Blooms of Bressingham Plants have launched a series of unique initiatives to explore the potential of social and digital media in attracting a new generation of consumers.

They have dubbed it ‘The Rozanne Experiment’. Many garden centre plant buyers will be familiar with Geranium ‘Rozanne’, which has become a central character in the campaign now under way. ‘Rozanne’ has been given her own Facebook page, with which consumers are invited to interact as if she had a human persona. Blooms say they are alfready intrigued by the nature of the responses, which are providing insights that could eventually create new ways forward for garden indusry marketeers.

The experiment is a response to what Blooms describe as a fundamental shift in the way consumers engage with brands. “Deep down we have a feeling that our old, traditional approach to advertising may not be the answer for our Industry moving forward,” they say. “Do we know how to reach the new, empowered consumer?”

The grower has teamed up with WindFarm Marketing, a hybrid marketing agency, to launch social-digital marketing initiatives designed to reach the new consumer.

“This could be an important learning exercise for us and our many friends in the Industry,” they continue. “If we’re able to crack the code on how we’ll introduce gardening and garden plants to a new group of young consumers, we’ll have taken one giant step forward for the future of our Industry.

Sales and marketing consultant David Arnold says the creation of a personality around a flower variety is inspired. “It allows social media users to directly interact with Rozanne as if she were a real person, creating opportunities to establish close relationships between consumers and the brand,” he adds. “The experiment offers growers and retailers the chance to build volume sales, not only on Rozanne but also on the entire Blooms of Bressingham plant range, through the heightened consumer awareness it brings and by making it part of their own marketing activity plans, especially among consumers in the younger sector.”

Blooms are inviting the industry’s involvment in the following ways:

1. Visit The Rozanne Experiment to learn more by clicking here

2. Subscribe to their Marketing Insights & Updates by clicking here

3. Follow Geranium Rozanne on Facebook by clicking here

4. Forward this information to others.