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Find Inspiration, Grow Your Garden, Share It With Others.
Come Grow With Us Online The Social Media Landscape of Gardening
Benefits of Planting in Our Garden Sponsorship & Advertising Options Appendix
Come Grow With Us Online NOW THE GARDEN GATE IS GLOBAL! YourGardenShow (YGS) provides a first-ever online destination for gardening legacy, helping gardeners do what they love to do better, with more efficiency and longer-lasting benefits. YourGardenShow attracts an active online neighborhood of “Gloggers� (Garden Loggers) who believe in local community ethics and environmental stewardship. YourGardenShow also empowers gardeners to transform a formerly solo hobby into a social one, thereby creating a year-round activity out of what was formerly seasonal. For a company looking to engage customers in authentic exchange with long-term brand loyalty, YGS offers robust strategic opportunities within one of the most passionate and engaged consumer groups in the western world!
A Snapshot of What YourGardenShow Offers Your Brand Premium Placement and Sponsorship Opportunities customizable advertising and sponsorship programs
Editorial Content Support for Your Brand
via YGS blogs, videos and premium content placements
Exceptional Brand Positioning
combine your current demographic with the next generation
Explosive Growth
through organic growth and exponential strategic partnerships
Association with Pioneering Online Science and Environmental Projects through the USA-National Phenology Network and The Great Sunflower Project
Third Party Endorsements by Industry Leaders
profit from brand exposure through YGS strategic relationships
Global Press/Media Coverage
CBS News, Fox TV, Tech Crunch Italy, USA Today, South by Southwest, National Gardening Association, San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post
The Social Media Landscape of Gardening GROWING THE ONLINE GARDENING COMMUNITY YourGardenShow was designed by award-winning interactive experts to leverage current methodologies and anticipate future trends. It is a fun and easy-to-use platform, conceived to cradle the rich heritage of gardening as well as the time-honored skills and wisdom that pass from parent to child, and neighbor to neighbor. Centered around a shareable garden log (Glog™), the website connects the new generation now coming to gardening with seasoned gardeners now coming to social media. Members connect to each other online - and with your brand! WHO IS PLANTING ROOTS ON YOURGARDENSHOW?
STATS
MEMBER PROFILE
WINNING TEAM, COMPELLING VISION
Who is Planting Roots on YourGardenShow? STATS
An $80 Billion World Wide Industry
combining gardening and sustainability sectors
Over $44 Billion Spent in the U.S.
on lawn and garden products and services
83 Million Americans Participate Each Year in lawn & garden activities
Approaching $700 Spent Each Year Per YGS Member for garden-related purchases
Who is Planting Roots on YourGardenShow > Member Profile Lifestyle is Green, sustainable, do-it-yourself, healthy. Above-average household income of $75,000+. Active social networking engagement on YGS, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. Predominantly based in U.S. and Europe; representation across 4 continents. A balance of women and men (note: more males than the typical gardening websites). “Influencers� are friends, neighbors, relatives (i.e. strong word-of-mouth advertising). Willing to mentor and/or develop own skills (i.e. positive future consumer growth). 35-65 years old, many engaging socially online for the first time through YGS. Urban, suburban, and rural; reach to all geographic locations of society. YGS site engagement: high page views & time commitment
– 8 page views per visitor average; 8 minutes per visit. College Educated. Brand loyal. Homeowner.
Winning Team, Compelling Vision Our top-notch, cohesive team will make your brand message bloom. Co-founders (and husband and wife team) Lisa Marini Finerty and Tom Finerty launched YourGardenShow in May 2010. Lisa is a Master Gardener, Kellogg MBA and community organizer with a long history in gardening. She was a founder of SecretGardensItaly providing historical tours, and “Amici dei Giardini z Roma,� a non-profit cultural association. Tom is an Emmy Award-winning television producer/director and new media specialist. A natural storyteller, Tom often finds inspiration while looking out the window at the landscape, which is how YourGardenShow began. The YGS team includes passionate gardeners/farmers, permaculturists, experienced community leaders and organizers, social media strategists, international television and documentary producers, traditional and Sustainable Enterprise MBAs. Add in a former editor-in-chief from Better Homes and Gardens, writers from Prevention and Organic Gardening magazines, and an advisory board of gardening and plant science experts and you’ve got a team that brings decades of developed personal contacts and key strategic relationships within the sustainability / biodiversity world - all connected through the YGS platform.
