Feb 13, 2013
Proven Winners Plans Large Consumer Ad CampaignSource: Proven Winners

Proven Winners and Proven Winners Color Choice plan to launch the company's largest-ever consumer advertising campaign this year.

This spring Proven Winners and Proven Winners Color Choice will kick 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 centers 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 the company wants 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.

Proven Winners ColorChoice also is 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. 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.

The new campaign is only in its first few weeks, and already more than 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.”