Several flower shops offered voters a free rose for Election Day.
The midterm elections served as a marketing muse for several florists around the country. Scotts Flowers in New York City was among those offering people sporting an “I Voted!” sticker a free rose.
The shop had 15 new visitors, “more than we expected,” said co-owner Rob Palliser. Online, however, the post created an even bigger buzz, particularly on Instagram (161 likes, 13 comments and plenty of DMs). “People told us it was very clever,” he said. “We got lots of compliments.”
Central Square Florist, located just a few blocks from a subway stop in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ran the same promotion. (The shop typically does a name game rose giveaway, with great success.)
“We gave away so many roses,” said manager Jackie Levine. “We tried to count, but quickly lost count.” Expecting an exceptionally high voter turnout for this election, the shop purchased about 300 roses to hand out. A few of the visitors shopped while they were in, picking up a plant or some grab-and-go bouquets.
“We also saw mentions on Instagram and Twitter of people who said it was their first time in their shop and that they would return the next time they need flowers,” Levine said.
Throughout the day, Levine made a point of liking and commenting each time she saw a new follower or a happy post. “When people were in, we verbally asked them to follow us,” she said. She also reposted people’s reactions in Central Square Florist’s Instagram stories.
“It was a very wonderful day,” she said. “We met a lot of people and they were so happy!”
