News
Major marketing campaign by Proven Winners

Feb. 12, 2013, Sycamore, IL — Proven Winners and Proven Winners ColorChoice are kicking off the largest consumer campaign in the history of the company.

Print, radio, celebrity sponsorships and online components have all been
selected and timed to drive gardeners into retail garden centres this
spring.

The television campaign will run later in the spring and has not yet
been finalized. The combined investment is more than the companies have
ever spent before – and they want growers and retailers to know how they
are putting their marketing fees to work.

The Proven Winners print campaign features the consumer-selected 2013 National Combination Velvet Skies.

The ad is designed to encourage readers to request the Gardener’s Idea Book — 36 pages filled with easy ways to put the Proven Winners shrubs, perennials, and annuals to work in the garden.

Proven Winners ColorChoice is also launching a new variety-specific
print campaign that is a radical departure from what the industry has
previously seen. 

Both advertisements will be seen in Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living, HGTV Magazine, Southern Living, and Martha Stewart Living in addition to other national and regional publications targeted to reach the gardener audience.

Canadian consumer magazines

In Canada, publications such as Food and Drink, Canadian Gardening, Fresh Juice, Canadian Living, and Garden Making will reach out to audiences there.

In addition to the print advertising campaign, 29 radio stations have
been selected in the United States and Canada for a large push right
before gardeners head out to make their plant selections for their home
this spring.

All of this is supplemented by an increased effort to reach gardeners online with devoted e-blasts to magazine opt-in subscriber lists, banner ads, and plant showcase sponsorships on gardening websites.

Gardener's Idea Book

The new campaign is only in its first few weeks, and already over 25,000 consumers have requested a Gardener’s Idea Book and opted into Proven Winners’ consumer newsletter.

“Every year we analyze what has worked for us in the past as we also
search for new ways to reach all levels of the gardening audience,” said
Marshall Dirks, director of marketing and public relations for Proven
Winners.

“Our Winners’ Circle newsletter reaches nearly 250,000 gardeners each
month—these are gardeners who have opted into our subscriber list after
noticing our ads in magazines over the years. Another important part of
our reach is via social media channels including Facebook, Pinterest,
YouTube and Twitter.

"This is definitely a busy time of year for our marketing team as we
work towards our goal of creating new gardeners and inspiring existing
ones.”