Taylor Farms, Sakata Seed America, Kitayama Brothers and Green Valley Floral partnered for Petal It Forward in Salinas, California, in 2017, showing off logo aprons in this YouTube video.
By Christy O’Farrell
When Judy Litzenberg headed to work at Louis Morgan Gifts and Pharmacy in Longview, Texas, one Wednesday morning last October, she had no idea she was about to get a surprise gift of flowers. That, however, is exactly what happened — to Litzenberg’s total delight — thanks to the efforts of Casa Flora, a florist who participated in the Society of American Florists’ Petal It Forward 2017 event.
“There’s just not a better surprise than beautiful flowers; and to think that you receive some and then you get to share with somebody else,” Litzenberg told a reporter for KLTV, the local ABC affiliate. Shining bright in that positive news coverage? The Casa Flora team, adorned in lime green Petal It Forward shirts, which helped brand the feel-good giveaway to viewers at home.
SAF’s 2018 Petal It Forward event is coming up on Oct. 24, and there’s time for your shop to sign up to participate, order team T-shirts, flower tags and stickers, and brush up on the hashtags to use to promote the event.
In 2017, wholesaler DVFlora got in on the fun with eight employees sporting vivid blue T-shirts and helping Haddonfield Floral hand out 250 bouquets. DVFlora posted quotes from its employees about how much they enjoyed participating. One noticed that “many people who didn’t even receive flowers, stopped us to say what a great idea Petal It Forward is,” and another employee was reminded “of the truly remarkable business we all work in.”
Tips from other industry participants:
- In addition to those lime green, logoed Petal It Forward T-shirts, Casa Flora’s happiness ambassadors also found it helpful to use a loose script for approaching passersby.
- The Root System in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, added name tags to its logoed T-shirts, and moved locations about every 10 minutes to avoid creating “a ‘gimmee’ situation,” said Julie Zadjura. “We did not want lines forming … surprising recipients is the key.”
- Valerie Lee Ow of J. Miller Flowers and Gifts in Oakland, California, ran out of time to order T-shirts, but didn’t let that stop her. She got crafty and stenciled white paint onto orange T-shirts that looked “festive and inviting” in their pumpkin patch setting.
- Snazzy aprons would be a good alternative to T-shirts. Taylor Farms, Sakata Seed America, Kitayama Brothers and Green Valley Floral partnered for Petal It Forward in Salinas, California, in 2017, showing off its aprons in a YouTube video.
- Checkerberry’s in Coos Bay, Oregon, might add balloons this year for a “more visible impression” to call attention to its T-shirted team.
SAF is compiling a list of participating florists holding Petal It Forward events on October 24 to share with the media. Members are encouraged to fill out the participation form at safnow.org/pifform as soon as possible, as media outreach efforts will begin soon, including sharing the list of nationwide participants, said SAF Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks.
“The more florists participating on October 24, the better chance of news coverage and social media posts promoting flower power,” she explained. “We need to know where local events are happening, so we can tell the media, and so you can tell your local media that you are part of an effort happening nationwide.”
SAF provides members with step-by-step advice on program logistics, as well as easy-to-implement materials and resources at safnow.org/petalitforward.
“You can make your Petal It Forward local event as big or small as you want — even handing out 20-50 bouquets or single stems can make an impact,” Sparks said. “It’s a win-win to participate. For little effort, you give consumers the opportunity to experience the scientifically proven happiness that occurs when you give and receive flowers. At the same time, you position your business as a positive force in your community. That makes consumers feel good about you, which goes a long way in establishing customer loyalty. And, you give a morale boost to employees who play a part.”
Christy O’Farrell is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists
