Henchman.

When leading ladder specialist Henchman came to us with the nucleus of an idea for a project – the Henchman Topiary Awards – we knew they were onto something special. We excitedly got to work on plans for a low-cost, high-impact campaign that would get the whole country going topiary mad!

A centuries-old gardening tradition, topiary was once considered the epitome of an English garden but has since fallen somewhat out of fashion. Our challenge, therefore, was to make topiary trendy again.

Our first challenge was to make enough noise around the awards to encourage and generate plenty of high-quality entries from across the UK. We then had to maximise the media opportunities with our winners once they were announced, ensuring everyone was talking about the Topiary Awards while strengthening Henchman’s brand awareness.

• Generate excitement and interest in the Topiary Awards and drum up high-quality entrants for both categories: professionals and home gardeners
• Share expert advice and top tips to encourage people to try their hand at topiary
• Maximise media opportunities with the winners after the judging process
• Position Henchman as an expert in the field and create ownership of the Topiary Awards for years to come

The Launch

Once plans were in place, our first step was to create tailored press releases to announce the launch of the awards. We penned customised versions for trade, professional and end consumer titles, with segmented media lists for each audience.

Working with the judges from Henchman, the European Boxwood and Topiary Society, Creepers Nursery, and Andy The Hedge Barber, we created and pitched top tips for topiary beginners, encouraging people to get involved in the initiative.

To help spread the word far and wide, we conducted outreach to professional gardening bodies such as the British Association of Landscape Industries, the Association of Professional Landscapers and the Society of Garden Designers. We contacted organisations such as the National Trust and the RHS to reach their networks, emailed community gardening groups, and shared the competition in Facebook groups.

Soon enough, coverage began appearing everywhere and the entries were rolling in!

The Announcement

With the awards up and running, we set about preparing our announcement activity. Teaming up with Melanie Hick, garden designer of the silver-gilt Climate Forward Garden at RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, we arranged for the winners to join Henchman on the award-winning garden during show week to receive their trophies and create a photocall opportunity.

When the shortlist had been finalised by the judges, we created localised media lists for each, including regional newspapers and magazines, TV and radio. We drafted a total of seven press releases – one for each winner and runner up, as well as versions for wider trade titles and consumer publications.

We then contacted each individual to tell them the good news, and began pitching for media opportunities, interviews and features – and we’re delighted to say editors and journalists across the country were as impressed by the entrants as we were!

To date, we have generated 45 pieces of coverage for Henchman’s inaugural Topiary Awards – and they’re still rolling in! Our client had two “dream titles” to hit – BBC Gardeners’ World and Landscaping Matters – and of course, we secured the goods!

The campaign has been featured in consumer titles and national newspapers like Country Life, BBC Gardeners’ World, The Sun, The Financial Times, BBC Scotland, Garden News, Amateur Gardening and the Daily Mail, as well as trade titles including DIY Week, Pro Arb, Landscaping Matters and Hort Week, not to mention regionals up and down the country.

And we’re already working on ways to make next year’s awards even bigger and better! Watch this space…