The industry is ready to Petal It Forward: 229 events are planned in 207 cities in 49 states for October 19th.
On October 19, 2016, the Society of American Florists and florists nationwide will randomly surprise people on the street with flowers through 230 in 207 cities in 49 states. During Petal It Forward, flower recipients will receive two bouquets— one to keep, and one to share with a friend, family member, co-worker, or even a complete stranger.
“We are thrilled by the outpouring of enthusiasm by industry members to join us by holding their own local Petal It Forward events on October 19th,” said SAF Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks. “And our fingers are crossed that members in Rhode Island will participate, too, so we can have events in all 50 states.”
On Oct. 19, Sparks and SAF’s marketing team will be in New York City, where they will ask recipients to “Petal It Forward” by giving away one of their bouquets and posting a picture about it using the hashtag #PetalItForward and tagging SAF’s Instagram, @About_Flowers or Twitter, @FlowerFactor. And they will be reminded that they can continue to spread the happiness throughout the year by visiting their local florist.
“Generating traditional and social media coverage on the benefits of flowers is the goal of Petal It Forward,” Sparks said, “and having florists in all 50 states would greatly increase the industry’s chances for national news coverage.” SAF’s 2015 Petal It Forward campaign generated more than 212 million consumer impressions through traditional media coverage and 1.2 million social media impressions, and garnered participation from industry members in 44 cities in 27 states.
SAF’s 2015 Petal It Forward campaign generated more than 212 million consumer impressions through traditional media coverage and 1.2 million social media impressions, and garnered participation from industry members in 44 cities in 27 states.
This year’s program is already making headlines. Karen Flanders of Lady Slipper Creations in Chester, New Hampshire received news coverage for her shop’s Petal It Forward event in the Eagle-Tribune article: “A ‘petal’ for your thoughts: Local florist participates in national effort to spread happiness.”
See this week’s Tip of the Week “Petal It Forward Prep: Remind Media and Prepare Messages” for advice on how to generate local news coverage for your shop’s event.
Here is a quick look at what a few other members are saying about their Petal It Forward plans:
- Beth Herman of Palace Florists Inc., in Rockville, Maryland: “We participated last year in front of our old store in Washington, D.C. It was amazing to meet so many of our clients, hear feedback and see smiles! We do not have foot traffic in front of our new location, so it will be nice to introduce ourselves to our new neighborhood.”
- Valerie Lee Ow of J. Miller Flowers in Oakland, California: “I think it is a brilliant way to promote flowers, connections and friendliness with our communities.”
- Joyce Chowanec of The Lavender Goose in Peckville, Pennsylvania: “Last year, we were so touched by the patients and families that were experiencing life’s saddest moments, and we brought some joy to their faces! We feel that everyone was so grateful for a bit of sunshine.”
- Tamara Nalbandyan of Trudy’s Floral Design in Seattle: “This event will help us to brighten someone’s day and contribute to a happier work environment and make everyone, everywhere, happier, whether they be friends, total strangers or work colleagues.”
- Patti Wood of Patti’s Petals Florist, Gardens and Gifts in Denton, Maryland, participated last year: “It was a lot of fun, and we received a lot of attention from our local newspaper and social media. Mostly though, the smiles it brought people were priceless.”
There’s still time to plan a Petal It Forward event for Oct. 19 in your community, Sparks said. For step-by-step logistics advice, as well as easy-to-implement materials, visit safnow.org/petalitforward. SAF is compiling a list of local Petal It Forward events. See where events are happening at safnow.org/pifevents. Get your event listed by completing the Petal It Forward Participation Form at safnow.org/PIFform as soon as possible.
Sparks urges members to follow and share SAF’s #PetalItForward posts on Instagram @About_Flowers, on Twitter @FlowerFactor, and on Facebook @AboutFlowers, for additional ideas and real-time updates on Petal It Forward.
“We encourage all social media content be tagged #PetalItForward, because it helps to spread the positive flower message,” Sparks said, “and helps us measure the success of the campaign.”
