Mission: To provide brand management experience exclusively to students at the Bloomington campus of Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

 

Bloomington Brands LLC (aka "Brands") was established in 2003 and is based in Bloomington, IN.  Bob Stohler, a retired Scotts Executive Vice President, supervises the business.

 

How Bloomington Brands Fits with Scotts

Bloomington Brands manages the Osmocote® Plant Food brand, a $12 million business, under contract with the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. Scotts holds the rights to the Osmocote® trademark for consumer use of the brand, and provides essential business functions such as R&D, purchasing, manufacturing, inventory control, sales, order fulfillment, and collections. Brands handles key marketing activities such as brand strategy, consumer communications, trade and consumer promotional activities, and product decisions about sizing, pricing, formulation, packaging and trade dress.

 

The Student Experience

From a Kelley student perspective, working at Bloomington Brands provides a unique opportunity for team members to actively participate in the management of a nationally distributed product for one academic year. The hands-on experience is invaluable on the job training for career switchers looking to move into a consumer product brand management role. We believe this is the only program of its kind in the US.

 

Examples of Projects Completed by Previous Classes:

• Product line re-launch (new packages, labels, formula, sizes, and prices)

• Advertising campaign development (print and digital)

• Media purchase

• Consumer promotions

• Social Media strategy development and execution

• Expanding content and visibility of the brand's main website, PlantersPlace.com

• Drafting e-newsletters and magazine print articles

 

Quick Facts About the Product, Osmocote® Plant Food

Osmocote® Plant Food is the original slow-release plant food.  It was initially developed for high-value added, professional growers.  Through the process of osmosis, Osmocote® feeds plants what they need and when they need it for 4-6 full months. 

 

Osmocote® Plant Food has two formulas and a total of 7 SKUs:

• Osmocote® Plus Outdoor & Indoor (3 SKUs)

• Osmocote® Flower & Vegetable (4 SKUs)