{"id":5956,"date":"2013-03-25T20:14:00","date_gmt":"2013-03-26T00:14:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-08-13T18:04:18","modified_gmt":"2020-08-13T22:04:18","slug":"announcing-mytroy-bilt-saturday-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardern.co.za\/2013\/03\/announcing-mytroy-bilt-saturday-6\/","title":{"rendered":"My Troy-Bilt Saturday 6 Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n
\nHere is the story behind my new partnership with Troy Bilt, and why sometimes, a deal can be good for all of us.
\nTroy Bilt treated us Saturday 6’ers with a flight to Phoenix, VIP treatment at a Cleveland Indian’s game
\nand a visit to the Desert Botanical Garden as we tested product and learned about the company.<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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\nPreface –  <\/span>This SO not like me, but I am writing this long post about how ridiculously amazing some companies and social media agencies can be, especially when communicating with a blogger like me – one who hates advertising, but fair warning, I\u2019ve been compensated with product and peanut butter deserts to be part of this very special project sponsored by Troy-Bilt<\/a> called the Saturday6<\/a> \u2013 a creative project where 6 garden bloggers are invited to be brand spokespeople for a year. Here is the story about how the snagged me -seriously, peanut butter, chocolate and bacon combined. Ya, amazing. I will do anything for bacon and peanut butter as you can tell from my gut in the pictures. But that\u2019s another story.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, you may remember that I tested and then gave away
\ntwo products for the Troy-Bilt company- you know, the once classic rototiller
\ncompany that now makes so much more than tillers – like high quality mowers, leaf blowers and all sorts of
\ngardening equipment, and all mostly here in the USA. Now that my blog is showing up in some important top ten lists, I am starting to get, well, countless requests from PR people trying to
\nreach influential bloggers like me \ud83d\ude42 – mostly wanting free PR from us social media types
\nwho are connected to their target consumer. These mostly come in mass-emailed blind press
\nreleases that offering everything from free product in exchange for an ad or a
\nlink to just request for plain \u2018ol free PR. I don’t want to be commercial, so mostly, I pass.<\/p>\n

This time, the offer was a bit different, and here’s why:<\/o:p><\/p>\n

The folks at Troy-Bilt and their agency took the time to care, and for me? That goes a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Here we are, the new Saturday 6 crew along with the key players from the agency and from Troy-Bilt
\nwhile in Arizona two weeks ago.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAs many of you know, my career ( my day job) keeps me smack
\nin the middle of big business (full disclosure- I\u2019m a creative director at
\nHasbro, you know, G.I. Joe, Transformers, My Little Pony, Furby), so, I \u2018get it\u2019
\n\u2013 I interact daily with ad agencies, PR firms, art reps and marketers all over
\nthe world, most don\u2019t even know that I write a gardening blog ( and most probably don\u2019t care,
\nor if they did, they would just think that it was weird) – also am intimately familiar with how the
\nworld of advertising and branding is changing \u2013 super fast. I also steer clear of any commercial endorsements, or hidden sponsorship deals ( product placement, etc – so you ain’t gonna see me repotting an aloe while “Wait, let me take a sip from this giant liter of soda in a red glass with a wave on it”. <\/o:p><\/p>\n

