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Marketing and
Advertising Strategies for Tennessee Nursery Producers: Some Survey
Findings
N. Ojha, E. Ekanem, S. Muhammad, F. Tegegne, and S. Singh
Cooperative
Agricultural Research Program
Seminar Series
Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
February 26, 2003
Effective
marketing is important for the survival of any business. The nursery
business is no exception. If used effectively, marketing can be an
integral part of a firm's strategic plan. The nursery crop industry
contributes significantly to Tennessee's economy. The state currently
ranks sixth in total gross sales of the nation's top 17
nursery-producing states. The objectives of this paper are to: (1)
examine the marketing systems used by nursery producers to sell their
products and factors influencing their choices, and (2) analyze the
methods used in advertising nursery crops. A mail questionnaire and a
face-to-face survey of producers in selected counties in Tennessee were
used in collecting the information reported in this paper. Microsoft
Excel and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were
used in conducting quantitative and qualitative analyses of data
collected. Preliminary findings from the survey indicated that
re-wholesalers were used most frequently in marketing Tennessee nursery
crops, followed by direct farm sales, landscapers, garden centers, and
retailers. Firm size, annual gross sales, educational level, and age of
operator were significant factors influencing the choice of marketing
channel. For the advertising method used in marketing their output,
nursery producers used word-of-mouth most frequently, followed by
industry trade shows and the Internet.
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