Read about how a wholesaler and retailer teamed up to turn SAF’s Petal It Forward campaign into a big-time PR opportunity in the Windy City, in the December issue of Floral Management.
On October 7, more than 2,000 people in Chicago received a surprise gift of flowers, courtesy of Kennicott Brothers Company and Ashland Addison Florist Company, two participants in SAF’s national Petal It Forward campaign. In return, the two companies received major exposure: a television interview, a snapshot by a Getty Images photographer, and hundreds of consumer posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The secret to their success? Teamwork and tenacity — and about a dozen strategic moves, such as mapping out giveaway zones they knew would receive maximum traffic. Joe Barnes, Kennicott’s business developer, and Bridget Carlson, AAF, Ashland Addison’s director of marketing, PR, promotions and advertising, shared a few questions florists should ask themselves to identify their own local hot spots when planning similar events in the future:
- Where do people gather and at what time?
- What are the popular coffee shops and lunch spots?
- Are there any big sports events coming up?
For a comprehensive guide for pulling off a big-scale publicity stunt, read “A Match Made in (PR) Heaven,” the cover story of this month’s Floral Management.
