According to Garden Center Magazine, "Nursery, greenhouse and garden center operators in New York are joining together to promote and market their nearly $400 million industry in the state." According to the article, "Sunnyside owner Ned Chapman is president of the New York State Independent Flower Growers Marketing Council." He say's "We need to market the industry to government officials. We have to convince them that we are a worthwhile industry. Hopefully, this will lead to state funding for marketing that’s our goal.” This is what we have become? Promoting our trade to "government officials" so we can get state funding for an ad campaign, like one that have been used to promote other products like, “Apple a Day,” “Got Milk?” and “Pork: The Other White Meat.” You remember those? They came from a distant time when mass media ruled, and you just might be able to pull off promotions like that. Never mind that those kind of promotions likely wouldn't work these days. Never mind "The Internet" that changed everything and made those types of promotions "old school".

My advice to a garden center would be, ignore the cries for more government funding! Promote yourself to your customers using your own media. It's cheaper, more effective, and puts the message where those who need to hear it, can. Tell you state association about it today. It's called social media, and requires no government funding.