Brand USA Newsletter - August 2016

The “Great Gardens of the USA” were showcased at this year’s RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, the world’s largest flower show, received awards, and heralded a launch of new tours to the United States – thanks to Brand USA.

Brand USA sponsored the American themed gardens – the Austin Garden, the Charleston Garden, and the Oregon Garden – as part of the USA destination marketing organization’s campaign to encourage international travelers to experience the diverse culture and stunning landscapes of the USA. The flower show, set on the grounds of Hampton Court Palace Park in Surrey from July 4-10, attracted 146,000 visitors, well above the yearly average of 134,000 since the show began in 1990.

“We are always seeking unique marketing opportunities to support our partners that they cannot do on their own and the Hampton court garden show delivers our marketing message to our target audience. Hundreds of thousands of gardening fans visited the USA gardens awed by how different and authentic each garden was; and intrigued about the destination itself. We are thrilled with the success of this marketing program and plan to grow the USA Garden in 2017 with additional gardens, more travel packages, and a few additional marketing elements to promote participating partners,” said Karyn Gruenberg, Brand USA’s Senior Vice President, Partner Marketing & Strategic Alliances, who attended the show.

Brand USA co-sponsored the Great Gardens of the USA with partners Austin Convention Visitors Bureau (CVB), the Charleston Area CVB, and the state of Oregon. Brand USA and its partners held a preview evening and threw a garden party-themed Fourth of July party to celebrate the unique USA gardens in the show. Austin Singer-Songwriter Carson McHone performed at the party, bringing a bit of the Austin to the venue.  The Charleston Garden offered its southern appeal, while famous Oregon wines were served at each garden throughout the day.

All three gardens were designed by Sadie May Stowell, an award-winning garden designer and landscape architect.  It was the first time in the show’s history that a designer created and built three gardens for the show.

The USA gardens dominated the World Gardens category, with the Oregon Garden and the Austin garden being chosen as Silver Gilt Medalists and the Charleston Garden named as a Silver Medalist. Each garden created its own ambience, revealing diverse experiences for visitors to the United States.

• The Oregon Garden captured the natural beauty and landscape of Oregon’s mountains, wine country and majestic gorges and included grapevines representing the many vineyards found in Oregon.

• The Charleston Garden embodied southern charm and elegance with historical costumes of the plantation-era and was inspired by the city’s famous hidden gardens.  

• The Austin Garden incorporated the plants and habitats of the Lady Bird Wildflower Centre, Blackland Prairie and Edward Plateau, including boulders which reflected the feel of a Texan landscape, and exhibited the exquisite colors of that region.

In addition, RHS Garden Holidays, the travel division of the Royal Horticultural Society, created three unique garden themed itineraries featuring each destination and allowing international visitors to experience first hand the majestic American landscape that inspired the three USA gardens.  The tours – a first for the RHS Touring Programme - were developed in conjunction with RHS operator Brightwater along with Brand USA and its destination partners.

The tours, which begin in 2017, will feature both public and private gardens in Austin and Texas Hill Country, Charleston and beyond in South Carolina and Portland and surrounding areas of Oregon. These tours will be offered to RHS members and are featured on the RHS touring catalogue and online on the RHS site. Their monthly e-newsletter is sent to about 100,000 RHS members.

The USA-themed gardens attracted a number of high-profile celebrities, including Actor Tobias Menzies and Rolling Stones Guitarist Ronnie Wood, to its press day, resulting in media photo opportunities, social media, and press coverage for the gardens.  The gardens received significant press coverage on BBC and two popular prime-time morning shows, Good Morning Britain and Lorraine, garnering coverage with a media value of $133,000.

The Great Gardens of the USA were staffed daily with Brand USA representatives, who handed out 2,000 USA Inspiration guides to consumers.  Brand USA’s UK/Ireland office distributed 10,000 brochures which featured destination information, garden details, plant lists, and RHS touring holidays.