Benefits of Planting in Our Garden RIGHT MESSAGE, RIGHT TIME, RIGHT PARTNERS YourGardenShow offers a grassroots opportunity for organizations to align with a team that believes in “Doing well by doing good.” It’s a timely message that coincides with today’s economy and green and social trends. As the world creates opportunity for progressive people - especially gardeners - this is the time to get sensible and effective exposure for your brand with our growing platform. ...to every season, there is a time... RIGHT MESSAGE RIGHT TIME NEWS
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
RIGHT PARTNERS
Right Message DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD YourGardenShow is a dedicated social media platform for neighbors who are global, proactive, passionate and who care what happens to the environment. The YGS gardening community makes choices with their heads, their hearts, and their dollars. YourGardenShow will help you reach the community that thinks carefully about choices, is committed to long-term care of purchases and is loyal to brands. Isn’t this where you should be?
Right Time
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GIVING THEM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT
Television YourGardenShow was featured on the CBS evening news across the country: San Francisco, Sacramento, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Boston.
Print/Online USA Today, Denver Post, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, CBS, San Francisco Chronicle, and AOL.com.
National Events SXSW: In 2011, YourGardenShow.com joined Groupon, The Johnny Cash Project and PBS as a finalist at the 14th Annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Awards. Green Festivals: YourGardenShow was an exhibitor at the 2010 San Francisco Spring and Fall Green Festivals Gardening Conferences: YGS participated in a range of garden-related national events: National Garden Writers (Dallas 2010), Independent Garden Centers (Chicago, 2010), Garden Bloggers (Buffao 2010), American Community Garden Association (Atlanta 2010) This August we will be presenting at the American Community Gardening Association conference in New York City and in September we will be attending the first-ever annual National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa, Califiornia.
Right Time
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FIRST OF THE SEASON
Social Media for Gardeners YourGardenShow is one of the world’s first social multi-media systems
dedicated to gardens and their cultivators. Membership is free and the virtual garden gate is always open. That’s one reason tens of thousands of unique visitors come every month with a highly competitive 8 page views per visit.
Online multimedia platform for gardeners We call it the GlogTM, an online garden log for sharing
gardening wisdom. Glog is the first online record to log garden tips and tricks of the current season completely shareable! It’s like combining Facebook with a planter’s almanac.
2011 South by Southwest Festival Interactive Community Finalist YourGardenShow was singled
out for recognition as one of five “social networks and wikis that have quickly developed an extraordinarily active multi-user community and an exceptional following of users.”
Gardening website to include Citizen Science Citizen Science is the wave of the future, where
citizens, in real time using the internet, contribute local environmental data to important policy and scientific research. This mission fits well with a company whose brand or corporate/environmental responsibility policy includes education, environmental stewardship and community outreach.
Database partnership with Cornell University and The Missouri Botanical Garden
YourGardenShow is the first social website to partner with Cornell University and the Missouri Botanical Gardens to create a database of 12,000 annual, perennial, ornamental and food plants common in North America.
Right Partners
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KEEP GOOD COMPANY In early 2011 we entered into a number of strategic partnerships, complementing our alliances with Missouri Botanical and Cornell University. By advertising with YourGardenShow, your company can benefit by these associations as well.
3.7 million total audience in print, 1 million unique visitors/month online, 250,000 newsletter opt- ins. YourGardenShow.com was embedded into the MotherEarthNews website June 2011, allowing for direct brand exposure to a highly regarded online community, 94% of which are gardeners. 7 million unique visitors per month YGS’s strategic partnership with Weather Underground includes powering a one-of-a- kind gardening micro-site on their website this summer. 400,000 car-share members around North America will learn about our Citizen Science Initiative We placed 20,000 seed packets in 5,000 Zipcars across 13 markets in the U.S. and Canada Spring 2011. In addition, we have collaborated with leading gardening-related companies to create local “gardening starter kit” contests in those same 13 markets, which connects to Zipcar’s 400,000 green-minded member base. The partners included: Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., Timber Press, Tilley, Woolly Pocket, CobraHead, and Birki’s. 100,000 people participated in the 2010 Great Sunflower Project to locally monitor the health of bees - and this year we’re helping to expand that Base. YourGardenShow is the first ever social media portal for the National Bee Count and with the introduction of our custom built, Bee-o-meter, will be reporting results in real time. YGS is proud to partner with this pioneering Citizen Science initiative. The Great Sunflower Project
Right Partners
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National Phenology Network Including partners such as NASA and NOAA YourGardenShow also serves as the National Phenology Network’s social media site. NPN is affiliated with some of the top atmospheric and ecological organizations in the world, including public agencies, Native American tribes, non-governmental organizations, specialized networks, and academic institutions, including the University of California system, Arbor Day Foundation, EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, NASA, NOAA, USGS among others. Documentary film ‘Queen of the Sun’ Opening in 50 U.S Cities, Spring 2011. YourGardenShow entered into a cross-pollination partnership with a new International award-winning documentary, “QUEEN OF THE SUN: What are the Bees Telling Us?”, a profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis. Inspired film and website audience members are encouraged to take action to help by joining YGS Citizen Science initiatives, including the National Bee Count and The Great Sunflower Project. Missouri Botanical Gardens (MOBOT) and Cornell University 12,000+ plant database Two of the most prestigious, noncommercial plant databases support gardeners on YourGardenShow. Missouri Botanical Garden, one of the nation’s oldest botanical gardens, supplies 6,100 ornamental and fruiting plant descriptions and photos, and Cornell University details 6,000 vegetable varieties onsite, with both common and scientific names. Pivotal Labs & Hot Studio Design Labs The YourGardenShow.com platform was designed and developed with rock solid code and interactive bestpractices by some of the most experienced social network creatives, including the firm responsible for Twitter’s remarkable growth.
