helping you navigate today’s green industry … · 2019-12-16 · helping you navigate today’s...
TRANSCRIPT
HELPING YOU NAVIGATE
Every industry is filled with challenge and opportunity, and the
green industry is certainly no exception. Over the years, successful
lawn care operators, landscape and irrigation contractors, golf
course superintendents, sports turf managers, arborists, nursery
managers and greenhouse growers have had to continually adapt and
respond to this ever-changing market.
TODAY’S GREEN INDUSTRY ENVIRONMENT
Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment
Clearly, every single choice that green industry business owners make has the potential to impact their livelihoods
and those of their employees. The domino effect doesn’t stop there, however. The issues these businesses
are currently facing can potentially impact other companies in the green industry supply chain, including
manufacturers and distributors. If their profitability is down due to rising input prices or a lack of available labor,
their ability to purchase your products and services may also be affected.
That’s why it’s imperative to stay abreast of industry issues and proactively manage them before they become a
crisis for your company as well. Green industry businesses of all sizes want to work with companies that understand
their unique situation. By developing initiatives and communications programs that reflect both insight and empathy
while offering solutions, your company can stay one step ahead of the pack and become a valued, trusted industry
partner for the long haul.
While all of that may sound relatively simple, putting it into action is often easier said than done. At Swanson Russell,
we’ve been helping green industry clients like Koch Turf & Ornamental (Koch), Oregon, Profile Products, the
Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) and Rain Bird navigate within this unique environment for decades.
From challenges, we cultivate opportunities. We build meaningful, lasting, authentic connections between the brands
we work with and their audiences. By immersing ourselves in our brands, their industries, and their customers,
we create a Real Connection™.
Our years of green industry experience extend beyond our client work. Our long-term involvement with industry
organizations like RISE, TOCA, Project EverGreen and The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) has helped us develop important
relationships and gain a broad perspective that other marketing communications agencies just can’t match.
However, we know that the proof of our expertise lies within the results we’ve been able to help our clients achieve.
Here are just a few examples of the work Swanson Russell has done on behalf of green industry clients to position
them for current and future success in an unpredictable environment.
As 2020 approaches, nearly every green industry business is trying to do more with less. According to industry research, labor shortages, increasing expenses and environmental pressures are making it tough for these businesses to be profitable — and stay that way:
REGULATIONS HURT BUSINESS GROWTH
Survey respondents for both
publications feel that fertilizer
and water use regulations
are significant barriers to
business growth, ranking just
behind competitive pressure.
47% ARE CONCERNED ABOUT FUEL PRICES
According to Lawn &
Landscape magazine’s most
recent industry report,
47 percent of contractors
surveyed cited high fuel
prices as a major concern.
66% NEED MORE QUALIFIED WORKERS
More than two-thirds of business
owners responding to a 2019
Irrigation & Green Industry
magazine survey said their
regions do not have enough
qualified workers.
Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment
For many years, researchers have been studying the
potentially damaging effects of fertilizer runoff into
rivers, lakes and other bodies of water throughout the
United States. And, as a result, there’s been a great
deal of scrutiny about how commercial lawn care
companies and golf courses apply fertilizers to
their properties.
Koch Turf & Ornamental (Koch), a brand supported
by Koch Agronomic Services, LLC, is a global leader
in providing enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEFs)
that optimize nutrient uptake and minimize nutrient
loss. Koch’s EEFs also require fewer applications
throughout the year — an important benefit in an
industry with a labor shortage.
With Swanson Russell’s help, the team at Koch
recognized that they needed to help their customers
understand that not all fertilizers are created equal,
and that when applied correctly, fertilizer can encourage
healthy, beautiful turf with minimal environmental
impact and lower labor costs. Furthermore, they needed
to help their customers — golf courses and lawn
care businesses — educate their own patrons and
effectively destigmatize fertilizer use.
The Swanson Russell team got to work, brainstorming
the various ways that Koch could simultaneously
demonstrate environmental stewardship and educate
its customers and their clients that fertilizer can
be applied in a responsible, sustainable manner.
