The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney puts science at the centre of its latest campaign via Hulsbosch

For the first time, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney has embarked on a strategic journey to reposition themselves as one of Australia’s leading scientific institutions via Hulsbosch.

The brief for the new brand campaign was to expand perceptions and experiences of The Garden from being both a beautiful, relaxing place to visit with stunning horticultural displays, but also a brand synonymous with scientific research and innovation.

Through its leading horticultural and scientific expertise, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is a living lab, helping to deliver real solutions to some of the world’s most critical environmental and biodiversity issues, vital to the quality of life for generations to come.

To drive The Garden’s strategic brand communications and marketing campaigns, the new brand campaign focused on a wide-ranging creative opportunity to build relevance for The Garden as a vital centre of science. In addition, provide a platform to educate and market the applied value of plant science to multiple audiences.

Says Anthony Dunsford, director visitor experience, Royal Botanic Garden Sydney: “The Gardens were opened in 1816 and Hulsbosch has successfully continued the story of the brand.

Hulsbosch has delivered an exceptional brand campaign that helps demystify but also connect people, across many touch points, with the issues of nature today. It gives strength to our position and deliberate voice for the future. It’s a case of brand saving science.”

In collaboration with Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Hulsbosch based its approach on an extensive research program to gather and provide insights from stakeholders, supporters, and volunteers. The communications audit was also accompanied by a review and a measurement of brand differentiation with local and global botanic competitors, in the space of authoritative science-driven activity.

Says Jaid Hulsbosch, director, Hulsbosch: “It’s the start of a transforming new era for The Gardens – from one as guardian and custodian – to courageous contributors of plant science and the broader conversation about sustaining our quality of life.

“The compelling and inspiring brand idea ‘The Vital Science’ reinforces and importantly emphasises the active output of the scientists and horticulturists, not the location where it’s done. It’s an overarching communication to enrich awareness and make people really think about ways to safeguard their futures.”

‘The Vital Science’ brand statement anchors all Royal Botanic Garden Sydney executions, however the key components to the brand campaign are the dramatic visual elements that support the bold headline statements.

All the communications rely on strong accompanying images that either hero real life scientific projects happening in The Garden, or the everyday, much-loved items that could be under threat if solutions are not provided as a global scientific community.

The four-tier creative campaign also confronts the audience with challenging statements that refer to the high-level implications if plants disappeared, as well as celebrating The Garden’s ‘Science Rock Stars’, as they are instrumental to the ground breaking research and progress being made in plant science today.

The brand launch is now live, with activations in The Gardens from May 2018 and continue throughout June to coincide with the 10_year celebrations of VIVID Sydney.

The rollout includes consistent branding for all Garden’s programs and activities with an inventory of double sided flags, gate banners, entrance posters and A-frame signage. In addition to a full suite of merchandise will be new digital assets for the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney website and social media platforms.

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