Also, ain’t gonna happen.<\/p>\n

I know what it costs to run an ad in a national magazine, at least, when there were magazines. I know what it takes to place a TV spot, and what it costs to create one. I also know how these media outlets are changing \u2013faster than anyone imagined.  <\/span>Between you and me, a company offering me a plastic trowel or a free bag of blue fertilizer to reach 75,000 eyeballs doesn\u2019t equal a $100,000 TV spot, but then, a million-plus page hits isn\u2019t something to sneer at either. So as businesses shift their thinking and ad-dollars to social media attempts, some ugly things are happening.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
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The team at Troy-Bilt rolled out the red carpet for us, and even though I am not keen about lawn care nor
\nlawn equipment, I happen to have two acres of garden that needs constant care. So, I get it.
\nI was so impressed with the quality and care that goes into each of these machines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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\n<\/div>\n
\nThis post is not about any of those sort of partnerships, it’s about how some companies approach this sort of thing honestly, and creatively. A company has to work differently today in able to connect with a personal blog, and simply sending me a press release is not going to get me involved.<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nIn short, I am not really in this for the money, which, I
\nthink you guys can tell by the lack of ugly ad\u2019s right?. I\u2019m a designer,
\nand the aesthetic design on this site is important to me, and the experience you
\nget on my site is important to me too, and yes, to my brand, (Yeah, OK\u2026I need to
\nthink of my space as a \u2018brand\u2019) well, that all suffers if I make compromises <\/span>– I may
\nbe a designer, but I am not naive – I need to have total control over it to
\nkeep it pure.<\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
If you are serious about gardening, and serious about composting, then you need one of these –
\na serious chipper\/shredder. it’s on my wishlist this year, and my wish may have just come true!
\nMaybe your’s will come true too?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nNow my story about this Troy-Bilt experience:<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nLast summer, I was approached by Troy-Bilt\u2019s ad\/PR agency to
\ntest a couple of products. I like Troy-Bilt,  <\/span>and the deal was fair \u2013 no money, just  <\/span>free product to give away. I accepted, and
\nposted a nice honest review, and then offered the product to you. Fair enough.
\nAfter all, I felt that I knew the Troy-Bilt brand well enough to truly
\nrecommend it \u2013 maybe because we have two old tillers in the shed that still
\nwork, a snow blower and a leaf blower – one tiller still works after 30 years,
\ntime tested and true. My geeky neighbor loves small engines, and always love
\ntalking about how Troy-Bilt packs oil into their\u2026.oh, I don\u2019t know what it\u2019s
\ncalled \u2013 who am I foolin’, – I know nothing about engines, but believe me, this
\nguy does, so I trust him. Besides, when a small engine manufacturer has fan
\nsites created by engine geeks, it says something.<\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
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The Troy Bilt mowers are stylish, use mostly American made parts, and are designed for people who love to work
\nin the backyards.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\nFast forward to January when I was approached again by the
\nTroy-Bilt agency, this time by their rep – Mary Jo. She said that she had a
\nbetter, if not amazing offer for me – if I was interested. She was wondering if
\nI would like to be one of their Saturday6 Spokespersons<\/a> \u2013 a deal that would
\nlast a year, requiring me to write a couple of articles for their on-line newsletter
\nTHE DIRT, write some tweets and then to test
\nor review a couple of products. In her email, she explained that I would also
\nbe able to share more impressive products with you \u2013 my readers \u2013
\nas free giveaways ( these are kind of big products,as you can imagine).<\/div>\n

