The Floral Management Marketer of the Year entry deadline is June 2, 2018. Click here for the entry form
Second-generation florist Rick Canale grew up reading Floral Management and, over the years, accumulated a long list of business owners he admired and emulated. Among them: Marty and Jane Loppnow, of Waukesha Floral & Greenhouse in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Frances Hopkins, of Under A Foot Plant Company in Salem, Oregon — the 2004 and 2005 winners of Floral Management’s Marketer of the Year award.
“I still remember their campaigns and the magazine headlines (Let Them Eat Cake and Walk This Way),” Canale said. Those stories motivated the co-owner and marketing director of Exotic Flowers in Boston, Massachusetts, to think big and ultimately enter the contest himself.
His grand idea — pitching the Boston Red Sox to become the team’s official florist, rebranding marketing materials to reflect the high-status association and adding Red Sox merchandise to the shop’s inventory — earned Exotic Flowers Floral Management’s 2008 Marketer of the Year honors, which Canale describes as “a career highlight.”
“Being recognized in front of my peers at the Society of American Florists’ annual convention meant everything,” he said. “This industry has given so much to me, so it was really gratifying to give back by sharing my success story to inspire others. Plus, it was pretty cool being ‘the famous florist’ for the week.”
Since winning, Canale has used pieces of the Marketer of the Year application to train employees, shape the company culture and court the press. (In 2009, Entrepreneur.com ran a story about his campaign and win.)
For Nielsen’s Florist & Garden Shop in Darien, Connecticut, the Marketer of the Year award serves as a carrot that pushes the 72-year-old family business to explore ways to improve. In 2013, Neilsen’s nabbed MOTY honors for a merchandising overhaul that turned the shop into a popular local destination. Three years later, the shop won once again for a mobile app that streamlines the shopping experience and helps customers interact with employees.
“Entering and winning the award inspired us to keep striving and to try new thing,” said Raya Ward, Nielsen’s manager and marketing coordinator. “When you do something like this, you always want to go one better and see what else you can do.”
“What a confidence boost!” said Cheryl Denham, owner of Arizona Family Florist in Phoenix, who won in 2012 with the success of “LUX,” her company’s branded bridal business.
The application, available online, is simple and straightforward. Applicants outline their campaign, share evidence of its success and include samples of their marketing materials.
“It can be as quick or as time-consuming as you want it to be,” Denham said. “It was fun to see how our whole campaign came together from beginning to end, but the application was also a humbling reminder that we will never completely finish evolving our brand. Times change, styles change, technology changes — we need to always stay current to remain relevant and top of mind.”
Denham, a member of SAF’s Retailers Council, said her motivation was two-fold. “Obviously, we truly believed the creativity of our LUX brand deserved national recognition,” she said. “But we also wanted to encourage our fellow retail florists to think outside the box when it comes to marketing their wedding and event business. While we can certainly show off our amazing design skills with our everyday arrangements, brides want to see something really unique for their wedding day. And, let’s be honest, catchy modern names are everything these days!”
Bill Prescott, marketing communications specialist for Sun Valley Farms in Arcata, California, has seen his company’s Women’s Day campaign grow by leaps and bounds since winning the 2014 Marketer of the Year award. “Many organizations and companies have joined in the effort,” he said. “Several years later, the campaign is going stronger than ever.”
The Marketer of the Year contest is open to members of all segments of the industry.
The 2018 Marketer of the Year winner will receive:
- $5,000 cash prize, sponsored by Design Master color tool, inc.
- FREE registration for SAF Palm Springs 2018— September 12-15, at The Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California
- Recognition during the Marketing Breakfast at SAF Palm Springs 2018
- Cover story detailing the marketing efforts in the September issue of Floral Management.
A panel of successful floral business owners and at least one non-industry marketing expert will evaluate entries.
The Marketer of the Year Entry Deadline: June 1, 2018. Click here for the entry form.
For more information and to read about past winners, click here.
