2013 CIOPORA Chronicle
CIOPORA annual magazine on Intellectual Property protection for plant innovations 2013. Produced in cooperation with FloraCulture International. Read in the 2013 issue: - PBR topsy-turvy. How UPOV and its members turn the system upside down - Breeding industry ‘manifesto’ reflects strong visions and daily practice - Marketability of innovation – the power of ideas in horticulture - Contemporary marketing solutions for horticultural businesses - Hydrangeas in a PVR squeeze - Clearly or just about distinguishable? and more...
CIOPORA annual magazine on Intellectual Property protection for plant innovations 2013. Produced in cooperation with FloraCulture International.
Read in the 2013 issue:
- PBR topsy-turvy. How UPOV and its members turn the system upside down
- Breeding industry ‘manifesto’ reflects strong visions and daily practice
- Marketability of innovation – the power of ideas in horticulture
- Contemporary marketing solutions for horticultural businesses
- Hydrangeas in a PVR squeeze
- Clearly or just about distinguishable?
and more...
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ducive and supportive of creativity<br />
and out-of-the-box thinking.<br />
Creative individuals<br />
Having worked in product development<br />
and breeding for over three<br />
decades, I have seen time and time<br />
again how products that almost<br />
everyone thought had no commercial<br />
value whatsoever became huge<br />
crops in the floriculture industry<br />
thanks to the vision and ideas of<br />
creative individuals. Drab roadside<br />
species that one would normally<br />
tread upon without sparing a<br />
second thought in their natural<br />
habitat, will often develop their true<br />
potential in the breeder's skilled<br />
and patient hands, and can flourish<br />
if the right niche and application is<br />
found for it in the marketplace. In<br />
many cases, well-known products<br />
can be re-vitalized and re-vamped if<br />
presented in a different manner or<br />
for a different use.<br />
Audacity<br />
A breeder has to have the audacity<br />
to try crosses and breeding<br />
strategies that would normally be<br />
scoffed at as "impossible". Our<br />
categorization of plant genera and<br />
species has until now been based<br />
on morphological characteristics<br />
only. With the advance of DNA<br />
technology, we are beginning to<br />
realize that many of the plants we<br />
have arbitrarily lumped together<br />
in one genus are in fact far less<br />
related than they are with species of<br />
other genera. Once we realize that<br />
interspecific and indeed intergeneric<br />
crosses are not out of the realm of<br />
possibility, bright new horizons for<br />
plant breeders present themselves,<br />
along with the potential for myriads<br />
of previously unthinkable and<br />
exciting new plant products for the<br />
future.<br />
That said, breeders can only<br />
be commercially successful if<br />
their innovations are indeed<br />
accepted and embraced by the<br />
marketplace. Hence, breeders<br />
and product developers always<br />
have to ask themselves: Will this<br />
product work for the grower?<br />
Can it be propagated efficiently<br />
Some of the<br />
biggest brands<br />
in horticulture<br />
owe their<br />
success to<br />
precisely this<br />
combination<br />
of exceptional,<br />
innovative<br />
genetics<br />
with a wellexecuted<br />
and<br />
comprehensive<br />
marketing<br />
campaign to<br />
drive the message<br />
to a broad<br />
audience<br />
of growers,<br />
retailers and<br />
consumers.<br />
and economically? Will it present<br />
itself well at retail? Can it be shipped<br />
successfully? And, most importantly:<br />
Will it work for the consumer?<br />
Challenge<br />
Many truly innovative products that<br />
have real benefits for the consumer do<br />
not readily reveal their positive traits<br />
at retail. Indeed, many products with<br />
exceptional vigour and enhanced<br />
consumer performance often pale in<br />
comparison with flashier, yet inferior<br />
product lines on the retail bench.<br />
Such products require a great deal<br />
of communication, specific POP<br />
material and extensive PR campaigns<br />
on consumer level to convey the<br />
benefits to the consumer. This is a true<br />
challenge, since such communication<br />
requires a great deal of resources and<br />
a professional marketing strategy<br />
to effectively bring the message<br />
across. Some of the biggest brands<br />
in horticulture owe their success<br />
to precisely this combination of<br />
exceptional, innovative genetics with<br />
a well-executed and comprehensive<br />
marketing campaign to drive the<br />
message to a broad audience of<br />
growers, retailers and consumers.<br />
Holistic approach<br />
Ideas really do have the power to<br />
transform the industry and truly<br />
change the marketplace but they<br />
require perseverance, tenacity,<br />
resources and the right platform<br />
for successful implementation. But<br />
sadly, a new variety, a new concept<br />
on its own will not get very far.<br />
Moreover, a holistic approach that<br />
takes all aspects of commercialization<br />
into consideration is needed. Most<br />
importantly, industry leaders have to<br />
be willing to embrace and effectively<br />
transport the innovation into the<br />
marketplace. The power is yours. |||<br />
About the author<br />
Garry Grueber has been involved in product development for over three<br />
decades. He has worked closely with many breeders from around the<br />
world, and has been involved in the successful introduction of many new<br />
product lines, varieties and marketing concepts over the years. He is now<br />
a managing partner in Cultivaris North America LLC, an idea- and projectmanagement<br />
company based in San Diego, CA. (www.cultivaris.com)<br />
<strong>CIOPORA</strong> <strong>Chronicle</strong> April <strong>2013</strong> | www.FloraCultureInternational.com 13