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\n
\nAmazeballs ( what my designers would say).<\/o:p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\nI was also invited to spend a weekend in Arizona ( Oh yeah!), with the Troy-Bilt team, to test product, be wined and dined, to be rolled in bacon, chocolate and peanut butter, and to meet the other Saturday6 bloggers.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\nMeet the Saturday 6 Team!<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nHey, time to meet my fellow Saturday 6-ers! I almost forgot, please promise me
\nthat you will visit their sites and support them, they were all so smart, so
\nnice and for whatever Kismet, we all bonded in a special way \u2013 new friends are
\nrare, but, it\u2019s funny how sometimes it all works out. I am happy to share their
\nblogs with you!<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nSteve Asbell is the author of the blog The Rainforest Gardener<\/a>. From Florida, he is a talented graphic designer, illustrator, artist and an plantsman. He secretly shared with us that he is working on his first book.<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAmy Andrychowicz from Minnesota is the author of the blog Get Busy Gardening!<\/a> might be a software developer  while are work, but  at home she is a deeply passionate gardener who has a the green gene big time.<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n <\/span>Noelle Smith Johnson
\nfrom The Home Garden<\/a> blog, is from Arizona. Not only is she a knowledgeable horticulturist, but she is also a successful landscape designer and a garden writer. In her spare time, she is also a busy mom!<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nDavid Townsend from the popular vegetable growing blog  Growing the Home Garden<\/a>, lives in Tennessee with his ever-growing family, which he feeds from his garden. He is currently in the process of kicking-off his own nursery business ‘The Blue Shed Gardens’.<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nHelen Yoest from the blog  Gardening with Confidence<\/a>. is the author of the fab gardening book Gardening with Confidence<\/a>. She is our own Elisabeth Lawrence – garden writer, plantswomen, location scout and stylist for many leading horticultural publications and books, she too is a mom!<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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\n
\nGarden equipment and Matt? Not always a good mix, but I do have a few Troy-Bilt machines in the sheds, so<\/div>\n
\nit is a brand that I not only believe in, but one I depend on year after year. With design<\/div>\n
\nsuch as this on their new line of ride-on mowers? I could not resist.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\nSo why did I agree to participate? Nah, not really for the
\nfree product or even for the deserts \u2013 I joined because
\nthis is a company that does everything right. I mean it. For example, last week
\nI received an offer from a big blue fertilizer company via their PR agency, and
\nthey actually wanted me to post pre-written tweets about their brand, that they
\nprovided me, as well as requesting me to recommend their brand site for no reason at all- then to recommend a new
\napp they created to market their brand. Why would I ever do that? The quotes about their greatness were pre-scripted, and thus would not
\nbe in my own voice, (what if I don\u2019t even use the brand?) \u2013 come on
\npeople! Learn some social media skills, especially if you are a fortune 100
\ncompany!<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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Helen Yoest gets some practical advice on edging.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n

To contrast that, here is how the Troy-Bilt people play –<\/o:p><\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\nWith my big-brand hat on, I wrote a list of questions to ask
\nthe team while playing on their buck, in Phoenix. Their agency rep MJ gladly
\nread my questions. \u201cWho is your target audience? What products are you trying
\nto focus on from your portfolio of brands? What are my limitations? Are you
\ntrying to focus on a specific or target consumer like women or young dads?\u201d <\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nMJ\u2019s response surprised (read- impressed) me. She said  <\/span>\u201cMatt, we want you to just be honest.  <\/span>No need to mention Troy-Bilt or any products in your tweets or Facebook posts. We
\nwould like you to write one post about your visit with us and your experience
\nin Phoenix (this post) and also about meeting your fellow Saturday6 blogger
\nteam, and then two articles about anything you want \u2013 as long as it\u2019s about
\nbackyards, gardening or plants – we are hiring you to be our voice about
\ngardening for our newsletter because we at the agency really are not serious
\ngardeners and just not as knowledgeable as your real gardeners are. Just be honest,
\nforthright and you don\u2019t need to mention any products at all even in your tweets
\nor even in your Facebook posts.\u201d <\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nI was in.<\/o:p><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nMJ said all of the right things. We has total freedom to
\nwrite honestly, and the last thing the team wanted was for me or any of the
\nother Saturday 6\u2019ers to feel as if they were uncomfortable with specific
\nrequests like pushing a product. My point is that Troy-Bilt believes enough in
\nmy brand, that they felt that my audience would sense any dishonestly, which
\ngoes to the core principles of their company, and why I decided to be a partner
\nwith them.<\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nAnother great PR\/business lesson – learn from these, my Mom always said.<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n
\nSO here I am, an official Saturday6 Troy-Bilt spokesperson
\nfor a year. You can expect two reviews of new product, some tweets and Facebook
\nmentions, and a nice, little ad on my sidebar. I, get to eat bacon and
\nchocolate until I puke, and I get to make a video for their website on anything
\nI want about gardening, ( yes \u2013 finally you get to see me in a video) with no
\nneed to mention any brand or product. <\/o:p><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
This automatic starter was BRILLIANT! If you hate pulling the cord start you lawn and garden tool, this device will become your best friend. As if – a flashlight had a baby with you automatic car starter.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
\n

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\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here is the story behind my new partnership with Troy Bilt, and why sometimes, a deal can be good for all of us. 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