Sponsorship & Advertising Options
Consumers see through greenwashing. Why not “walk it like you talk it.” Join our growing community of today’s gardeners and build authentic connections with passionate consumers online. Meet your marketing objectives and reach your target audience with YourGardenShow’s creative sponsorships and custom advertising solutions. Loyalty and relationships matter! PARTNER VALUE - WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? SPECIFIC SPONSORSHIP OPTIONS CITIZEN SCIENCE ANNUAL SPONSORSHIPS PREMIUM CONTESTS PLANT OF THE DAY SPONSORSHIP HIGH-IMPACT eNEWSLETTER SPONSORSHIP ADVERTISING OPTIONS AND PAGES INVENTORY OF PAGES QUALITY IMPRESSION-BASED AD RECTANGLES AND SKYSCRAPERS SMALL PRINT
Partner value - What’s In It For You? Join YourGardenShow and leverage our vibrant platform all year. Being at the leading-edge of the social media, we are transforming a seasonal, predominantly solitary activity into a multi-dimensional social one, allowing full exposure with year round branding!
Ground Floor Value
YGS offers you discounted pricing as incentive to be an early member of this community and help shape its vision of sustainability. Neighbor-up with us and our partners.
Green and Loyal Targeted Audience
Connect your brand with people who seek peer-vetted resources, informed gardening information and best practices -- and who act when presented with environmental and economic value!
Sustainable Halo Effect
It’s trendy to be earth friendly these days. We provide an opportunity to go beyond that proactive global stewardship. Be bold - join the movement and give your company and your employees a chance to make a collective difference in the environment.
Exclusivity
Connect to a group of vetted partners who share the vision of environmental best practices and sustainability that also satisfy community needs and reflect community values.
Citizen Science Annual Sponsorships
“
We may soon see the citizen science equivalent of Big Science or Revolutionary Science discoveries and collaborations that bring together millions of people, and change the dynamics of innovation and research.
“
WE ARE AT THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WAVE
The New York Academy of Sciences Online www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com, October 9, 2009
As the first gardening website to harness the power of Citizen Science, YourGardenShow seeks partners who believe and promote proactive global stewardship. You’re invited! There are three levels to support YourGardenShow’s Citizen Science 2011-12 initiatives:
Pollinator
Rose
Oak
Citizen Science Annual Sponsorship - Pollinator Pollinator Partners support YourGardenShow Citizen Science Initiatives with in-kind publicity in lieu of cash sponsorship. Designed for small-to-midsize companies with a well-developed social media and marketing program, Pollinator Partners pledge consistent, measurable and engaging cross-promotional efforts. Pollinator Partners coordinate through analytics, on a monthly editorial schedule, with YourGardenShow staff. Asset exchange is not limited to, but can include: Reciprocal mention in newsletters, blogs, websites. Reciprocal Social media outreach on Facebook and Twitter. Inclusion in live event promotions. Prominent placement of the YourGardenShow logo and link on Pollinator Partner’s website and Facebook page in exchange for a floating advertisement on YGS Citizen Science pages.
