the causes for the failure of advertising campaigns is that some ad vertisers have not clearly distinguished the difference between staples and novelties. Many advertisers can not forget the story of the man who made a fortune by inventing a game called "Pigs-in-clover." They do not stop to ask themselves how much they would be willing to pay for stock in his company today.
The American people are said to be novelty crazy. Fortunes have been made by catching the public fancy. Thru the influence of a tremendous amount of advertising a demand for a novelty can be created. Yet the manufacture and sale of a novelty, requiring a heavy investment either in machinery or advertis ing, is a hazardous business in which to engage. If you wish permanently to engage in a business built on public fancy, two things are essential: (1) that you have in readiness some other novelty which you can produce with the same organization ; (2) that you prepare yourself to "get out from under" when the fickle fancy of the public begins to change.