~ MARK YOUR CALENDAR ~ DGA 2014 Winter Conference January 13-15 | Hotel Contessa | San Antonio, TX

INSIDESustainable Future ...........................................................2Welcomed Back in Style ................................................3How Well Do You Know Your Gardeners? .............4Google Glass ......................................................................4Growing Your Contact Center ....................................5Demographics Impact Future Marketing .............6Social Media Ingredient at King Arthur..................6Success Story - Ben & Jerry’s........................................7

Conference Wrap-UpSummer 2013

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Christopher Harley, Colorblends (right) chats with DGA Conference presenter Tony Avent, Plants Delights Nursery Inc. (left), following Avent’s session entitled “The Gardening Parable Conundrum - When Bad Plants Meet Good Marketing.”

“Our job as direct gardening marketers is to teach others to garden,” says Tony Avent, owner of Plant Delights Nursery Inc., Raleigh, NC. Avent, an avid writer and plant enthusiast, presented an educational session at the DGA Summer Conference in Burlington, VT in July.

Avent encourages direct gardening marketers to strive for longterm success, by providing customers with honest information. “It’s better to build your customer list through having good, longtime customers,” rather than going for a quick sale, says Avent. “Customers get discouraged when they’re given false information in catalogs about plants.”

Avent shared several plant photos he has found in catalogs that misrepresent the

plant’s real characteristics. He then went on to discuss some ‘don’ts’ marketers should follow, which included:

• Don’t deceive customers.

• Don’t photoshop colors on photos.

• Don’t give false information about the sizes of plants.

Avent mentioned that customers are more vocal about their purchases today, because they are more connected through electronic devices. “They’re communicating all the time now,” he added, letting others know if they are pleased or not pleased with purchases they make.

To contact Avent, you can reach him by email at tony@plantsdelights.com.

Avent Touts Quality and Honesty in Marketing to Home Gardeners

Sometimes just the thought of having to manage Information Technology (IT) causes people to panic. But take a deep breath, says IT consultant and ‘old-timer’ Jim Troutman, and learn some of the basics to help understand what all is involved with IT management. According to Troutman, who spoke at the DGA Summer Conference, understanding some of the common IT concepts and knowing who to hire or turn to, can make your business life run much smoother and safer.

The goal of IT management in any business today, is simply to manage technology to meet the mission and goals of the business, says Troutman. “When thinking about your business’ IT infrastructure, don’t lose sight of what all your data encompasses - customer records, orders, photos, etc.” He also emphasized making sure your IT system provides complete back-up of your data and that you have the ability to use your data once it’s in the system.

IT Management for Non-Techy People

Jim Troutman, consulting engineer and IT business problem solver.

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According to Troutman, IT infrastructure is everything, which is why it’s important to focus on the basics. Is the infrastructure built to last? Do you have a operational plan in place in case of power failure, so you don’t lose important data? Do you have spare equipment available? Would an IT service contract be beneficial? Troutman stressed the importance of business management asking the question, “If the IT system was down, what would the impact be on the business?”

Check the DGA website for a copy of Troutman’s presentation or contact him at: www.linkedin.com/in/jtroutman.

Will Raap, founder of Gardener’s Supply, believes local communities can help in creating a better economic system and environment for future generations. Raap was the opening presenter at the DGA Summer Conference in Burlington, VT this summer. His talk, entitled “Local Food: Collaborations for the Economy and the Earth”, provided insight on how gardening can help solve the biggest economic and environmental problem of our times and lives.

In addition to Gardener’s Supply, Raap also founded Intervale Center, which operates to strengthen community food systems by improving Vermont farm viability, promoting sustainable land use and building a community food system that honors producers, values good food and enhances quality of life. DGA conference attendees had the opportunity to visit the Gardener’s Supply fulfillment facility, its retail outlet and they also enjoyed an evening reception and tour at Intervale. Restoring Our Watershed, another non-profit organization founded by Raap, focuses on restoring and protecting the land, water flora and fauna of the Nandamojo River (Costa Rica) watershed.

Raap discussed the overall premise of his work, which is to create positive social, environmental and economic change by employing the power of markets and social enterprises. He said he focuses on local food, renewable energy and land restoration enterprises that support a more resilient economy and more sustainable future. Other initiatives Raap is involved in include The Earth Partners, Reforest Teak, Farm at South Village and the New Economics Institute.

You can contact Raap through www.willraap.org.

Raap Shares Insight on Local Food Collaborations and Other Initiatives for Sustsainable Future

Let the tour begin! DGA Summer Conference attendees toured the Gardener’s Supply GardenWorks fulfillment facility in Milton, VT.

DGA Conference attendees receive some background information about the Gardener’s Supply facility before starting their tour.

Given the opportunity to shop at the Gardener’s Supply retail store, DGA Conference attendees did their part to support the Vermont economy.

Jim Feinson, CEO of Gardener’s Supply, welcomed DGA Conference attendees to Intervale Center. Founded by Will Raap and Gardener’s Supply, Intervale is home to 400 acres of organic farms one of the first community sustainable projects in the Northeast.

Travis Marcotte, Intervale executive director (upper left), provided DGA Conference attendees with a tour of the Intervale Center and thorough explanation of how the center operates.

IT Management... (Continued from front)

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The setting for the ‘Welcome Back Reception’ was beautiful -- Splash at the Boathouse overlooking Lake Champlain just before sunset. Big thanks go out to the folks of American Meadows for sponsoring this event.

Linda Delaney, Fine Gardening (left) and Greg Key, Hoss Tools (right), enjoy the networking opportunity at Welcome Back Reception.

Emily Carney, Bluestone Garden (left) and Linda Reznick, Gardening How-To (right), converse at the Welcome Back Reception.

Reception settings provide a nice venue for discussing business. Tiffany Hogan, Living Gardens (right) and George Martin, The Tasteful Garden (left) seem to think so anyway.

Welcomed Back in Style

American Meadows representatives shown with Incoming DGA President Greg Brown, Brown’s Omaha Plant Farms, Inc. (center) are Mike Lizotte, vice president sales (left) and Ethan Platt, president (right).

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It’s not an easy task figuring out what gardeners think and what purchases they will make. But if anyone can provide accurate data about what gardeners have done over a specified period of time, Bruce Butterfield, Market Research Director for the National Gardening Association, since 1978, is the person. He provided DGA conference attendees an overview of gardening market trends the past five years.

Butterfield authors the NGA’s National Gardening Survey, the Environmental Lawn and Garden Survey and What Gardeners Think.

He also conducts numerous proprietary and confidential research studies for companies in the lawn and garden industry.

Here are a few of findings Butterfield shared during his presentation:

• The average amount spent on Do-It-Yourself projects the past five years was $372. In 2012 alone, the average was $347.

• Total lawn and garden product sales averaged $30.6 billion the past five years. The average amount in 2012 was $29.5 billion.

• Some of the product categories that have seen an increase in sales the past five years include houseplants, shrubs, fruit trees, container gardens, berries, herbs and water plants.

• Gardening areas that have seen an increase in people participating in them include vegetables, fruit trees, berries and herb gardening.

• Where are gardeners making their purchases from? Home centers is top, followed by mass merchandisers, then garden centers and last is internet/mail order.

• How do gardners classify themselves? 3% are master gardeners, 9% are gardening enthusiasts. 27% consider themselves casual gardeners, while 19% say they are reluctant gardeners. Another 17% say they do well to just cut the grass and 24% say they do none of the above.

New Board Members ElectedFour DGA members, nominated by the board of directors, and elected by the membership at the Summer Conference will serve on the board beginning with the 2013-2014 fiscal year. They are:

• Lisa Balch, Sargeant House Design Studio

• Noel Valdez, CobraHead, LLC

• Howard Kaplan, HMK Marketing Services

• Skip Miller, J. E. Miller Nurseries, Inc.

Board members elected to serve as officers of the Executive Committee this fiscal year are:

• President Greg Brown, Brown’s Omaha Plant Farms, Inc.

• 1st VP Frank DiPaolo, Earthbox

• 2nd VP Mike Zuckermandel, Zed Marketing Group

• Secretary Polly Welch, Washington Bulb Co.

