Thanks Plant, the consumer facing programme run by Flower Council, launches their 4th annual campaign this month and this year is focussing on the home office space.
Linking in with the huge rise in demand for plants as buyers realised how plants can make them more energetic, more relaxed, happier and healthier, this major consumer campaign is perfect for florists and garden centres to use in their own businesses and showcase the range they offer.
Because not only are Flower Council investing huge sums in consumer PR and advertising but they’ve created some seriously hi style graphics you can download and use on your own social media accounts and in-store to add a real touch of professional advertising to your own messaging.
To access all the graphics and more ideas click here
Campaign in the core countries
The campaign will start in the Netherlands, Germany, and UK on 20 September, and in France on 4 October. As before the emphasis will be on digital media with the target group accessed through national publicity, on social media - YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest – and, in Germany, France and Holland on the street through digital out-of-home advertising.
Influencers and activations
Influencers are an effective and important way of communicating with the public and all countries will work with five leading influencers who will feature Thanks Plants and plants in their home workspace on their social media.
In addition, each country will host a major PR event; in the UK a remarkable installation in the concrete jungle near Boxpark in East London where press and consumers can immerse themselves in a world of plants and experience the effects plants can have on their well-being.
Again, making a link with working from home, Thanks Plants will be collaborating on the installation with award-winning designer DaeWha Kang and Botanist James Wong. Given the last event (a stunning transformation of four hotel rooms) was booked by excited media within hours, Thanks Plants have high expectations around attendance, media coverage and videos on social media.
Make your own campaign
There is absolutely nothing to stop florists and garden centres piggy backing the campaign and making their own guerrilla PR event however big or small the premises and wherever you are in the country. We’ve detailed below what’s happening in France, Germany and the Netherlands so there are some ideas you can echo but even if you only have a limited amount of space, you can still do things like ...
Launch a name that plant event! Invite people in and get them to give a carefully curated collection of plants fun names with a prize for the most creative.
Alternatively create a ‘gallery’ of interesting plants in your window with well designed labelling and information to show there is more to plants than just a Spathiphyllum … although they are still one of the most popular and we love them!
Larger premises could perhaps create their own ‘plant room’ for people to take selfies in, again encouraging them to tag your business with an incentive … like winning all the plants!!
Alternatively offer to fill a local office or maybe even a furniture showroom with plants and use it as a remote showcase of what you can offer as well as a cool photo opportunity/press story.
All businesses should be running the sharable social media … easy to download … or simply picking ideas from it to make your own. To access the marketing material click here
And if you are making a thing of plants, be sure to display them in groups to encourage bulk purchase and have them in pots as a unit sale … it’s an easy up sell!
One thing is clear though, the appetite for plants holds no bounds at the moment … make sure you are following the trend and making sales on the back of it.
What’s happening abroad?
The Netherlands: The Career Plant A specially kitted out bus will visit key Dutch publication offices and invite the journalists for a short coaching session on which plant matches their goal best: be it more creativity, more focus or extra motivation? With a ‘Career Plant’ to match each, it will prompt reminders of the work goals set, and instantly improve the workspace. A digital press file will provide background information about the benefits that plants in the workspace can bring.
Germany: Zooming in on the green workspace In Germany they’ll be showcasing green workspace tips, including ideas on making attractive Zoom backgrounds with plants, explaining how plants stimulate creativity and productivity in the (home) workspace, and showing which five plants have a cooling effect on hot WFH days. In addition, they’ll help the editorial teams of lifestyle magazines experience for themselves the difference plants can make by inviting them to choose a range of plants for their workspace and sharing their experiences with their readers.
France: Le Bureau Merci les Plantes French journalists, influencers and randomly selected working members of the public will be invited to work amongst plants in a co-working space called the “Bureau Merci les Plantes”. Transformed into an office jungle to offer lots of work satisfaction, the space will allow people to experience the feeling of being surrounded by plants and how it makes them feel. As in Germany a national survey will reveal more about what the French thinking and will create more content and idea for journalists to carry on talking about plants in a positive way.
