Anticipation: Something Exciting to Shout About!
By Marvin Miller, AIB President
This e-newsletter column provides me with the opportunity to SHOUT about something VERY exciting!
While I have known about this opportunity for a few months, I didn’t know exactly when it would occur. While anticipation has been high, I have struggled a bit in contemplating how best to get the word out, and how best to convey my excitement for what I’m about to announce. More importantly, I’ve debated how best to get you, the reader, as excited about this announcement as I am.
You see, this announcement answers one of the greatest challenges America in Bloom and indeed the entire horticulture industry have faced for some time. What I’m going to announce also potentially will help communicate the desires and the hopes of forward-thinking municipal leaders to fellow policymakers and even leery constituents, who might otherwise question their thinking. I also suspect this announcement could impact school curricula, businesses, and even community organizations, each with its own constituent groups.
As I’ve thought about this opportunity, I recognize that people still marvel in the power of “word-of-mouth.” Certainly, if something goes viral with today’s technology, the word-of-mouth gets accelerated via electronic means, and as long as it is good publicity, you could be talking about a communicator’s dream. But analyzing what it takes to achieve viral status can be compared to yesteryear’s word-of-mouth, only on steroids. Smoke signals might have been an even more primitive way to get the word out, but the story remains the same: it’s all about sharing the news!
Another communication adage suggests that a picture is worth 1,000 words. It used to be hard to use word-of-mouth and show a picture simultaneously, unless you carried a photograph or happened to be standing next to what you wanted to talk about. Modern electronic communications allow you to e-mail those photos or even to take the photos with the same cellphone you use to spread the word. While it can be very expensive to share words and photos at the same time to selected audiences (e.g., think of a Super Bowl ad broadcast during the game), use of technology can make the cost almost negligible in many instances.
Electronics have changed the way many think about communicating. Certainly, much of the news media feels the pressure and demand for speed that makes it difficult to deliver the news as they did in the past. Some focus on telling “the rest of the story” or even creating the story, through investigative reporting pieces and the like. There may be an assumption that folks already have heard the “news,” even if they can’t answer the details about who, what, when, where, why, and how. Communicating the impact and details of “the story” has kept many news organizations alive, whether speaking of broadcast journalism or even newspapers and magazines.
Does the printed piece have its place for modern-day communicators? Print obviously allows one to couple words and photos in the absence of electronics, and print allows one to carry the message away, which makes it a lot less expensive than handing out cell phones, laptop computers, or even e-readers. Print can still be used to direct recipients to the Internet, either through written directions or QR codes, to view and/or listen to even more stories or photos or to conduct further investigations into a subject. And while print, today, may be challenged to claim the ability to let you “read ALL about it” on its own, print still can provide a great overview of a topic or a way to spark interest.
So, what’s this news? Why the discussion of “word-of-mouth,” photos “worth a thousand words,” modern communications technology, and print media? What’s so important?
I am very, no, make that Very, VERY EXCITED to announce that America in Bloom has just completed the production of a new brochure titled Discover the Surprising Side of Plants. Through the generosity of an anonymous, five-figure donor, who has been one of our regular supporters of AIB since the organization’s beginning, we have produced this story, which talks about the functional benefits of flowers and plants “beyond pretty.” “Discover Plants” is a beautiful, full-color brochure, which highlights plants for friendship, for the home, for schools, for neighborhoods, for the workplace, for community, and for YOU; these sections of the brochure convey many of the research findings we’ve posted previously on the AIB web site (http://www.americainbloom.org/) under the “Community Resources” tab, and many of the benefits I’ve written about in recent columns. But this brochure is really quite engaging!
One of the reasons for the excitement comes because of the interviews of countless individuals with whom we’ve shared various mock-ups of this brochure during its development. Initial feedback suggests that florists, garden center retailers, interiorscapers, and landscapers will want to inventory this brochure and share its message with customers; teachers will want to share its message with students; and industry employers will want to share its message with their employees. We also believe this piece will have relevance for park districts, for mayors and city councils, for service organizations, chambers of commerce, and convention and tourism bureaus – anyone discussing the merits of flowers and plants, plantings, and city beautification programs.
We have made the brochure available as a PDF on the AIB web site. (For best results, download and print this two-sided, in color, using the booklet printing feature on standard 8.5” X 11” paper.) For those that may want to use this information in the classroom or to add it to another presentation, we’ve adapted the brochure into a PowerPoint® presentation with even more photography. We are also making this piece available for ordering in bulk quantities through the AIB web site. Click here to see the PDF. I strongly encourage you to print it out and view it printed in booklet form – it’s a terrific read! Once read, please share your copy with others. Also, please share this message about the brochure, so that others can read its important messages. We’d love to hear your thoughts about the brochure on the AIB Facebook page.
One further announcement, for the first time ever, America in Bloom has been invited by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to share its message of “Planting pride in your communities” with attendees of the Philadelphia International Flower Show, March 4 – 11, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Through the generosity of some of our industry Stewards and the volunteer efforts of many of our supporters, we have accepted the challenge of attending our nation’s largest flower show. Board member and judge, Evelyn Alemanni, who chairs our Outreach Committee, will be speaking on Saturday, March 10 at 1 p.m. Other Board members and volunteers will be staffing the booth throughout the week. We will also be distributing copies of this new brochure as part of our exhibit.
Certainly, we’re very excited to see the culmination of many months of work. We’re trying an older communications technology, linked with some new twists. And we want to thank our donor and our volunteers who have made this come to fruition.