Our relationship with The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)
quickly came into play. TFI advocates for fair fertilizer
regulation and legislation and publicizes industry
initiatives for safety and environmental stewardship.
TFI and other industry partners developed the 4R
Nutrient Stewardship Initiative, a concept based on
using the right fertilizer source, at the right rate,
at the right time, with the right placement.
Koch is a “4R Partner,” a group of industry
stakeholders who want to encourage responsible
fertilizer use through a number of best management
practices. Using the 4R concept as a basis, Swanson
Russell helped Koch develop a sell sheet entitled
“Understanding How Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizers
Support 4R Nutrient Stewardship.” This sell sheet
serves as a tool that Koch customers can use to teach
their clients about the enhanced efficiency fertilizer
they apply and how it can garner optimum results
with less environmental impact.
Swanson Russell also incorporated these same
principles into an informative motion graphics video,
“4R Nutrient Stewardship,” designed to help lawn care
businesses and others understand the correlation
between Koch’s enhanced efficiency fertilizers with
the “right fertilizer source” component of the 4Rs
message. The video explains how EEFs can help turf
care professionals adhere to the 4Rs principles and
promote themselves as environmental stewards in a
competitive marketplace.
Today, Koch’s environmental positioning with the
4Rs touches nearly every aspect of its marketing
communications program, from its website and
additional videos to media interviews and newsletter
copy. Responsible fertilizer use and application will
continue to be at the industry forefront for many years
to come, and Koch has taken vital steps to ensure its
name is synonymous with environmental stewardship.
Industry partners developed the 4R Nutrient Stewardship
Initiative, a concept based on using the right fertilizer source, at the right rate, at
the right time, with the right placement.
Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment
In today’s world, we’re often surrounded by noise —
unwanted or disturbing sounds that can interfere with
daily activities and can even diminish one’s quality of
life. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says
that studies show a direct link between noise and
health. Stress, high blood pressure, hearing loss and
sleep disruption are just a few of the situations that
can result when people experience too much noise.
Swanson Russell client, Oregon, manufactures
power tools such as blowers, trimmers, edgers
and more for professional lawn care operators and
groundskeepers to use for landscape maintenance.
By design, these tools create noise during normal
use. However, because Oregon is aware of the
growing market for quieter tools, the company
recently developed its 120V Battery Tool line which
offers battery-powered equipment that’s much
quieter to operate without sacrificing performance.
More and more environments in which contractors
and groundskeepers work now require reduced
noise levels. Oregon’s battery-powered tools
provide significant noise reduction and offer a much
smaller audible footprint. They’re also certified by
the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as Zero
Emission Equipment (ZEE). Oregon is the first and
only manufacturer to have its tools certified at the
professional level for this stringent standard.
The team at Swanson Russell immediately recognized
an opportunity for Oregon to further position itself
as a forward-thinking tool manufacturer creating
quieter, cleaner equipment that benefits lawn care
professionals and their customers. We created
a campaign around this concept featuring direct
mail, digital ads, an e-newsletter and social media
components, keeping in mind that certain audiences
would be even more receptive to an environmental
message than others. Through this campaign,
Oregon was able to reach university groundskeepers
(primarily members of the Association for the
Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education,
or AASHE) and offer tools that would help them
simultaneously decrease noise levels on campus and
improve their own images with students, faculty and
other community members.
As the societal focus on a cleaner, quieter
environment continues to build, Oregon is well-
positioned as a company that’s doing the right thing
for the right reasons. Its tools can help lawn care
professionals, consumers and anyone else who’s
tasked with maintaining green spaces do so with
fewer emissions and less disruptive noise.
Oregon developed a comprehensive campaign designed to promote the company’s battery-powered tool line to university grounds
maintenance crews. The primary message was that using these quieter, cleaner tools could help them decrease noise levels on campus without
sacrificing power and performance. In turn, they could also improve their images with university officials, faculty and students.
Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment
Profile Products offers environmentally sound, site-
specific solutions for soil modification, horticultural
production, erosion control and plant establishment.
Their target audiences include architects, land
planners, contractors, developers and municipalities.
The company’s focus goes beyond ecofriendly
technologies to educational outreach and sustainable
manufacturing methods, including its industry-
leading initiative to use recycled-content packaging
across all product lines.
Profile has also developed an innovative
environmental scorecard that outlines the work
the company has done to create a more sustainable
environment, including restoring more than 1.5
million acres of land. Through this initiative,
Profile set new benchmarks that hold the company
accountable for its environmental goals and
pushes the industry to move toward more
sustainable practices.
Swanson Russell
saw the opportunity
to garner this
proactive green
industry company
more positive
publicity by
spotlighting
its noteworthy
environmental
efforts. The team began researching green industry
environmental award competitions in which they
could submit an entry for Profile. By doing so, Profile
could receive positive feedback and recognition from
a respected, third-party source. While there are
many environmental award competitions available
for businesses today, Swanson Russell sifted through
them and entered only those competitions that would
matter most to Profile’s primary audiences. In the
year since Swanson Russell started this campaign,
Profile has won five of the eight award competitions
they have entered.
Notably, those efforts paid off when Profile was
selected as one of 12 global companies to earn the
“SEAL (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement
and Leadership) Environmental Initiative Award”
recognizing organizations who have embarked upon
environmental and sustainability initiatives and a
commitment to sustainable business practices.
Profile earned the award for its commitment to
ecofriendly solutions for the environment, educational
outreach and sustainable production methods.
Swanson Russell developed a press release about
Profile’s SEAL Environmental Initiative Award and
distributed to green industry publications, as well as
those in the other industries the company serves. The
award took centerstage on the company’s website and
on its social media networks. Swanson Russell and
Profile continue to integrate positive environmental
messaging into all marketing communications,
further positioning this green company within the
green industry and beyond.
Profile has developed an innovative environmental scorecard that outlines the work the company has done to create a more sustainable environment, including
restoring more than 1.5 million acres of land.
Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment
Propane has been an important part of America’s
energy mix for more than a century. Because propane
is an approved clean fuel listed in the 1990 Clean
Air Act, substituting it for other fuels can be an
economical and viable step toward cleaner air.
Swanson Russell client, the Propane Education &
Research Council (PERC), promotes the safe use
of propane in industries including fleet vehicle
management, residential and commercial building,
agriculture, and outdoor power equipment.
The ongoing task for Swanson Russell’s green
industry team is to help PERC find new ways to
promote propane use to lawn care operators and
landscape contractors. A primary use for propane in
the green industry is as a fuel for commercial lawn
mowers. Propane-powered mowers offer the benefits
of lower fuel and maintenance costs over the lifetime
of the mower, as well as fewer greenhouse gas
emissions than gasoline or diesel. PERC’s Propane
Mower Incentive Program offers $1,000 per new
propane mower purchase or $500 for each mower
converted from gasoline or diesel to propane. While
Swanson Russell promotes this program for PERC
in a number of ways — paid advertisements, public
relations and direct mail — our team knew that lawn
care professionals would want to crunch the numbers
to ensure switching to propane was right for them.
That’s why Swanson Russell worked with PERC to
build a “Mower Cost Calculator”. This online tool
helps contractors see the impact that switching to and
purchasing propane-powered mowers could make on
their bottom lines. Contractors simply enter a number
of variables, including the number of mowers in their
fleet, the fuel those mowers currently use, the total
number of hours they mow per year and the fuel price
they’re currently paying per gallon. The tool then
demonstrates the difference in fuel costs over time
and the total savings the contractor can expect over
one, three or five years.
To date, the Propane Mower Incentive Program —
with the help of the Mower Cost Calculator — has
encouraged hundreds of contractors to switch to
propane-powered mowers and has sold thousands
of gallons of propane. In 2020, PERC will update the
program with new incentives and requirements,
working with Swanson Russell once again to
find additional ways to promote it within the
green industry.
