• by Fern Siegel , April 15, 2022

The UK’s leading garden center retailer, Dobbies Garden Centres,seeded a new integrated campaign, "Spring It On."

The work is the first developed by Elvis, since becoming the brand's lead creative agency in 2021. It underscores the diversity of gardeners, both in demographics and location.

The campaign is running across press, radio, social and digital channels. Media planning and buying is by MediaCom.

Given the pandemic, more people in metropolitan areas are spending more time at home — and taking up an interest in gardening. Dobbies' research claims 76% of UK adults will garden with the advent of spring.

James Hudson, creative director, Elvis, says: “We’re not just selling flowers, we’re selling feelings. So, as we head into spring, we wanted to appeal to all of our green-fingered friends to bring our gardens (and ourselves) back to life with a brilliant burst of color, energy and excitement.

The campaign's centerpiece is a film, shot by Jonas McQuiggin at Craft Films, of vignettes showcasing the bright worlds of gardeners, each based on key character. Each execution carries the tagline: “However you garden, Spring It On with Dobbies.”

Kirsty Rockey, head of brand strategy and innovation, Dobbies Garden Centres, said: “We want to inspire and welcome every gardener, from experienced horticulturalists to those buying their first houseplant. Because of this, our new campaign, "Spring It On," has been carefully crafted to appeal to several different audience segments across our product range.”

Elvis is a global digital-first creative agency for brands, including Cadbury, Walkers, Birds Eye, Doritos, Merlin Entertainments, Dairylea, Quaker and OREO.