May 8, 2009
Looking at Literal as Well as Figurative Growth
By Bernice Hurst, Contributing
Editor, RetailWire
Lateral thinking grocers
and supermarkets are beginning to notice a growing trend, with potential
as a growing opportunity, for people planting their own gardens.
In the U.K., The Independent
on Sunday newspaper has joined highly respected gardening charity,
the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), in a “Let Children Grow” campaign.
Described as “an ambitious initiative to encourage the nation’s
children to grow their own fruit and vegetables,” it targets deprived
areas, particularly those with combinations of poor health, low income
and levels of aspiration, distributing seeds through elementary schools.
By working with young
people, the idea is to improve their health while teaching them what to
eat and where food comes from. RHS research suggests it can “help
improve academic achievement, behavior and confidence among pupils. It
can contribute to the mental and physical health of children.”
In addition, the RHS
has established a Campaign for School Gardening, sponsored by supermarket
chain, Waitrose, offering support and an educational network for schools
across the country.
According to the newspaper,
most of the children “are learning for the first time about gardening,
and with it the enjoyment of fresh air, appreciation of the environment,
healthy eating and in turn the prospect of a longer life.”
Parents and teachers
can keep up with the campaign and access free starter kits of seeds, growing
calendars and fact sheets through the newspaper’s website. It is estimated
that if all elementary schools in the U.K. started practical gardening,
nearly five million children aged four to 11 in 21,500 schools would benefit
by cultivating anything from window boxes to raised beds if there isn’t
enough space for a dedicated garden in the school grounds.
The campaign has been
endorsed by Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Schools, whose department
runs a Growing Schools program offering resources to teachers. “We
already know from the success of the DCSF’s program
that schools recognize the importance of children learning about the environment,
where their food comes from and our dependence on natural resources. School
gardens can be a great place to teach the curriculum and important life
skills and this campaign gives teachers the tools they need to do this,” he
said.
Discussion
questions: Can/should retailers encourage and sponsor such education
programs to inspire consumer loyalty? What’s the likelihood that similar
teaching kids to garden programs will bloom in the U.S.?
[Author’s
commentary] Creative retailers can find ways in which to work with customers
and communities can encourage people to shop and spend even if they are
not directly being sold something (e.g., if they grow their own vegetables,
they may want other ingredients to make up a meal or gardening tools,
seeds etc). Grocers and supermarkets can be in there encouraging them rather
than curling up and worrying about it stopping people from shopping. Parents
who see retailers helping their children’s schools may be particularly
responsive.
BrainTrust
Recent Discussions
Discussion Questions
Poll
What’s not to love about this idea? Educates the kids (and probably lots of parents too), fosters a sense of responsibility, and gets them outside. I watch the amazement and focus in my own young children when they’re in the garden learning from their Nonna. Positions the retailer as being more than just about making a buck. It supports the notion that ‘purpose driven’ businesses will always outperform those driven purely by their bottom line. You can do good, and still make money.
Great retailing is about great customer relations and any program that customer perceived as beneficial will benefit the retailer or any other organization that follows the same path.
For years companies have supported school teams and achieved great benefits and improved customer loyalty because of it. Why would the same not be true with the gardening program?
Programs like these are a no-brainer for retailers to support and one could even argue that a retail lesson lurks behind. After all, retailers are increasingly bent on purchasing produce locally rather than shipping it thousands of miles (or sending it over the water). Perhaps a bit of commerce could be tied in that would demonstrate how locally-grown produce is selected for retail, priced, transported to a store and sold. Beats a lemonade stand (unless you grew those lemons)!
This is a great idea! Best retailers are part of the community–what a compelling, creative way to participate. It just seems such a nice thing to do; something that will be appreciated and remembered for a long time, as well as good for business.
This is a great idea, but let’s not take it for any more than what it is, a great promotion. It does everything a promotion should do, including connecting the retailer to the community. But, it will come with great fanfare and as sure as the weeds take over the garden, will die away.
My recommendation to grocery retailers is to do it. Do it with gusto, but do not expect anything more than a short term spike in business and relationships. If a retailer is looking for a community connection, they must find activities that are ongoing. Unfortunately, many businesses see these kinds of activities as replacements for great operations and great customer service, etc…
As CMO of the OlympKidz program a few years ago, we provided equipment and training to California grade schools for use during recesses. The goal was to fight childhood obesity by teaching kidz how to have fun while exercising. We encountered equipment rooms with as little as a single, deflated dodgeball. Students simply stood around outside during recess. We were supported by supermarket chains, who added free healthy snacks. It was a great program. So yes, retailers need to find and support similar initiatives.
