Teleflora recently created a very 2018 family reunion and posted a heartwarming video documenting the day to YouTube and Facebook, where it has received more than 3.2 million views.
Through the power of 4K projection technology, floor-to-ceiling screens, and a meticulous recreation of a family’s dining room, Teleflora recently orchestrated a surprise holiday meal experience to reunite a military mom based in Tokyo with her loved ones halfway around the world in Omaha, Nebraska.
Captain Jennifer Bromm, a judge advocate in the United States Army, has spent the past five years abroad and consequently missed out on her family’s holiday traditions. This year, her predicament felt especially poignant because she is celebrating her 10-month-old daughter Bailey’s first Christmas.
Unbeknownst to Bromm, Teleflora worked with her parents and husband, Jason, to transform a studio space in Tokyo into a replica of her parents’ home in Omaha, accounting for every last detail, from her family’s dishes and tablecloth, to the decorations on the walls. The menu was also carefully curated to taste, feel and smell just like home. To complete the experience, a floor-to-ceiling screen was erected and, using 4K projection technology, Teleflora connected two family tables 6,000 miles apart.
Teleflora captured the scene with a 90-second video, which featured the tagline, “Because Teleflora believes that distance should never separate families.” The company posted the video, the latest iteration of its “Love Out Loud Campaign,” to YouTube and Facebook, where it has received more than 3.2 million views.
“Today, we see a lot of families separated by circumstance, and it’s hardest during the holidays,” said Amber Justis, executive creative director for The Wonderful Agency, who oversaw the project. “Our idea came to life when we found a way to bridge that gap by combining all the sights, sounds, tastes and memorabilia from Jennifer’s childhood home in Omaha and transporting them to Tokyo. Teleflora delivered even more than beautiful flowers — we delivered a feeling.”
The emotions conjured by all those sensory details have really resonated with consumers and partner florists alike, said Danielle Mason, Teleflora’s senior director of consumer marketing. “People love that we are celebrating family and connection — the simple and most important elements surrounding the holidays,” Mason said.
Inspiration for “The Teleflora Table” grew out of a National Retail Federation report that found 39 percent of people prefer experiences over traditional material gifts for the holidays.
“Receiving hand-delivered flowers is a unique gift. It can’t be unwrapped or returned because it’s an experience from the instant the beautiful surprise arrives at your door,” Mason said. “This video was created to show how unforgettable the gift of a special experience can be.”
Teleflora worked with the production company Unit9, which reached out to groups whose members often miss the holidays with their families because they’re committed to a noble pursuit of some kind.
“As might be expected, it wasn’t easy to pick just one family,” Mason said. Teleflora ultimately chose Bromm because she hadn’t had a Christmas at home for years and she’s already spent months working while caring for her daughter in a foreign land. “In addition to Jennifer’s unique circumstances, she has a family that is brimming with love,” Mason said.
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.