• Treasurer, Clare Liberis, Fine Gardening

The World Through Google GlassSarah Depass, Stark Bro’s Social Media Manager & Content Writer, was sporting a Google Glass at the DGA Conference. Google selected Depass to give its new product a trial run. Google Glass does tasks similar to what other electronic devices can do, but hands free. Such things as recording what the wearer is viewing, answers questions the viewer asks about what is viewed,takes photos or videos on command and shares what is being viewed. For more information about Google Glass, you can contact Depass at sarah.depass@starkbros.com.

How Well Do You Know Gardeners

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Outgoing DGA President Alisa Meggison, Green Sky Development, welcomed first-time attendees during their luncheon with DGA past presidents and new recruit sponsors. Attendance at the Summer DGA Conference in Burlington, VT included a good number of first-timers. Past presidents of the organization serve as mentors to the newcomers to help them learn about the group and to make them feel welcome.

Often times the call center of a new direct marketing firm consists of everyone answering the phone -- pitching in on taking orders and fielding customer service calls. As the business grows, however, it’s usually more efficient for a business to establish a contact center that focuses strictly on customer service. Tonia Harris, who oversees Johnny’s

Selected Seeds contact center and corporate projects, spoke to DGA Conference attendees about the how-tos of growing an effective contact center while maintaining the personal customer feeling. For a copy of Harris’ presentation, check the DGA website or contact her at tharris@johnnyseeds.com.

First Timers Lunch with DGA Long Timers

Growing Your Contact Center with Your Business

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King Arthur Flour has been in business for more than 200 years, which indicates they must be doing something right. The company’s mission is to inspire and educate people to bake. Aime Schwartz, new media coordinator (left) and Bill Tine, director of customer strategy (right), spoke on the last day of the DGA Summer Conference in Burlington, VT. They shared information about how the company is utilizing social media and content marketing to continue to grow King Arthur’s business.

Engaging customers is a key component in King Arthur Flour’s approach to marketing. They want to inspire their customers to bake and they want to educate them so they can become better bakers.

According to Bill Tine, director of customer strategy for the 220-year-old company, King Arthur focuses on the customers’ needs and interests. “We want to be the go-to resource for our customers’ baking needs.” This is why the company is customer obsessed.

Aime Schwartz, new media coordinator for King Arthur, mentioned that company wants its customers to share their love for the flour company with family and friends. Social media marketing provides opportunities for customers to do that.

Schwartz shared some examples of how King Arthur Flour is using its Facebook page and facebook ads to engage its customers. “We strive to make our social media marketing actionable, not just interesting,” says Schwartz, adding that customers want you to engage them.

King Arthur Flour also features Facebook information within its catalogs, to get the customers to refter to both.

A copy of the PowerPoint presentation Tine and Schwartz used for their talk is available on the DGA website. Contact Schwartz at aime.schwartz@kingarthurflour.com and Tine at bill.tine@kingarthurflour.com.

Social Media is an Important Ingredient in King Arthur’s Marketing Recipe

King Arthur Flour Baking on Social Media

Differences in customer demographic profiles influence marketing strategies, creative tactics and the merchandising success of direct marketing business. According to Kevin Hillstrom, MineThatData, keynote speaker at the closing brunch of the DGA Summer Conference, demographic differences play a major role in determining which marketing strategies are likely to work.

Hillstrom used the examples of three female personas that reflected different age categories, describing how even broad descriptions of customers can affect their purchasing habits. The three personas were depicted as follows:

• Judy -- Ages 53-68. She likes printed catalogs and she likes to talk to a live person when ordering.

• Jenny -- Ages 37-52. She uses Amazon/Google/Email/Affiliates to get the lowest price.

• Jasmine -- Ages 21-36. Mobile and social media are infused in her life. Recession has affected her shopping habits.

Hillstrom pointed out that marketers need to adjust the creative used to attract each of these age groups. Plus, the different age groups respond differently to shopping from a catalog. Sales to “Judys” falls off 85% if they do not have a catalog to look at. Conversely, Jasmines don’t want catalogs by mail. He went on to say that marketers need to look at sales transactions and how the different groups are spending their money vs. making assumptions based strictly by age.

You may contact Hillstrom at kevinh@minethatdata.com.

DemographicsImpact Future Marketing

Kevin Hillstrom (above) is president of MineThatData.