We trust you will share our enthusiasm for this brochure, as well as the enthusiasm we all share about the many benefits of plants.
While I have known about this opportunity for a few months, I didn’t know exactly when it would occur. While anticipation has been high, I have struggled a bit in contemplating how best to get the word out, and how best to convey my excitement for what I’m about to announce. More importantly, I’ve debated how best to get you, the reader, as excited about this announcement as I am.
You see, this announcement answers one of the greatest challenges America in Bloom and indeed the entire horticulture industry have faced for some time. What I’m going to announce also potentially will help communicate the desires and the hopes of forward-thinking municipal leaders to fellow policymakers and even leery constituents, who might otherwise question their thinking. I also suspect this announcement could impact school curricula, businesses, and even community organizations, each with its own constituent groups.
As I’ve thought about this opportunity, I recognize that people still marvel in the power of “word-of-mouth.” Certainly, if something goes viral with today’s technology, the word-of-mouth gets accelerated via electronic means, and as long as it is good publicity, you could be talking about a communicator’s dream. But analyzing what it takes to achieve viral status can be compared to yesteryear’s word-of-mouth, only on steroids. Smoke signals might have been an even more primitive way to get the word out, but the story remains the same: it’s all about sharing the news!
Another communication adage suggests that a picture is worth 1,000 words. It used to be hard to use word-of-mouth and show a picture simultaneously, unless you carried a photograph or happened to be standing next to what you wanted to talk about. Modern electronic communications allow you to e-mail those photos or even to take the photos with the same cellphone you use to spread the word. While it can be very expensive to share words and photos at the same time to selected audiences (e.g., think of a Super Bowl ad broadcast during the game), use of technology can make the cost almost negligible in many instances.
Electronics have changed the way many think about communicating. Certainly, much of the news media feels the pressure and demand for speed that makes it difficult to deliver the news as they did in the past. Some focus on telling “the rest of the story” or even creating the story, through investigative reporting pieces and the like. There may be an assumption that folks already have heard the “news,” even if they can’t answer the details about who, what, when, where, why, and how. Communicating the impact and details of “the story” has kept many news organizations alive, whether speaking of broadcast journalism or even newspapers and magazines.
Does the printed piece have its place for modern-day communicators? Print obviously allows one to couple words and photos in the absence of electronics, and print allows one to carry the message away, which makes it a lot less expensive than handing out cell phones, laptop computers, or even e-readers. Print can still be used to direct recipients to the Internet, either through written directions or QR codes, to view and/or listen to even more stories or photos or to conduct further investigations into a subject. And while print, today, may be challenged to claim the ability to let you “read ALL about it” on its own, print still can provide a great overview of a topic or a way to spark interest.
So, what’s this news? Why the discussion of “word-of-mouth,” photos “worth a thousand words,” modern communications technology, and print media? What’s so important?
I am very, no, make that Very, VERY EXCITED to announce that America in Bloom has just completed the production of a new brochure titled Discover the Surprising Side of Plants. Through the generosity of an anonymous, five-figure donor, who has been one of our regular supporters of AIB since the organization’s beginning, we have produced this story, which talks about the functional benefits of flowers and plants “beyond pretty.” “Discover Plants” is a beautiful, full-color brochure, which highlights plants for friendship, for the home, for schools, for neighborhoods, for the workplace, for community, and for YOU; these sections of the brochure convey many of the research findings we’ve posted previously on the AIB web site (http://www.americainbloom.org/) under the “Community Resources” tab, and many of the benefits I’ve written about in recent columns. But this brochure is really quite engaging!
One of the reasons for the excitement comes because of the interviews of countless individuals with whom we’ve shared various mock-ups of this brochure during its development. Initial feedback suggests that florists, garden center retailers, interiorscapers, and landscapers will want to inventory this brochure and share its message with customers; teachers will want to share its message with students; and industry employers will want to share its message with their employees. We also believe this piece will have relevance for park districts, for mayors and city councils, for service organizations, chambers of commerce, and convention and tourism bureaus – anyone discussing the merits of flowers and plants, plantings, and city beautification programs.
We have made the brochure available as a PDF on the AIB web site. (For best results, download and print this two-sided, in color, using the booklet printing feature on standard 8.5” X 11” paper.) For those that may want to use this information in the classroom or to add it to another presentation, we’ve adapted the brochure into a PowerPoint® presentation with even more photography. We are also making this piece available for ordering in bulk quantities through the AIB web site. Click here to see the PDF. I strongly encourage you to print it out and view it printed in booklet form – it’s a terrific read! Once read, please share your copy with others. Also, please share this message about the brochure, so that others can read its important messages. We’d love to hear your thoughts about the brochure on the AIB Facebook page.
One further announcement, for the first time ever, America in Bloom has been invited by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to share its message of “Planting pride in your communities” with attendees of the Philadelphia International Flower Show, March 4 – 11, at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Through the generosity of some of our industry Stewards and the volunteer efforts of many of our supporters, we have accepted the challenge of attending our nation’s largest flower show. Board member and judge, Evelyn Alemanni, who chairs our Outreach Committee, will be speaking on Saturday, March 10 at 1 p.m. Other Board members and volunteers will be staffing the booth throughout the week. We will also be distributing copies of this new brochure as part of our exhibit.
Certainly, we’re very excited to see the culmination of many months of work. We’re trying an older communications technology, linked with some new twists. And we want to thank our donor and our volunteers who have made this come to fruition.
We trust you will share our enthusiasm for this brochure, as well as the enthusiasm we all share about the many benefits of plants.
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