Taryn Dudle, an Instagram influencer for The Bouqs, is one of several social media stars included in the Observer’s round-up.
Katy Kellener, a 31-year-old freelance writer, recently explored millennials’ relationship with flowers and the floral industry’s efforts to woo her demographic in a lengthy feature for the Observer.
Kellener’s piece cited a 2015 report by the Produce Marketing Association, which identified millennial disinterest as a key factor affecting the cut flower business, and referenced the American Floral Endowment’s 2016 report “Marketing Tactics to Increase Millennial Floral Purchases.”
She also interviewed Christine Boldt, executive vice president of the Association of Floral Importers of Florida, who spoke of the need for a unified marketing message among all industry segments during the Miami Flower Experience, a networking event that featured a wall of red roses, white chrysanthemums, pink peonies and blue hydrangeas — intended to encourage Instagram posts to captivate young consumers.
Steve Daum, director of Floralife, told Kellener that alluring images aren’t enough; consumers need floral education too, perhaps achieved through workshops similar to “wine and painting” classes.
“People look at a web page and expect to get a bouquet that looks exactly like the picture they see,” Daum said. “They don’t understand that you have to put them in a clean vase with clean water. You have to let blooms hydrate. It’s like buying a green pineapple at the grocery store, cutting it up and expecting it to taste good.”
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.
![“It’s been so exciting to watch [the Next Gen Florists Facebook page] grow each day,” said Nicole Palazzo of City Line Florist in Trumbull, Connecticut.](https://safnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/NextGen_FB-150x150.jpg)
