Howard Fertilizer & Chemical Company

OVERVIEW
Howard Fertilizer was founded in 1932 by brothers Julian and Robert
Howard. At its inception, the company provided a comprehensive collection
of quality fertilizer solutions to the growing citrus industry in Florida. As the
company expanded and the agriculture industry evolved, Howard Fertilizer
maintained pace by bringing in newly developed technology to serve its
growing market. In addition to offering new products, the company also
began targeting other markets such as lawn care, turf and ornamentals.
The company was soon recognized as one of the largest fertilizer
manufacturers in the Southeast and still is today.

To maintain its position as a leader in the industry, Howard developed an
innovative process of evenly coating its fertilizer prills with pesticides that
would provide a perfectly blended, homogeneous product. This process
eliminates several of the problems that can occur when using products
mixed in the traditional manner, such as uneven concentrations applied to
turf or dust clouds from product that would result in burnt spots from
overexposure or ineffective results from underexposure.

OBJECTIVES
Patterson/Bach was tasked with introducing Howard's new process to the
industry and achieving the following objectives:

• Develop a name and logo for the new process
• Introduce the process to trade media outlets and Howard's target clients—golf course superintendents in the Southeast with emphasis on Florida

CREATIVE APPROACH
Patterson/Bach first created a name and logo for the new process—
ProFusion. The term ‘fusion’ was incorporated into the name to help
industry professionals associate the product's name with its exclusive
heat-induced process that eliminates dust by, in essence, fusing the
product onto the fertilizer.

To introduce the product to the industry, Patterson/Bach developed a
brochure explaining the process and how it eliminates the problems
current products can cause. This brochure was supplied to Howard’s sales
team as a tool to use in the field. The company's Web site was also
enhanced to include information on ProFusion.

Patterson/Bach also created magazine advertisements introducing the
product, which were placed in trade publications such as Superintendent
Magazine (Southern region), The Florida Green, and Golfweek's
SuperNEWS (Southeastern region). The advertising was supplemented
with direct mail postcards sent to golf course superintendents in the state
of Florida.

Patterson/Bach developed a promotional giveaway for Howard Fertilizer to
attract attendees to the company's booth at the Golf Industry Show.
Attendees from Florida received a direct mail postcard prior to the show
introducing ProFusion and encouraging them to find out more by visiting
Howard's booth at the show where they could register to win an Anderson
SR-2000 Spreader retail valued at $400.
To support promotional work, Patterson/Bach also developed a press
release introducing ProFusion and media kit with supporting information
that were distributed to trade publications.

EVALUATION
The management of Howard Fertilizer has been extremely pleased with the
response from its clients and the industry to ProFusion. The sales team
reports current and potential clients are now asking for ProFusion by
name, and the sales of the product have continued to steadily increase.
The company also reported increased traffic at its tradeshow booth during
the Golf Industry Show.

Full Page Ad

Brochure

Direct Mail