Why Brand At All?

As I started down this road of branding our product line, I have come to realize how truly beneficial this will be to all of us, as well as our industry. Eaton Farms has been preparing for this brand for years and we have worked very hard to lay a solid foundation of support. The burden of the brand is huge. No longer can quality be compromised. No longer is any sale a good sale. Every sale made now must also be in support of the brand. We need to say out loud that we have changed the way wholesale nurseries operate!

Before the brand, as with any nursery, credit was the determining factor on whether or not one made a sale. And for some, importance of credit quality was secondary to just making the sale. But now with a brand to protect, our first concern is to support the brand promise of quality and success. Our second concern is to protect our customer base via exclusivity. Our third concern is where our brand is sold and by whom.

Eaton Farms has accepted responsibility for our crop well beyond the nursery. No longer is it acceptable to sell seconds; no longer is volume primary to discount; no longer is it acceptable to lower a price because a crop has reached mature shelf life; no longer is it acceptable to sell to anyone other than industry professionals. The burden has been placed on our team to grow only the highest quality material, and all else is to be thrown out. The brand has also changed how our sales team is developed, and how sales are conducted. Hardiness becomes huge. No more pushing the envelope on zone hardiness. Responsible sales are zone-sensitive sales. Our sales people have to be more than just order takers.

Some of our base has expressed a concern with brand recognition, and the fact that our pockets are not deep enough to support the brand. Our program will be, and is supported via our customer base. Brand recognition will be realized due in large part to our network of suppliers with a defined market area. We do not have the burden of coast to coast recognition, but only that of a defined market area.

Commitment to our base through exclusivity is also new to the industry. It is not a secret where our stock is sold. The old way of sales was to be concerned with shipping efficiency, and efficient road time for reps. The meaning and message was “sell to every garden center, regardless of who or when.” This approach destroyed any differentiation between Garden Centers or the quality of stock they carried. We are up-front with our customers on where and who carries our tree brand. Our commitment continues through inventory availability. No longer are sales being made because you can pay us and you called us. Several questions must be answered first. Current customer? Competing customer? Professional customer? Protected inventory for existing customer needs? All these questions must be addressed because we brand our trees, and our commitment to the brand promise and the success of those who carry it.

The hidden benefit of branding is this: Product ownership will make all your suppliers accountable for plant quality, value and success. Branding goes so much further than I realized. I’m sure my customers and potential customers don’t yet realize how our decision to brand dictates that the already high standards in place at Eaton Farms rise even more.

And most importantly, branding may be the trigger that finally gets our industry professionals to be paid as professionals. Branding very well may be the way to educate the retail public on the value of what we do.

Setting the Record Straight to Avoid Further Confusion

This one caught me off guard, I must admit. Pennsylvania Pride is the exclusive brand of trees grown and produced by Eaton Farms — ONLY! Some of the confusion occurred when a few customers mistakenly thought that “Pennsylvania Pride” represented a state-wide nursery marketing program inclusive of all Pennsylvania growers. This is not the case! Pennsylvania Pride branded trees originate only from Eaton Farms in Leesport, PA. It is our brand and no other grower sells stock under that brand name but us.

What is not confusing however is the growing demand for Pennsylvania Pride Trees from you and your customers. Consumers prefer to purchase branded trees, and this has been proven true in your sales yards. Our outstanding picture tags have communicated the message successfully. That message, for the first time in our industry, is being delivered directly to the homeowner. It is a message of responsibility, pride, quality, and value, from a grower willing to stand by his trees.

3-Year Homeowner Guarantee — WOW!

The response by you and your customers has been right on the money! Reports are coming from all areas of purchasing decisions being made based solely on the brand and the guarantee. Price concerns have all but been eliminated from your customers’ purchasing decisions.

The guarantee by itself will not succeed without the brand association. Any guarantee by itself is immediately discounted by your customer. However, any guarantee offered direct from the manufacturer (grower, in this case) on a branded product is immediately accepted at face value. The consumer recognizes that the grower is committed to standing behind the guarantee when needed. Again, without the strength of the Pennsylvania Pride brand the guarantee becomes simply a gimmick — with the Pennsylvania Pride Tree brand it becomes a promise!

We have repeatedly stressed that our brand and all it represents is of exceptional quality. It is evident in the packaging, tagging, attractiveness of product and total value offered to the customer. Everything about it says “premium quality.” Our brand promise is that when the consumer purchases our trees they can have the confidence that the grower has taken every step conceivable to make sure that tree will survive and thrive in the home landscape.

The guarantee represents that promise in a tangible way. The two things — the brand and guarantee — are designed to work in tandem.

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