Twice as nice

This month, as we dedicate the next 60-plus pages to helping you launch spring 2012 with equal parts diligence and direction, we dedicate this one page to a launch of our own. Two, actually.

On March 21st somebody at the mother ship will hit a button to virtually unveil our newest publication, A Garden Life. This revolutionary, completely digital project is designed specifically for today’s consumer. Instead of being a traditional paper magazine, it will be delivered directly through e-mail, a website and a customized app for use on your customers’ iPad or Android tablet. It will contain articles and interactive features that will take our consumer readers all over the urban outdoor lifestyle world, from the garden to the local market—and to a whole lot of places in between.

AND HERE’S THE GOOD PART ... You get to join them on the journey. Imagine a customer—maybe a working mom—reading an article about a beautiful new annual, and she wants to find out more. A simple click will allow her to see videos about the variety, find out what bloggers are saying, get tips for care and, most importantly, find out WHERE she can get them locally. That’s right—your garden center will pop up on their screen as a source for that product and others. Well, it will, if you go to www.AGardenLife.com and say “yes” to download customized point-of-purchase materials that offer a free subscription to A Garden Life to your customers.

You will be able to personalize these point-of-purchase materials with your garden center’s logo on them for distribution to your customers at check out. You’ll also be able to incorporate into the promo material a coupon for your store to further drive sales. We think this is a win-win, adding an exciting new value element to your customer relationships … and supporting a magazine that will entertain them, and help expand your business potential.

WAIT, DIDN’T WE SAY ‘TWO LAUNCHES’? A Garden Life is just one new project we’re introducing in March. We’ve also created a new GIE Media Horticulture News App for iPhones and iPads that will channel breaking news, industry updates, great new feature stories, the latest products and the hottest videos from our market and all of the other ornamental and turf markets we serve into one place. See for yourself! http://bit.ly/hortnewsapp.

If you have a iPhone or iPad and you want to stay connected, download it now. Look for the Droid version soon. In the meantime, check our website (www.gardencentermagazine.com) for details or visit the iTunes store to download the app today!

yyoungblood@gie.net