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Ken Lane, Hathaway & Lane (left) shares an update from the recent Mailers’ Technical Advisory Committee (MTAC) meeting, during the DGA business meeting at the recent summer conference. Lane represents the DGA membership at the MTAC meetings. Other committee reports were provide during the business session as well.

The DGA Board of Directors presented two issues to the meeting for approval by the membership: a dues increase for all membership categories and permission to increase the number of Allied members serving on the executive committee at one time if the board deems there is a need to do so. Both measures were approved. Outgoing DGA President Alisa Meggison, Green Sky Development (right), encouraged all members to become involved with at least one of the organization’s standing committees. For a summary of the committee reports and/or the topics discussed at the business meeting, please contact the DGA headquarters.

“Real Answers, Real Quick” Describes Roundtable Discussions

Timely topics, informal setting, one-on-one interaction, and access to industry experts are just a few of the reasons DGA Conference attendees state when asked what they like about Roundtable Discussion sessions. At the summer conference, attendees were able to select from six different discussion topics and participate in two roundtable sessions. “The time seems to fly by during the roundtable discussions,” said one DGA member, adding that he “usually comes away from the roundable discussions with a lot of helpful information.”

If you still have questions about topics presented during the roundtable sessions this summer, please contact the expert who led the discussion.

• General IT, PCI and Security Q&A -- Jim Troutman.• Everything you wanted to know about Postal Reform, but were afraid to

ask -- Ken Lane, Hathaway & Lane Direct, LLC.• Print Ideas for Catalogers, Publishers and Direct Mailers -- Gary Meagher,

Quad/Graphics.• Using Google Analytics to Make Actionable Business Decisions -- Alisa

Meggison, Green Sky Development.• How to use mail/holdout test results to determine optimal circulation

strategies -- Kevin Hillstrom, MineThatData.• Hiring in Today’s Market - a brainstorming session on successes and failures

on recruiting strategies -- Shanan Molnar, DGA

Lots of Options Available When PrintingGary Meagher, Sales Manager Quad/Graphics (lower right) and Rob Doome, also in Sales at Quad/Graphics (second from right) shared a variety of print samples that reflected some of the new and unique techniques available to direct marketers.

Understanding Postal ReformKen Lane, Hathaway & Lane, LLC (lower left) encourages direct marketers to ask questions when it comes to trying to understand postal reform.

Google Analytics & Business DecisionsInformation you can gain from Google analytics may help in making business decisions. Alisa Meggison, Green Sky Devlopment (upper left) moderated the roundtable discussion about this topic.

Business MeetingCovers Variety of Topics

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Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream: A Success Story of Two Real GuysSean Greenwood calls himself the “Grand Poobah of Public Relations” for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Greenwood shared the story of how the ice cream company had developed a flavor called “Late Night Snack” in honor of TV’s Jimmy Fallon’s 2nd anniversary as a late-night host and the media exposure Fallon gave Ben & Jerry’s .

Ben & Jerry’s is much more than eclectic flavors of delicious, premium handmade ice cream. The company’s success comes from in great part the solid foundation on which it was started in 1978. The tri-fold mission has remained the same throughout its existence: product quality, economic reward and community commitment.

Sean Greenwood, public relations director for the international organization, bribed the audience into staying to hear him by offering samples of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream before starting his talk. He then shared some of the history of how Ben & Jerry’s got its start, emphasizing that it’s a story of two real guys who have always followed the motto, “If it’s not fun, why do it?” “Ben and Jerry are passionate people doing quality work, “ said Greenwood.

Ben & Jerry’s has been successful in promoting it’s ice cream in ways that get a big media splash,

but the company remains true to its founding mission, Greenwood commented. Company philosophy is also to be honest with people and not be afraid to admit when mistakes are made, he added.

You can contact Greenwood at sean.greenwood@benjerry.com.

Linda Callahan, Response Solutions (center), seems pretty excited about the prospect of having some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream during a break between presentations. Or maybe she’s trying to encourage Frank DiPaolo, Earthbox (right) to try some as well. DGA Executive Director Shanan Molnar (left) serves up the delectable samples.

How About a Little Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream?

Sean Greenwood