A segment on Philadelphia’s KYW News Radio 1060 featured Stein Your Florist Company.
Amidst the busiest week of the year, professionals from all segments of the floral industry made time to talk to the media — scoring quality promotion for their individual businesses and keeping flowers top of mind with millions of consumers around the country.
They touched on a variety of topics including the preparation and manpower behind the holiday, creative design options, the impact of shopping locally and the emotional impact of flowers. Collectively, they depicted the passion that accompanies working with flowers and the joy people experience upon receiving them.
“Media coverage is one of the best sources of promotion because it puts your business in the context of everyday news, and those who take the time to be a resource to reporters will benefit,” says Jennifer Sparks, the Society of American Florists’ vice president of marketing. “Advertising is important, but you can’t beat the third-party credibility of good PR, so it should be part of your overall marketing mix.”
Here are just a few examples of this year’s Valentine’s coverage:
WBFF Fox 45 stopped in at Flowers & Fancies, Owings Mills, Maryland
Flowers & Fancies welcomed a film crew from WBFF Fox 45 into its Owings Mills, Maryland shop to show the extensive prep that goes into the biggest floral holiday of the year. President and general manager Eddie Wingrat explained that the company’s Valentine’s volume is ten times more than a typical day. The segment ended with a ride along for a delivery in which a woman broke into happy tears upon receiving flowers from her son and grandson. “It’s always so nice bringing flowers and seeing people’s reactions,” said driver Tim Hartzell.
Philadelphia’s KYW News Radio 1060 trumpeted Stein Your Florist Company
A segment on Philadelphia’s KYW News Radio 1060 trumpeted Stein Your Florist Company’s impressive longevity (132 years) and the shop’s significant efforts preparing for “the Super Bowl of flowers.” Reporter Tim Jimenez noted that owner Patrick Kelly slept in the shop on February 13 and hired extra help to expedite the shopping process for last-minute customers. Kelly also touched on flower trends, mentioning an uptick in requests for arrangements of mixed flowers and young people’s love of gerberas. He also made sure to reference the honor florists have to be intimately involved in people’s lives.
“I’ve taken guys from their first dates, when they buy their first rose, all the way to their anniversaries,” he said. “I got a guy, he remembers when I sold him his first rose. We talk through the years — 15 years married.”
KVUE ABC was on Valentine’s Day floral arranging detail at Freytag’s Florist in Austin, Texas.
Casey Freytag, a second-generation employee at Freytag’s Florist in Austin, Texas, gave a step-by-step design demo to KVUE ABC reporters Bryan Mays and Yvonne Nava.
“We use three different types of greenery to provide texture and a special look,” she said.
Next, she walked them into the cooler to select flowers (traditionalists, the journalists chose red roses), then showed them how to remove guard petals, evenly space the blooms and add accents for maximum presentation.
Mount Vernon Gazette interviewed Rachel Gang and employee at Helen Olivia Flowers, Alexandria, Virginia location.
In the Mount Vernon Gazette, Rachel Gang and her team at Helen Olivia Flowers in Alexandria, Virginia, discussed how Valentine’s Day has become more inclusive over the years — with women purchasing “Galentine” arrangements for their female friends and fathers picking up bud vases for their daughters, so they won’t feel slighted when mom receives a bouquet. The article also plugged the latest scientific research sponsored by the Society of American Florists, “The Impact of Flowers on Perceived Stress Among Women,” and quotes SAF’s vice president of marketing Jennifer Sparks.
“We believe in flower power,” Sparks said. “We have plants throughout the office space, a lobby arrangement to greet our staff and guests every day, and each staff member receives a weekly bud vase for their desk.”
A feature story in the San Luis Obispo Tribune highlighted the award-winning roses of Eufloria Flowers in Nipomo, California, which have appeared in some of the country’s most prestigious events, including presidential inaugurations, the Tournament of Roses parade and the Kentucky Derby. Founder Andy Koch, a sixth-generation rose grower, talked about his company’s robust selection (more than 150 varieties, from traditional hybrid teas to old-fashioned, English garden-style roses and sprays in almost every color palette), top sellers this season, his team’s months-long efforts to get flowers ready for the holiday and best practices for consumers to enjoy their roses for as long as possible. Among those tips? Cut stems at a 45-degree angle, place in clean water with flower food and “buy flowers from a good florist!”
Yahoo! Finance talks with David Winston, CEO of Winston’s Flowers in Boston, Massachusetts as he recounts Valentine’s Days past.
In a video segment for Yahoo! Finance, David Winston, CEO of Winston’s Flowers in Boston, Massachusetts, recounted Valentine’s Days past when snowstorms turned the holiday into a three-ring circus, with complications both with receiving flowers from growers and wholesalers and delivering arrangements to customers. When asked about brand loyalty, Winston shared that the third-generation, 75-year-old business has been privileged to provide flowers for numerous occasions in families’ lives, including births, proms, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, promotions and funerals.
“We’re really connected with our customers,” he said. “We’re in a very personal business.”
The video also addressed the myriad alternative “bouquets” pitched by competitors (think: donuts, bacon, breadsticks, Reese’s peanut butter cups), to which Winston replied that he’s not worried.
“I don’t think there’s anything that compares ,” he said, adding that his shop has an array of options — “something for everybody.”
Jennifer Lien, director of floral merchandising for Kroger, and Chris Drummond, AAF, PFCI, president of Penny’s Flowers and Plaza Flowers in Philadelphia, appeared in a CNN Business article detailing the very complicated logistics of the floral industry. The story captured the vast number of people responsible for getting flowers from the farm to consumers, including growers, brokers, importers, inspectors, truck drivers, wholesalers and retailers, and depicted the tremendous amount of energy and teamwork necessary for a successful holiday.
Score great press that you want to share? We want to hear about it. Email mwestbrook@safnow.org. Want to feel more prepared for interviews or improve your outreach efforts for Mother’s Day? Check out our PR Boot Camp for tips, advice and best practices.
Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing editor of the Society of American Florists.