Last year when the Greenhouse Grower team returned from California Spring Trials, we began to rethink our content strategy. We evaluated all of the changes in the horticulture industry, from the way business is done in our core floriculture market to emerging areas in protected agriculture, including greenhouse produce and cannabis. We recognized that our design no longer really captured the direction that the collective industry and all of its parts is moving, so we began to reimagine the direction we wanted to take Greenhouse Grower.
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You'll notice a cleaner, more straightforward and business-like design in Greenhouse Grower, starting with the cover. Our vision was to make our design more streamlined and industrial-chic, depicting the very modern and high-tech industry that horticulture has become. The logo is more inclusive of the broader industry, including emerging markets, and the tagline communicates the three main themes - Varieties, Production, Management.
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Our new contents page is organized by the three themes most important to growers, so you can easily find articles about Varieties, Production, and Management. Managing Editor Janeen Wright highlights some of the ideas behind the stories, shares why we decided to cover them, and will sometimes even let you in on what it took to bring the story to you.
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BenchPress goes back to being an industry news page, to provide you with more in-depth analysis of some of the biggest stories happening in the marketplace. You'll see people news here, too, and find out some of the important milestones your friends and colleagues are celebrating.
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Greenhouse Grower is known for its grower cover story profiles, highlighting the successes and challenges of one of our own operations in the industry. This hasn't changed - we feel it's important in this space to feature the people and operations who make this industry work, but we'll also continue to tackle the tougher, more compelling stories and issues that will affect your business when they come up.
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Greenhouse Grower's GROW Initiative zeros in on creative, out-of-the-box thinking that will help grow our industry and keep it moving forward. We've streamlined the content to focus on one of our GROW Pillars each month and provide you with a deeper analysis of what this means to you. We'll also update you on what our GROW Partners and Taskforces are up to, and how we hope to help you move the needle toward better profitability. Our monthly GROW Perspective articulates an industry professional's experience with implementing a new idea, and how it's made a difference.
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We transition you into each new department with a large tabhead to signify where you are in the magazine, and what you're about to learn. Our Management section will highlight everything from how to make decisions on investing in new structures and technology to labor issues to marketing and retail innovations to cost considerations and pricing strategies.
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Owners and upper level management types in the greenhouse industry are busy, and so are you. Every other month, we'll get some quick advice on one specific topic from a respected higher-up, in our feature, "One Question With." This one-pager will alternate with a new management column called "The Corner Office," where owners and managers will share their experience in a more traditional format.
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Our popular "Talking Shop" feature, written for growers, by growers, has been renamed "Grower to Grower." This is a throwback to an older column from long-time Senior Staff Writer Jean Aylesworth, who always spoke to the heart of grower problems in her monthly feature. Now you can read articles written by some of the most talented growers in the industry, as they share production solutions and techniques that have been successful - and sometimes even ideas that flopped.
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Varieties are central to our industry and to Greenhouse Grower, so we saved this special section for last, with a dramatic, full-page lead-in to highlight some of the exciting new genetics on the market. It offers a bit of suspense - who will be featured each month? The editors choose, and we'll let you know the variety name, how it can be used and marketed, and what's so special about it that it deserves a whole page to itself.
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Dr. Allan Armitage, after 34 years writing with Greenhouse Grower to bring you commentary on variety trials and news, is getting a new look and feel for his column. Now called "Dr. A, Unchained," Armitage is now taking liberty to do what he does best and stir up more controversy on a number of different topics.
First we needed to consider what Greenhouse Grower has been to you, our readers, and decide what to keep and what to change. We also looked at the way the industry consumes information. Print is still extremely relevant and important, but with the level of technology available, instant access to news and information via mobile devices is gaining traction rapidly. And industry members are more vocal than ever, sharing information constantly through social media.
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Peer-to-peer sharing also is highly regarded in our relationship-oriented industry, and growers and suppliers themselves can often be great resources for hands-on, quick-hitting, practical knowledge. Part of our thought process in redesigning Greenhouse Grower included opening up a wider dialog within the industry and beyond, in an effort to help us all grow our businesses.
We took all of this and looked at the three key areas where you tell us you need information — varieties, production, and management. We often hear people refer to Greenhouse Grower as “the varieties book,” bringing you the most comprehensive coverage on breeding and introduction of new varieties. But we didn’t want to stop there. In addition to expanding our varieties coverage, we are also focused on being your number-one trusted resource for articles on research and production techniques, and management-level topics such as labor, pricing, marketing, and more.
We’re making a concerted effort to deliver that practical knowledge to you in the most efficient way across a number of platforms. You’re seeing the first step here, with a cleaner, more streamlined design and focus in the print magazine, reorganized content on our website, and more advances coming across our many information platforms.
Two Horticulture Podcasts You’ll Want to Check Out
Before rolling out this issue, we market tested our new design and features, and received overwhelmingly positive and really valuable constructive feedback. From growers to retailers to breeder representatives to marketing gurus; and our own columnists and trusted advisors — the cleaner look, the focused and streamlined content were well-received, but our beta testers also told us it still feels like Greenhouse Grower. We’d like to to hear from you, too, so we can ensure you’re getting the information you need. Our job is to make your job easier, so please help us help you.
Take Home Message
Please give us your feedback — what’s a hit for your operation? Where did we miss the mark? What else can we include? We’re open to your ideas so we can make our brand platforms your chosen and best resources. Email me at [email protected] to let us know what you think!
015Reimagining a Brand: How Did We Do With Greenhouse Grower?