Developing Business In The Garden Industry
Building on success with PlantforLife
Following a successful year of promotions in 2009 PlantforLife, the HTA’s campaign to raise awareness of plants and the role they play in enhancing people’s quality of life, moves into spring 2010 with an exciting programme of activities.
Now in the second year of its joint EU sponsored three year promotional programme, plans for 2010 begin with PlantforLife supporting the government’s Change4Life campaign. Our aim is to encourage families to start thinking about gardening as an easy, simple form of exercise. By planting and eating fruit and vegetables you can achieve your five-a-day, resulting in healthier eating habits and a more active lifestyle for the whole family.
In spring the campaign will bring local communities together through a Crop Swap amongst neighbours. PlantforLife is running a competition to find a street to launch a pilot scheme whereby they will be provided with the seeds and plants, advice and support to plant and grow fruit and vegetables to share amongst their neighbours. The activity will be launched by celebrity gardener Chris Collins. The campaign will show people across the country how easy it is to plant and maintain crops and therefore encourage them to grow their own.
Next, the campaign will put the spotlight on colour, highlighting colourful plant palettes for different colour personalities. This will be followed by media and in-store promotion ‘Scentsational’ which encourages people to plant for scent in the garden whilst emphasising the therapeutic benefits.
In 2009 the PlantforLife media campaigns such as Making your Garden Flutter, Colour Me, Colour My Garden, Plant Roses for a Culinary Twist, Trees and Berries and Greener Planning, Greener UK collectively achieved a combined equivalent advertising value of over £1 million reaching a total audience of 127,518,462. For every £1 spent on PR, we reached 104 people. Alongside this has been the ongoing Plant of the Month campaign which has been promoted principally through garden centres and nurseries.
Jennifer Thwaites, HTA Promotions Manager said, “The PlantforLife campaign continues to go from strength to strength with increasing support from the industry with almost 900 retailers now participating with PlantforLife promotional activity. Our plans for 2010 aim to inspire and encourage customers to have a go and make the most out of their gardens.”
The PlantforLife campaign has two strands; the first is a consumer focus, inspiring those who lack the knowledge or confidence to make the most out of their garden. The second strand is the amenity sector, raising the profile and importance of plants through the landscape supply chain.
PlantforLife has a scientific basis with ongoing research being carried out by the HTA in conjunction with Reading University and is based on the collation of scientific research on the environmental and personal benefits of plants to the quality of life.
For further information about each campaign and to read about our plans for 2010, please see the PlantforLife spring newsletter or visit www.plantforlife.info
Contacts
Gill Ormrod or Angela Bean
HTA Press Office
Tel: 0118 930 3132
Email: press.office@the-hta.org.uk
PlantforLife has been created by the Horticultural Trades Association with the aim of helping people get the most out of their garden with gardening advice, information and inspirational ideas, highlighting the health and well-being benefits of plants and gardening.
In August 2008 PlantforLife was the only UK horticultural bid to secure funding from the EU to create a jointly funded campaign with a total value of almost €1 million / £700,000 over three years.
The Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is the trade association for the UK garden industry. It is dedicated to helping develop the industry and its member businesses, including most garden centres and other garden retailers, growers, landscapers, manufacturers and service providers.
The HTA was founded in 1899. Its key roles include: provision of advice-based services such as business improvement schemes, briefings and help lines; training for members; a central buying service; marketing services such as National Garden Gift Vouchers, the Garden Industry Monitor and the PlantforLife promotion initiative; and working closely with government to influence policy and projects.
Last updated: 05/02/2010 14:39