Multi-faceted and structured marketing is a powerful tool for every company – not only, but especially in times of ongoing crisis like these. In the interview, Ivonne Solbrig, Marketing Director, and Rolf Watermann, Managing Director Sales, from Baumschule zu Jeddeloh talk about trends and developments in marketing and PoS and why it can be crucial for companies to establish their own brands.
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Ms. Solbrig, what does your job in the tree nursery include and when did it start?
Ivonne Solbrig: The terms marketing, PR and brand management were Bohemian villages in the nursery world until the end of the 1990s. Plants were interchangeable products in black pots, generic items that could only be distinguished by simple labels. That has changed fundamentally in the meantime. And our nursery is one of the pioneers in marketing. It all began with the launch of the famous Endless Summer plant brand on the German market in 2005. My first job as the new head of marketing. Never before has a single plant caused so much sensation in the media: whether on TV in various gardening programs, in glossy titles, women’s magazines and hobby gardening magazines – the plant was insanely present from now on and is still an indispensable part of the trade . And that was just the beginning. Our marketing team has grown and today takes care of the strategic and operational brand management of many plant brands and their dissemination on all communication channels – online and offline.
What trends have you observed in the past few years in the field of marketing and PoS in the green sector?
Ivonne Solbrig: Due to the limited leisure and travel options, Corona meant that the desire for gardening generally increased insanely last spring – even among young people from the city. Old traditions such as self-sufficiency have also become even more popular as a result. It is almost in vogue to cultivate fruit on the roof terrace, to conjure up a green oasis out of the smallest concrete desert and to use the balcony no longer just as a litter box or open-air refrigerator, but as a green retreat from the hectic everyday life. It is precisely these “young wild ones” that you now have to retain as customers – with easy-to-understand concepts and attractive brands that stand out in the often complicated botanical jungle.
How do you think these areas will develop this year?
Ivonne Solbrig: The younger generation is less familiar with plants – but is still interested in investing something in their own green oasis of well-being without giving too much thought beforehand. Brands that convey catchy messages over the years, convince with special product properties and create trust – regardless of whether they are remounting hydrangeas, permanently blooming compact roses, blueberries for the balcony or bee-friendly deciduous trees – are gaining in importance here. The main thing is that the advantages are recognizable and understandable at first glance. Well-managed brands create orientation and reduce complexity. That is why we are investing in this area. We offer our customers PoS material to match our brands and advertising campaigns, with which the goods can be presented accordingly and thus clearly stand out from the range or promotional goods. Instead of an exchangeable aluminum table presentation, our Euro pallet covers in combination with a display can be used to create a brand-compliant appearance.
Outside of the development of new brands and products – what has been your greatest innovation in recent years?
Ivonne Solbrig: This certainly includes setting up our own in-house print shop. In this technology, too, we are pioneers in the entire industry. We invested in “research and development” for a long time because nothing like this simply existed in the entire printing industry. My team colleague Uwe Horstmann worked tirelessly on it. But it was worth it: Because it makes our customer king. We make it possible that garden centers can now vouch for the good quality of goods with their own name – with in-house, labeled labels – designed according to individual wishes. Goods from a single source – in the same presentation – create order in the garden center instead of a colorful mess and underline the value. This inspires confidence in the end user and binds customers in the long term.
How does your nursery differ from other competitors?
Rolf Watermann: First of all, compared to many competitions, we are a producer through and through. One of the largest and most modern container nurseries in Europe. This enables us to produce large quantities of plants in a uniform and constant quality. With heart and mind from a master hand, MPS-certified and “Made in Germany”. This distinguishes us from classic plant trading companies who buy their goods exclusively from different companies. As a modern plant manufacturer, but also as an owner-managed family company with our name “zu Jeddeloh”, we vouch for the quality of our goods. For almost 90 years. That creates trust with the customer. In addition, we not only sell plants, but also plant brands that are professionally marketed by our in-house marketing department. This sets us apart from the competition.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge for your company over the past few years?
Rolf Watermann: Basically, the weather is always a major challenge for the green sector. “The weather beats the economy,” as the saying goes. But we have to live with that and you can’t influence that either. Last year, the corona pandemic was added as an incalculable risk. Fortunately, our industry got away with a black eye. Due to the increased demand after the lockdown in spring 2020, we were able to make up all losses. But it still showed us how important it is to have well-functioning logistics. If all of a sudden you want to be supplied with fresh goods at once, it has to be perfectly organized. We invest and work regularly on our logistics in order to be able to load even more goods in the high season and to guarantee that we can deliver to every garden center nationwide twice a week. To do this, we have doubled our logistics center again for the 2021 season. Here our plants are perfectly prepared and picked for sale in the garden center, regardless of the time and weather.
What projects are you planning to implement in your tree nursery in the coming months?
Ivonne Solbrig: We will continue to invest in trend research and brand development in the future. When it comes to product development, we proceed in the same way as companies from other industries – such as food retail. We analyze social trends, look to what extent our products serve these trends, and also use this for our current PR and advertising activities. The topic of bee and insect protection is currently very popular. No matter whether in the city or in the country. More and more people are specifically looking for bee-friendly plants to make a personal contribution to insect larvae. City gardening and self-sufficiency light are also very popular. Even the smallest balcony is often transformed into a snack oasis with berries. Our brands BrazelBerry, Hof: Obst and Bee Happy match these trends – but also our easy-care, permanently blooming roses for the balcony with the name Zepeti.
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