mage and lifestyle advertising isn’t cheap. It requires more sophisticated photography and expensive production to be truly effective. Some retailers hope the next segment to profit from sales — the manufacturers — will provide more help in the future.

Here’s what they had to say:

“They need to help us by providing media pictures, films, commercials, pictures of their pools that are landscaped. Those types of things can help us put the right image out in the public....I’d like to see manufacturers not only wage national image campaigns, but also reinforce that message with materials that I could use in my own market area.”
— Alan Burnett, president
Burnett Pools and Spas,
Cortland, Ohio


“We need more aboveground pool exposure in our press. But we only have X amount of money to spend on advertising and a lot of times if you’re limited…you don’t do as much image advertising. That’s where we need our trade associations to help.”
— Rita Rowlen, co-owner
Ultra Modern Pool & Patio
Wichita, Kan.


“I think there’s a very definite lack of effort on the part of aboveground-pool manufacturers to help merchandise. Their literature just lacks; they have no point-of-sale materials. From spa people, we have nice floor displays, backlit poster boxes. Aboveground manufacturers are still using the same wall sample that they were using 25 years ago.”
— John Mosher, owner
Central Iowa Pool & Spa
Des Moines, Iowa


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