Pollinator Partner
Citizen Science Annual Sponsorship - Rose Rose Partners support YourGardenShow Citizen Science Initiatives with an annual sponsorship of $25,000 and receive:
Strategic and rotating ad placement within the 300+ Citizen Science pages (300X250 & 160x600 ad sizes) clearly recognizing your organization as a sponsor. See Appendix i for example Attribution of your support for one or more of our three major Citizen Science Initiatives (Pollination, Allergy Agents, Season Spotting) with your message appearing on all projects within the Initiative. Addition to at least two YGS Facebook promotions per Citizen Science project (note: This is worth approximately $50k annually in advertising value at our current Facebook Fan level.) * Every YGS Facebook posting will be tweeted to all YGS Twitter followers.** Inclusion in at least one national YGS press release. Association with notable Citizen Science partners, including NASA, NOAA, USGS, Arbor Day Foundation, EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, and the University of California system among others. Ability for your brand to play a valuable role in addressing climate change and other key environmental initiatives. Placement of your logo within the YGS Citizen Science Sponsor Page along with other key contributors. See Appendix i for example
* this will continue to increase monthly by 4% as the YGS following grows **Twitter following continues to grow in 2011 at an average monthly rate of 20%
Rose Partner
Citizen Science Annual Sponsorship - Oak Oak Partners support YourGardenShow Citizen Science Initiatives with an annual sponsorship of $250,000 and receive: All items in the Rose Partner sponsorship Premium ad placement across entire YGS platform, to promote your brand with members of the entire YGS community. See Appendix i for example Third-party Online: Your Company name will appear in premium advertisements as a Citizen Science sponsor in persistent 300 x 250 IAB standard advertisements on MotherEarthNews.com. Addition to at least five YGS Facebook promotions per Citizen Science project (note: This is worth approximately $125k annually in advertising value at our current Facebook Fan level.)* Major contributing sponsor attribution at a minimum of one live event and/or conference. See Appendix vii for example Your company featured in at least one Citizen Science related YGS blog per month. Placement of your logo at the top of the YGS Citizen Science Sponsor Page along with other key contributors. See Appendix i for example
* this will continue to increase monthly by 4% as the YGS following grows
Oak Partner
Premium Contest Sponsorship Let us help custom design a contest or program for you
Ex. The Top GlogTM contest rewarded member engagement.
General Sponsorship
Coordinated, high-exposure web and email placements
Main Sponsorship
Expanded, coordinated, maximum-exposure Facebook and Twitter placements
PRICING: Dependent on size of contest. Please call to discuss.
Plant of the Day Sponsorship The Plant of the Day Plant of the Day is original content to YourGardenShow and is a branded supplement linked to the more formal botanical information on YGS Plant Pages. Written by former Better Homes and Gardens Executive Editor, Mark Kane, each entry is personal, revealing a little known aspect of these interesting specimens and species. Plant of the Day goes out through social media channels as well as emails, and is permanently indexed on the site.
General Sponsorship
Coordinated, high-exposure Facebook and Twitter placements
$ 800 per week
Main Sponsorship
Expanded, coordinated, maximum-exposure Facebook and Twitter
$ 2,500 per month
Archival Sponsorship
Exposure on all archived content
$ 1,500 per month
High-Impact Email Newsletter Sponsorship The Grow Report The YourGardenShow eNewsletters provide our members with regional articles, featured bloom photos, plus recaps of forum posts and updates on our website upgrades. Ad placements in our bi-monthly and seasonal eNewsletters - with social media support through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn - is a chance for your product or service to be front and center on specified email distribution dates.
Frequency Bi-monthly eNewsletter Seasonal eNewsletter
Ad appears between editorial items $ 500
$ 1,500
NOTE: Rate listed is per insertion, i.e. for one ad in one newsletter issue
Ad sponsors the newsletter $ 1,000 $ 3,000
Advertising - Inventory of Pages YourGardenShow members upload original content to their individual garden pages and Glogs. They also share content by commenting in the Greenhouse, the YGS Blog and on other members gardening projects - and each comment generates email notices to all in the thread. Facebook Like and Send buttons are available on all pages, providing additional exposure opportunities for your brand. Inventory of pages (over 65,000): Individual Garden Pages This is a free space for gardeners to post commentary, photos, and videos. Members share their gardening activities and legacy through photos and videos while tracking their garden’s progress and growth on their Garden log -- or ‘GlogTM’, a fun timeline journal developed exclusively for the site. See appendix ii Greenhouse Gardening lore has been exchanged over garden gates for centuries. Continuing the tradition, we have launched the Greenhouse Wiki with a collection of 10,000 questions and answers that have been compiled over the past 50 years. See appendix iii Plant Databases The strength of the plant databases comes through the partnership with Cornell University and Missouri Botanical Gardens, two well-respected and reliable resources in the horticulture community. Additional content and media are provided by YGS members, the YGS team and through external partnerships, invited feature writers and website members. See appendix iv Blog The YourGardenShow blog features original articles and media, including Garden Stories, Plant of the Day, Guest Blogger, and video how-tos (plus transcriptions). The blog is updated at a minimum of 3 times per week. See appendix v Almanac All members who sign up with a U.S. zip code get a daily summary, in 16 categories organized monthly, of plant and landscape tips specific for their USDA Hardiness Zone. This program will expand to cover other postal zones in 2012. See appendix vi
Q& A
Quality Impression-Based Ad Rectangles and Skyscrapers YourGardenShow offers the opportunity for impression-based web display advertising in IAB standard formats across all YourGardenShow pages, excluding the Citizen Science portion of YGS. You are welcome to arrange your interactive campaign with personalized support from our professional in-house staff. We are happy to work with you on custom advertising solutions.