Propane-powered mowers offer the benefits of lower fuel and maintenance costs over the lifetime of the mower, as well as fewer
greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline or diesel.
Helping You Navigate Today’s Green Industry Environment
Swanson Russell has worked with Rain Bird since
the early 1990s, an incredibly long relationship in the
agency world. As a global company that’s been in the
business of manufacturing and providing irrigation
products and services since 1933, Rain Bird is one
of the best-known and most innovative brands in the
green industry.
For many years, Rain Bird’s guiding vision has been
“The Intelligent Use of Water™,” a reflection of the
company’s sincere passion for water efficiency.
That vision also recognizes the fact that producing
products that use less water in the pursuit of healthy
landscapes, golf courses, farms and sports arenas
makes good business sense.
In June 2015, the need for water conservation
rose to the national forefront in the United States
when California experienced a drought of historic
proportions. In fact, the situation became so dire that
then-Governor Jerry Brown instituted mandatory
water restrictions directing all California residents to
reduce their water consumption by at least 25 percent.
Immediately, Californians tried to find ways to cut
their water consumption, including turning off their
irrigation systems. However, this action began
to cause problems of its own. Trees that needed
supplemental watering from sprinkler systems began
to die. Homes and businesses were surrounded
by increasingly brown landscapes, which were not
only aesthetically displeasing, but also possible
fire hazards. Water districts began offering rebates
to customers who chose to replace turfgrass with
artificial turf or rocks and gravel that did nothing to
cool the atmosphere or clean the air.
Quickly, irrigation and landscape contractors in
California began to feel the drought’s financial
effects. With people choosing to let their grass go
dormant or remove it altogether, their livelihoods were
threatened. Rain Bird recognized this downward-
spiraling trend, and the company’s executives realized
that they needed to answer it in a meaningful way.
They called on their Swanson Russell team for help.
The result was an educational campaign called
“25 Ways to Save 25 Percent” that included a microsite
offering specific water-saving tips for homes, golf
courses, businesses and agricultural operations.
While some tips focused on specific Rain Bird products
that could help reduce water usage, other tips were
simply solid, long-standing best practices for efficient
irrigation. The microsite also included information on
the many rebates available to Californians who were
interested in updating their sprinkler systems for
greater water efficiency. Other campaign elements
included a heartfelt message from Rain Bird’s
president, a press release distributed to both trade
and consumer publications, direct mail and social
media content.
Through this campaign, Rain Bird was able to
successfully educate Californians and others
about the fact that we can all try harder to use less
water – but that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice
the green spaces that we all love. The 25 Ways to
Save 25 Percent campaign also served to further
reinforce Rain Bird’s reputation as an environmentally
conscious manufacturer.
Through this campaign, Rain Bird was able to successfully educate Californians and others about the fact that we can all try harder to use less water – but that doesn’t
mean we have to sacrifice the green spaces that we all love.
CREATIVE APPROACHES TO A CHANGING LANDSCAPE
The green industry touches all of us and enhances our lives in its own
unique way — personally and professionally. At Swanson Russell, it’s not
just our livelihood, but also our passion. We understand that this industry
is constantly evolving, and our approach to green industry marketing
must evolve right along with it.
Over the past 20 years, we’ve worked with some of the biggest names
in the turf and ornamental, lawn and garden, and golf course markets.
Our green industry experience can help you break through the clutter,
grow your brand and navigate this highly competitive market with fresh
ideas and content.
branding / advertising / public relations
©2019 Swanson Russell. All Rights Reserved. ZNTURF-056981-9
Contact Us TodayWe’ll get to work on a communications strategy that reflects your values and intelligently responds to your customers’ needs and concerns. Let us help you make a Real Connection.
Stephanie Hays VP/Account Director [email protected] 402-437-6061
1202 P Street Lincoln, NE 68508 -1425
tel 402-437-6400
14301 FNB Parkway, Ste 312 Omaha, NE 68154 -5299
tel 402-818-1100
www.swansonrussell.com