Go West

Indoor gardening is a relatively new but promising trend in the United States. This encouraged Soendgen Keramik, a German producer of ceramics, to launch a strategic entry into the market in 2004 in order to take advantage of the potential on offer. Those involved were well aware of the fact that many German companies had previously come to grief in the US marketplace because they intended to conquer the American continent with sales and marketing strategies from the home country. Which is why, right from the first day, the Adendorf-based ceramics producer brought on board an American business partner with outstanding market knowledge. Now it was a matter of doing the spadework for the company’s “holeless” pot, since the only type Americans were familiar with at that time were decorative ones featuring a drainage hole and a matching saucer. The German manufacturer was able to carry conviction because his product was so completely watertight that there was absolutely no danger of damaging the furniture when watering the plants. This argument, in combination with the design of the ceramic pots, led to Soendgen products being listed today by all the well-known American DIY and home improvement chains. The fact that Soendgen Keramik has its own in-house designers represents a key advantage and a milestone in the cooperation with the company’s American customers. This alone makes it possible to carry out the many and varied ideas for patterns requested by the DIY chains within what is generally an extremely tightly calculated presentation period. Added to this is the fact that – as is only to be expected, given the size of this country – the individual regions differ greatly in terms of trends and style. Whereas in the cities, and in New York above all, the atmosphere is defined by a “metropolitan” style in bright pinks, reds and oranges, the north-west shows a tendency towards cool shades of sand and blue. By contrast, the influence of Mexico is clearly evident in the south-west, showing itself in varying shades of terracotta, highlighted by touches of fresh turquoise and orange. So Soendgen Keramik has geared its American product range to take account of such disparities and differentiations. Last but not least, the company has also adapted its communication policy to the specific requirements of this market. The setting up of an interesting and continually updated website is seen as an essential pre-condition for anyone operating in the American market…