Smart marketing appeals to consumers

A marketing plan is essential, but first you must have a good product and great product packaging and merchandising. It’s not just about where you put your advertising dollars.

Hands down, the No. 1 form of successful advertising is word-of-mouth. What does this have to do with marketing? How is your product offering? How is your service? Have you asked your customers about either?

If you provide great, fast service and have a product that is a good performer, your customers are talking about it. However, your customers will talk a lot more about your product if you offer them help at retail. The end consumer needs to spread the word.

Instant gratification

Consumers are all about instant gratification and time savings. Are you helping your retailers provide these for their customers?

For many years, we have come to rely on beautiful plants selling themselves, but is that enough today? When your product is packaged nicely, consumers can’t resist it. Getting consumers to look at your product and pick it up are key to the sale. A plant in a plain black or green pot is not exciting. But that plant in an eye-appealing container surrounded by eye-appealing signage is key to attracting consumers.

Container handles, large six-packs and combination planters can be awesome timesavers for the end-consumer. Having these items at retail are great, but showing off their benefits on a large sign is even better. Handles help busy consumers grab and go. If handles are on a six-pack that contains six different plants, you’ve helped consumers make a selection decision as well. You’re selling more plants and saving them time. Combination planters are the true instant-gratification item.

Brand identity

Our industry retailers have resisted branded plants and programs for fear of losing their brand -- nonsense. Other retailers have been doing this for years. CVS Pharmacy and Target have their own brands, logos and slogans on display next to products from Revlon, Maybelline, Cover Girl and Almay. What sells these in-store products? Good marketing, great packaging, great merchandising and great performance.

Budweiser, Miller and Coors products sit side by side. What sells those products? Great marketing. Do you think these companies spend a lot of money on packaging? Of course they do. These examples could be thought of as big-box merchandising.

When considering displays for independent garden centers, think Macy’s. Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren display differently. There are beautiful tables, higher-end sign holders and an overall cleaner, more polished display.

Nike, Adidas and Puma all market under the same retailer’s roof as well. Granted, these companies have millions of advertising dollars to spend, but we can do the same in our industry and get a slice of the bigger pie. More profit because of better merchandising and packaging.

Many successful marketing programs, Proven Winners being one, team marketing with the growers. If you have a relationship with a marketing company that understands your customers, get with that company to design a brand or program around your products.

A program is much more than just a tag. Many larger growers are teaming up with marketing/supplier companies and showing off their programs at the California pack trials, trade shows and in trade publications. Some are even going as far as marketing to consumers. Many growers don’t have the funds available for this, but even upgrading labels and tags could help your plants stand out from a competitor. An extra few cents can mean a lot at retail.

 ‘Green’ products

Are you telling your story about how your company is “green” and trying to be sustainable? Everyone else is. You can’t turn on the television without seeing green. Even the politicians are talking green. The carmakers at this year’s Detroit auto show were promoting how they and their products are green.

Tell your customers if you offer products produced using less water and chemicals and are sold in recyclable or degradable containers. If you can tell the end consumer, that’s even better. Consider using environmentally friendly pots, tags and signs. For some growers, green will be a small niche, but at least give it a try. No one knows how widespread it will become, but it has a lot of potential, and promoting your company as helping the environment can only help to increase business.

Review your product mix and determine which products are your best performers. Tell your story and enhance your products with packaging and merchandising. For some of these products you will make more money on the packaging rather than the plant itself. Good selling.

- Brenda Vaughn

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Brenda Vaughn is marketing manager, John Henry Co., (517) 703-1524; brenda.vaughn@multipkg.com; www.jhc.com.

- April 2008