Brand-name blooms are the hot new products at nurseries, garden shops and landscapers. Perhaps you thought of roses and daisies as commodities? No longer.
Once upon a time in the supermarket, chicken was just chicken. Then Frank Perdue arrived. Lettuce was just humble lettuce. Then branded lettuce (Foxy) sprouted. Now it’s the garden’s time in the sun.
“There is no such thing as a commodity,” Harvard Business School guru Ted Levitt once opined. “All goods and services can be differentiated.” That prediction is certainly coming true in America’s gardens.
- Knock Out Roses come in red and pink and are described as nearly maintenance-free. “I can’t keep them in stock,’ says the owner of one popular garden shop in Ohio.
- Encore Azaleas are bred to bloom twice a year. (Normal azaleas only bloom in spring.)
- Endless Summer Hydrangea is a shrub that blooms all season and is touted by the horticulturist host of the syndicated radio show In the Garden.
- Butterfly Daisy and Superbells are two top performers on ProvenWinners.com, which boasts that “a better garden starts with a better plant.”
These designer flowers and bushes may cost 10 to 40 percent more than generics, but they have definitely taken root.
In March of 2006, The Wall Street Journal reported on the “new name game in the garden” and the growing variety of new branded plants. Examples: Pink Nodding Clematis, and Teenie Geenie Lantana. One factor prompting this trend, observed the newspaper, is “the industry’s realization that brand names promising nearly foolproof flowers and shrubs can be reassuring to many homeowners with little experience as gardeners.”
For more on brand naming order Brand Aid, second edition, A Quick Reference Guide to Solving Your Branding Problems and Strengthening Your Market Position
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Licensing and Brand Education
One comment
Bhavana Jaiswal
October 12, 2009 at 12:15 am
Thanks for this piece Steve! The article is such a short n sweet case study on the application of blue ocean strategy and branding in an area traditionally seen to be a commodity.
WSJ have hit the nail on the head with their observation of consumer behaviour. Wonder which high-end chain will be the first to recognize this and jump into horticultural branding!
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