TruGreen Partners with IBM Watson for Digital Ads

TruGreen Partners with IBM Watson for Ads That Recommend Personalized Lawn Care Plans

Kari Rajaniemi

April 21, 2018

It’s no secret that AI in advertising is leaping from the experimental stage to something more commonplace. To help consumers develop lawn care plans that are specific to their lawns’ needs, our team at TruGreen has engaged IBM Watson Advertising to create interactive digital advertising units that are powered by artificial intelligence (AI). These ads are currently available on The Weather Channel app, weather.com, and across HGTV properties.

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AI is guided by the principle that marketers should be able to leverage solutions, insights, and data across all of their marketing efforts, so they can continually optimize how they reach and engage consumers. Today, companies are exploring expanded use of AI tools to better reach consumers and deepen engagement, by targeting the right person, at the right time, through the right channel, with the right message.

In TruGreen’s case, consumers can help discover their personalized lawn plan recommendations by simply starting a conversation in the AI-powered ad unit, which subsequently guides them through the conversation via images, videos and other interactive buttons that are relevant to the topic. For example, if the consumer is dealing with an issue – such as discoloration in their yard, they can select the “grass not green” option in the AI-powered ad, which will kick off a conversation with Watson to learn more about their specific lawn care concerns. Alternatively, the consumer can type in “How can I get my lawn looking great?” and Watson will respond with a series of questions to get clarity on the specific lawn needs.

At TruGreen, we are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to interact with consumers in a deeper, more personal way. We have long enjoyed collaborating with Watson Advertising, and this test with Watson Ads is a perfect entry point for us to explore AI-powered marketing. IBM’s ability to create an interactive campaign that taps into our consumers’ needs is unparalleled and has the potential to dramatically change how consumers engage with our brand.

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Kari Rajaniemi

Kari Rajaniemi serves as Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for TruGreen, the nation’s number one professional lawn care company with over 260 branches across North America. He is responsible for the oversight, health and promotion of the TruGreen brand. With the 2016 integration of Scotts LawnService into TruGreen largely complete, the role includes investing across several acquisition channels to generate—and retain—new residential and commercial customers. In addition, Kari oversees TruGreen’s public relations and corporate and internal communications functions. Prior to joining TruGreen in 2013, his responsibilities included serving as SVP-Marketing and Chief Strategy Officer for ADT Security Services; VP-Global Marketing for The Franklin Mint; and field marketing roles for GTE and PepsiCo. Kari is a former Board member of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and earned his MBA from the University of Connecticut.