Desert Botanical Garden - How Does Their Garden Grow?
If there’s one thing Park&Co is not, it’s garden-variety. Ironically, it shares that trait with, of all things, a garden. The uniqueness of Phoenix’s Desert Botanical Garden makes it a must-see destination for both Valley residents and tourists, the problem was that most of them just didn’t know it yet. See, the word “desert” suggests cactus and cow skulls, while the word “botanical” can sound a bit pretentious to some. But if you can get past the name, the Garden is a very fun, colorful, educational, family-oriented environment. This was not shining through in its previous advertising efforts, however, which ranged from in-kind design services to staff and volunteer efforts. So DBG hired Park&Co to develop an overall theme to freshen up the Garden’s brand and build its popularity.
The resulting campaign stressed variety—both in plant and animal life and in the experiences to be had. Park&Co presented the Garden as a truly distinctive place that could compete with area museums, parks, and entertainment venues. The campaign’s theme, “Not your garden-variety garden,” was the perfect embodiment of the DBG spirit and alternated as a headline and tagline to express the uniqueness of the place. Spring’s campaign had a clear focus on color and variety. Close-ups of blooming flowers and bawdy butterflies were coupled with lighthearted headlines to shake up the Garden’s stodgy image. Lines like “See what the desert does for spring break,” “Scenes may be graphic in nature” and “Escape your cocoon” helped expose DBG as a diverse desert oasis that’s teeming with much more than just cactus and prickly pear.
While flowers and fauna dress the Garden in spectacular spring color, four fall festivals supply a completely different flavor for autumn. Newspaper ads and TV spots were created to get people “out of the house and into the Garden.” The Pumpkin Festival, Day of the Dead Celebration, Gourds Galore Festival, and Ole Mole Festival each featured a specialty chef and fun family activities that encouraged people to interact with plants.
Winter’s Lunimarias walk-of-lights has always been a big hit, the challenge was how to make it fresh and more inviting. With just a limited number of evenings, this special event was starting to suffer the same curse as many holiday experiences: crowds. Park&Co used a less-is-more approach with the headline “See the garden in a new light” to promote the smaller crowds, increased number of event days and entertainment events that make the Luminarias walk such a magical holiday experience.
DBG’s experience with Park&Co proved magical as well. In just one year, the public perception of the Garden had transformed significantly. Once thought of as an exclusive park for horticulture buffs, Desert Botanical Garden blossomed into a hip, family-friendly entertainment venue for visitors and a seasonal tradition for Valley natives. Amazing how fast a garden can grow when tended with the right marketing care.