Who is behind the marketing initiative, why does it receive EU funding, and why is it all about poinsettias? Here we’re happy to answer all these questions and more.
Stars for Europe is a marketing initiative from European poinsettia breeders Beekenkamp Plants, Dümmen Orange, Selecta One and Florensis.
The initiative was founded in 2000 with the aim to promote and secure long-term poinsettia sales. Through carefully defined themes, targets and an image refresh, the initiative taps into new buyer groups and increasingly inspires younger generations with poinsettias.
The campaign is now active in 22 countries. In some countries, activities are expanded and supported by EU funding – read more about that below.
Stars for Europe supports the entire poinsettia supply chain, working in partnership with a wide network of agencies and freelancers across Europe. SfE delivers a large-scale, international consumer promotion campaign which targets end consumers directly. In addition to B2C marketing it provides support, advice, and resources to all members of the industry.
Who is behind Stars for Europe?
Stars for Europe is based in Bonn at the location of the ZVG (German Central Horticultural Association). It is managed by specialist marketing agency Green Marketing Europe GmbH.
It is led at director level by the following breeding companies:
Dümmen Orange
Selecta One
Florensis
Stars for Europe activities currently take place in 22 European countries:
The Christmas star, also called poinsettia, is one of the most popular flowering houseplants of all time. In Europe alone, millions of poinsettias are sold every year. There are many reasons for the plant’s great popularity. Here are a few of them:
As one of the most important sales drivers in the second half of the year, poinsettia plays a central role for many players in the European ornamental horticulture sector, from producers – to retailers and various other players in the supply chain. With a broad mix of measures for consumers and the industry, SfE strengthens the market position of the plant and ensures that it can continue to live up to its important role in the European horticultural sector.
Our marketing activities are aimed at both consumers and green industry players involved in the poinsettia trade.
We reach consumers through a mix of classic public relations, intensive digital communication, advertising and promotion activities and attention-grabbing public initiatives. You can find our consumer-facing content in our blog and press area.
We reach the industry in a range of ways, for example, via trade press, newsletters, collaborations with industry bodies and events such as IPM. To support those in the green trade we offer sales and marketing advice, photos, videos, point-of-sale materials and more. We are always happy to support you with the latest marketing tools.
Dr. Susanne Lux
Dr. Rainer Krämer
Hannah Dunne
Stars for Europe works with partner agencies in each country, who deliver campaign activities in line with their national target market.
From 2021 to 2024, the marketing measures in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Spain will be funded by the EU as part of the “Stars connect Europe” campaign. The funding in these countries allows for the implementation of comprehensive, holistic marketing campaigns with a focus on PR, social media, events and sales promotion.
To learn more about country-specific activities or EU funding, read our FAQs or contact the relevant person in your country.
Campaign activities can vary depending on whether a country is part of a current round of EU funding. Contact the representative in your country to learn more about what’s happening near you.
In general, countries that receive EU funding host widespread, holistic marketing campaigns with a broad mix of different activities. This involves consumer and trade PR in various forms, development of POS materials, social media, events, media partnerships, and more.
In country campaigns that are funded solely by the industry, our partners are adapting and delivering media material based on content produced under the EU campaign, creating consumer press coverage in line with the national markets. For the trade, free POS materials are available to download, and our extensive, yearly updated image bank can be used for free, for example, for creating social media content and bespoke POS materials.
In order to receive EU funding, specific targets must be set, for example, the amount of coverage in media publications or the total number of people reached by our content online. Our targets are defined based on 20 years’ experience of working in partnership with a wide network of experts and specialists.
We track our results by analysing market data over time; this is a necessary requirement for EU campaign countries. We source market data from a range of reputable sources including Germany’s largest market research institute (GfK) and trade body AMI, and by commissioning Kantar consumer surveys internationally.
SfE is the marketing initiative of European poinsettia breeders Dümmen Orange, Selecta , Beekenkamp Plants and Florensis. At board level, the organisation is represented by the staff of breeder members across both management and marketing.
Project management: Green Marketing Europe, Dr. Susanne Lux
Under the company umbrella of Green Marketing Europe GmbH (GME), Dr. Susanne Lux manages the Stars for Europe campaign alongside its sister campaign Pelargonium for Europe. Previously Dr. Lux has supervised numerous projects in the area of market analysis and marketing in the green sector. To manage the projects, GME is supported by a small team of dedicated staff and freelancers.
Partner agencies: SfE partners with a wide network of talented agencies and freelancers in order to produce materials and deliver campaigns in 22 European countries . Thanks to valuable, longstanding relationships with European experts in PR, marketing and horticulture, the campaign is able to deliver the very best results to support Europe’s breeders, producers and green trade. Any new tender opportunities are published on this website.
The campaign’s core funding is provided by a breeder marketing fee that is calculated according to the number of cuttings sold by breeding companies participating in the initiative.
Since 2011, SfE has been receiving additional financial support from the EU, enabling the campaign to grow significantly. When an EU campaign runs in certain countries, funding for those countries is split: 80% by EU, 20% by green sector.
EU-funded countries host large-scale, holistic marketing campaigns comprising a wide mix of boosted measures from PR to media cooperation, events, POS support and more. EU funds also enable SfE to produce central materials such as photography, videos and texts which can be used in all countries – including those who are not part of the EU programme. This allows the remaining industry funds to focus entirely on delivering campaign materials via partner agencies in other countries.
The EU has a promotion policy to help agricultural producers sell their EU products in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, at the same time as delivering jobs and growth at home. EU-funded promotion campaigns are designed to open up new market opportunities for EU farmers and the wider industry, as well as helping them build their existing business.
To support the ornamental plant sector, SfE has successfully applied for EU co-financing since 2011 . Not only is the EU application process extremely complex, but coordinating and actioning EU-supported activities also requires specialist knowledge and training. SfE is pleased to have secured this support and plans to continue fulfilling its campaign goals to benefit Europe’s wider horticulture sector and supply chain.
The country budgets are decided by SfE’s steering board of breeding companies. Non-EU funded budgets are decided annually, whereas EU programmes last for three years. If personnel working for breeders or producers can see an opportunity for increased budget in a certain country, this can be put forward to the board for discussion. Countries with EU funding see significantly higher budgets.
SfE conducts extensive market research to gather vital information about the poinsettia trade. We continuously assess market trends through close partnerships with industry experts in various European countries, and we conduct consumer surveys to gain insights into perspectives on the poinsettia and consumer buying trends for flowers and plants. All campaign content and strategies are based closely on this valuable knowledge and research – from target audiences to key messages, storylines to visuals and more.
Whilst SfE’s budgets have been significantly increased thanks to EU funding, they are still far from the level of famous global brands, so the campaign must be clever and creative with its marketing. Thus, strategic media partnerships are based on many factors. SfE works with highly skilled experts and specialists in each country. Their knowledge combined with SfE’s experience allows the campaign to target and achieve press coverage and collaborations with Europe’s top media including many outlets that could be viewed as ‘out of reach’ for SfE’s budgets.
There is a large appetite for printed POS materials in Germany and Poland in particular, so these countries are the biggest target markets for POS promotional activity. Thousands of items are distributed to retailers in Germany and Poland each year. In other countries, materials are available to download online for free, and SfE sees hundreds of downloads per year.
In most cases the answer is yes: if you are a journalist, grower, retailer, or working in the poinsettia trade, SfE resources are here to support you. You can find all materials available in our trade area, where you can also read the Terms & Conditions for usage of SfE photos.
Subscribe to SfE’s trade newsletter to receive international updates on campaign activities and results during and following the poinsettia season.
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