It’s the same ol’ thing at your local garden center!

Each Saturday I pick up the home and garden section of my local newspaper. And each Saturday during spring I see the same full color, full page ad from one of my local garden centers.

It’s essentially the exact same thing. Each and every week.

No, wait. It gets better. I’d bet you $500 that the exact same round of ads have run for at least the last three years. The only thing that changes is the “headline” plant. (Geraniums first, later switching to petunias, then impatiens.)

It pains me. Why oh why are they shelling out money for an ad that shows nothing new and exciting? A full page giving customers absolutely no reason to come out and visit?

It might be easier to simply repeat last year’s ad campaign. But, trust me, people notice. And it’s not the kind of recognition that you want. Make a commitment to get the full bang out of your advertising dollar by tailoring ads to THIS year’s hot new products.

-- Sarah