Standard rectangle ad Standard skyscraper ad
Ad Space
Ad Size
Timing
Rate Card (CPM)
Offer Rate (CPM)
Standard rectangle
300x250 pixels
2011
$ 15 ROS*
$5 ROS* (limited time offer)
Skyscraper
160x600 pixels
2011
$ 15 ROS*
$5 ROS* (limited time offer)
*ROS = Run of Site not including Citizen Science pages
The Small Print
Introductory and Contract Discounts Book now and lock in current YourGardenShow advertising pricing. Given our strong growth, current prices are a great value. Please note that by taking out a long-term ad placement, you will be eligible for these discounts:
3 months 10% discount
6 months 15% discount
General Requirements
50% balance due with ad placement order Balance due on completion of ad run
$500 minimum order applies for all advertising contracts Rates are subject to change without notice
Contact YourGardenShow We look forward to hearing from you and assisting with any of the following and much more: questions additional information requests for presentation sponsorship customization ideas help with any aspect of ad placement
EASTERN/CENTRAL U.S.
MOUNTAIN/PACIFIC U.S.
Kristen Mobilia
Emmet Brady
E: kristen@yourgardenshow.com P: 617-830-1884 ( M - F between 9:00am and 5:00pm EST)
E: emmet@yourgardenshow.com P: 510-759-7624 (M - F between 9:00am and 5:00pm PDT)
i
Appendix > Citizen Science Sponsorship
Sponsor Page
Placement of your logo within the YGS Citizen Science Sponsor Page along with other key contributors.
GO BACK TO CITIZEN SCIENCE SPONSORSHIP
ii
Appendix > Inventory of Pages Individual Garden Pages Members share their gardening activities and legacy through photos and videos while tracking their garden’s progress and growth on their Garden log -- or ‘Glog
TM’
, a fun
timeline journal developed exclusively for the site.
iii
Appendix > Inventory of Pages Greenhouse
Gardening lore has been exchanged over garden gates for centuries. Continuing the tradition, we have launched the Greenhouse Wiki with a collection of questions and answers that have been compiled over the past 50 years and are offered as the basis of community discussion.
iv
Appendix > Inventory of Pages Plant Databases
The strength of the plant databases comes through the partnership with Cornell University and Missouri Botanical, two well-respected and reliable resources with the horticultural realm. Additional content and media is provided internally by the YGS team as well as through additional external partnerships and website members.
v
Appendix > Inventory of Pages Blog With a separate sign up, the YourGardenShow Blog features original articles and media.
In
addition, features such as Garden Stories, Plant of the Day, Guest Blogger, and video how-tos (plus transcriptions) are also included. Blog is updated 3 times weekly.
vi
Appendix > Inventory of Pages Almanac All members who sign up with a U.S. zip code, get a daily summary, in 16 categories, 12 month of the year, of plant and landscape zips specific for their USDA. This program will unveil in other postal codes in 2012.
Warmer and drier weather means it will be necessary to water and mist your house plants more ofter. Dust them regularly, and then wipe them with a damp cloth of diluted milk! example tip
vii
Appendix > Inventory of Pages PLANTS
GREENHOUSE
BLOG
YourGardenshow.com presents
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Ask a bee question!
beegirl: I just learned more about bees than I ever have from the back of a Cheerios box. Thanks! gretchenLB: Hehe, thanks beegirl! buzzy-bee: could you elaborate, in a further video, on the differences between the bee types? i have a hard time identifying certain kinds of carpenters v. bumble :)
Bee-a-thon July 16th, 2011 marks YourGardenShow’s 1st annual Bee-a-thon - a fun and engaging solution to a very serious environmental problem. This 12-hour interactive “town hall meeting” supports Citizen Science partner, The Great Sunflower
cross-pollinate: awesome stuff!
Project, the nation’s first comprehensive bee
B I U
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comment
monitoring program (currently, 100,000 people strong).
Sponsored by
Remember, one in every three bites of food you
Your Company Here example tip
eat comes courtesy of bees!
See who else is sponsoring global change!
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