I’m pleased to announce New England Hydroponics, now a 5-store and online retailer and commercial supplier of gardening gear and supplies, for whom I created and executed all marketing tactics since 2017, has been acquired in a reported cash and stock deal by Hydrobuilder Holdings.
My principal, Ethan Holmes, started the business online in 2002, and when I started working with him as his creative and marketing partner, he’d built the business and brand to three stores, with over 2500+ products online.
We supported the move of one store to what became a 6000+ sq ft headquarters in Marlborough, MA (with 6000 sq ft warehouse), and have since supported the opening of 2 new stores (now 5 stores), including a new hydroponics and grow supply super store (13,000 sq ft retail) in Sanford, Maine in Fall 2021. The online store neHydro.com, now has over 4000+ products. The store also has a thriving Commercial Accounts Group.
It’s been a source of pride to have worked with Ethan as his creative partner; and with all The Indoor Gardening Experts™ on the New England Hydroponics’ team as we’ve helped build retail store and online sales, the brand, and its good name.
Part of the store management and buying team at New England Hydroponics – Ethan Holmes is 3rd from the right.
Got a story you’d like to tell? Call me if you’d like to know more about how we build authentic brand and marketing stories that engage people and encourage loyalty. And create a salable endgame.
Ah, the best laid plans! I’d hoped to post my monthly projects here, but we’re moving at the speed of retail, and what with opening the 5th New England Hydroponics store and the 1st in Maine, we’ve been living the dream.
So, for the sake of showing indeed someone is home at Thomas Marketing Services Corporation (with some unused bandwidth in case you’re interested), here’s a few of the projects we’ve had on our project lists, all of which are in the field, getting it done.
Call me, Tom Lanen, at (508) 951-0130 if you could use some solid marketing support. Let’s chat a bit on my nickel; you might be surprised the results your modest marketing budget can bring.
New England Hydroponics Monthly Deals Newsletter – permission-based: database creation18 x 24 In-Store Monthly Deals Point of Sale Poster – Fits in Standalone FrameWebsite Announcement Rotator Slide for neHydro.comIntroductory CouponNew Product POS/Selling Tools
… and the list goes on, with plans for a Grand Opening Event and free raffle to be held at the new Sanford Store on November 6, 2021.
I’m here to help – hit me up and let’s chat a bit on my nickel.
Feed the brand well and mindfully, and it will grow.
(27 August 2020) Here are a few of the projects Thomas Marketing Services Corporation created and fielded during August for New England Hydroponics. The numbers prove we’re building revenue and brand momentum.
8. Overall website product updating & maintenance on Big Commerce platform.
And that’s most of it. Call me at 508 951-0130 or email me, Tom Lanen, if you could use a hand. I’m easy to work with and get things done fast — at the right cost! (And you can get on with what you do best!)
December 2021: Please click here for an update on current offerings from Thomas Marketing Services.
Thomas Marketing Services Corporation is a process-driven and agile problem-solving, branding, marketing, and business acceleration resource. Strategic & tactical, I’m helping business owners prosper in the tumultuous business and world climate.
Here’s the thing. In good times and crazy, it’s all about the brand, and the story behind it. At its core brand is a story; it’s about what makes it different, why it matters, and why we should care. How it provides certainty amidst uncertainty.
The difference is you.™ Because far more than a logo, a brand reflects the vision and values of its principals and stakeholders. Those with good instincts evolve theirs in a strategic manner, adjusting aligned tactics to meet the day at hand. And in doing so, they create sustained momentum and valuable equity.
I’m Tom Lanen, and my track record as a brand marketer, writer and integrated advertising & design agency principal is wide-ranging with mainstream brands such Velcro™ fasteners (global – 17 years), Ovation Benefits Group (15 years), Boston Whaler™, Keurig™, and several Thermo (Electron) Fisher Scientific™ business groups. I’ve also worked with many technology, services, retail, and consumer product start-ups and mid-market brands.
The brand difference: its people, The Indoor Gardening Experts™. It starts at the top.
Currently, my lead client is New England Hydroponics, for whom I work in a marketing and creative role for its 4-MA retail stores; and also online.
Right now, I’m looking to help one or two business owners who could use a hand, especially in these extraordinary days. We should talk.
I work with principals and stakeholders on revenue-building branding and re-stage strategies, which may employ tactics such database-driven permission email, social media, and online advertising; broadcast, video/streaming, and print marketing; and point-of-sale merchandising and packaging design systems. I can also help manage full-blown business and /or line expansion initiatives.
A branded visual design and marketing ‘eco-system’ that expands upon the identity established by the (new) logo; with all tactics aligned with the core strategic brand communications platform (a new way of seeing™) to create a consistent and engaging brand presence. This rebranding program was created for a management buyout team with a 5-year end-game; it was sold at private sale to a major consulting business after just 2 years.
As a business owner and brand guy with 30 years to the better, I can help navigate these tricky markets of 2020, and provide you with perspective and options. While nobody has ever seen this, sound brand marketing and design principals, and genuine story-telling still get it done.
It will be surely be the foundation of a return to normalcy and prosperity. It always has. What’s more, it can be an opportune time to pick up market share while others retreat.
In short, I’m flexible and capable, and wide open to your vision and ways of doing business. I also fully believe in budgets and transparency; and a measurable return on your investment.
Marketing is about communication and trust, a strategic balance of transactional and emotional. Do it mindfully, and you engage people in meaningful ways, and create loyalty. You prosper.
Are you ready for what’s next? Please contact me in confidence and without obligation, and let’s chat a few minutes on my nickel. (508) 951-0130