If there is a country in love with its gardens, it is the UK, so this should be a hit with the parents and the teachers.
Pre-teens certainly don’t mind getting dirt under their fingernails, so it should appeal to them as well.
Whether this has any tangible impact on Waitrose’s image and business remains to be seen but, then, some things should simply be done because they are the right thing to do.
Look at Burpee’s Money Garden: “$10 for seeds yields $650 of vegetables.” This is great marketing. And it isn’t new.
This is from the web site for Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home):
“The Mortgage Lifter tomato was developed in the early 1930’s in Logan, West Virginia by a radiator repairman, M.C. ‘Radiator Charlie’ Byles. Without any experience in breeding, he made a successful cross of four of the largest tomatoes he could find – German Johnson, Beefsteak, an Italian variety, and an English variety. Radiator Charlie sold the first seedlings of his new tomato in the 1940’s for one dollar each to customers who drove up to 200 miles for his famous plants that bore tasty tomatoes averaging two and a half pounds. With these sales, Charlie managed to pay off his $6,000 mortgage in only six years, and so the tomato was named Mortgage Lifter.”
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What’s not to love about this idea? Educates the kids (and probably lots of parents too), fosters a sense of responsibility, and gets them outside. I watch the amazement and focus in my own young children when they’re in the garden learning from their Nonna. Positions the retailer as being more than just about making a buck. It supports the notion that ‘purpose driven’ businesses will always outperform those driven purely by their bottom line. You can do good, and still make money.
Great retailing is about great customer relations and any program that customer perceived as beneficial will benefit the retailer or any other organization that follows the same path.
For years companies have supported school teams and achieved great benefits and improved customer loyalty because of it. Why would the same not be true with the gardening program?
Programs like these are a no-brainer for retailers to support and one could even argue that a retail lesson lurks behind. After all, retailers are increasingly bent on purchasing produce locally rather than shipping it thousands of miles (or sending it over the water). Perhaps a bit of commerce could be tied in that would demonstrate how locally-grown produce is selected for retail, priced, transported to a store and sold. Beats a lemonade stand (unless you grew those lemons)!
This is a great idea! Best retailers are part of the community–what a compelling, creative way to participate. It just seems such a nice thing to do; something that will be appreciated and remembered for a long time, as well as good for business.
This is a great idea, but let’s not take it for any more than what it is, a great promotion. It does everything a promotion should do, including connecting the retailer to the community. But, it will come with great fanfare and as sure as the weeds take over the garden, will die away.
My recommendation to grocery retailers is to do it. Do it with gusto, but do not expect anything more than a short term spike in business and relationships. If a retailer is looking for a community connection, they must find activities that are ongoing. Unfortunately, many businesses see these kinds of activities as replacements for great operations and great customer service, etc…
As CMO of the OlympKidz program a few years ago, we provided equipment and training to California grade schools for use during recesses. The goal was to fight childhood obesity by teaching kidz how to have fun while exercising. We encountered equipment rooms with as little as a single, deflated dodgeball. Students simply stood around outside during recess. We were supported by supermarket chains, who added free healthy snacks. It was a great program. So yes, retailers need to find and support similar initiatives.
If there is a country in love with its gardens, it is the UK, so this should be a hit with the parents and the teachers.
Pre-teens certainly don’t mind getting dirt under their fingernails, so it should appeal to them as well.
Whether this has any tangible impact on Waitrose’s image and business remains to be seen but, then, some things should simply be done because they are the right thing to do.
Look at Burpee’s Money Garden: “$10 for seeds yields $650 of vegetables.” This is great marketing. And it isn’t new.
This is from the web site for Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s home):
“The Mortgage Lifter tomato was developed in the early 1930’s in Logan, West Virginia by a radiator repairman, M.C. ‘Radiator Charlie’ Byles. Without any experience in breeding, he made a successful cross of four of the largest tomatoes he could find – German Johnson, Beefsteak, an Italian variety, and an English variety. Radiator Charlie sold the first seedlings of his new tomato in the 1940’s for one dollar each to customers who drove up to 200 miles for his famous plants that bore tasty tomatoes averaging two and a half pounds. With these sales, Charlie managed to pay off his $6,000 mortgage in only six years, and so the tomato was named Mortgage Lifter.”