The “Flowers. Self care made easy,” all-industry campaign has relaunched in digital spaces. The centerpiece of the campaign is a video featuring a woman, who after several failed self-care attempts declares, “Just go get some flowers.”
The That Flower Feeling Foundation has relaunched its award-winning campaign, “Flowers. Self care made easy,” in digital spaces, with a focus on targeting more women.
The initial campaign debuted a year ago to promote sales across the floral industry and exceeded the expectations of the CalFlowers board, which spearheaded the campaign, says Steve Dionne, AAF, executive director of CalFlowers (the California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers). The campaign made 60 million impressions across various platforms, including TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify, he says.
“Eight percent of the people who were exposed to the campaign told us in surveys they now intend to purchase fresh-cut flowers,” Dionne says. “Apply that to the 60 million exposures we got. We’re talking about a very large number of consumers.”
The centerpiece of the campaign is a video featuring a woman whose self-care attempts are the stuff of infomercial fails. In the end, she proclaims, “Just go get some flowers.”
The foundation hopes to convert more consumers this year by adjusting various strategies. For example, this year’s YouTube ads are only targeting women. Dionne says 30 to 40 percent of last year’s YouTube ads were viewed by men. In addition to changing the target audience, the original one minute video has been trimmed to create shorter clips. Dionne says he hopes the changes will strengthen the campaign’s YouTube impact. While the video and some of its image-only advertisements are humorous — “Can legitimately promise instant beauty,” reads one — the science behind it is serious. Behavioral research commissioned by the Society of American Florists reveals flowers can lighten moods. A 2005 Rutgers University study indicates flowers create instant joy. And a 2018 study by the University of North Florida shows they reduce stress.
Encouraging consumers to associate fresh flowers with self-care was a primary goal of the campaign, says Dionne. The campaign aims to convert viewers into regular flower consumers, rather than seeing bouquets and arrangements as holiday-only purchases.
The campaign’s target demographic is 25 to 35 years old, with the goal of creating lifelong consumers, guaranteeing decades of flower sales, says Dionne. In addition, he says children who grow up in homes with fresh flowers are more likely to buy blooms for their own homes, making the impact multi-generational.
Surveys and feedback will help the foundation design the next campaign. That Flower Feeling Foundation, which was established last year to oversee and raise money for the That Flower Feeling brand, has raised $650,000 towards its $2.5 million goal for the next campaign, with CalFlowers pledging $500,000 for the next three years, Dionne says.
The foundation is accepting tax-deductible donations toward current and future campaigns. About 65 companies from across all segments of the floral industry have donated, Dionne says. About 75 percent of those have committed to a monthly donation.
“A lot of the companies that made contributions have made recurring contributions that extend out to a three-year period of time,” says Dionne. “If those commitments bear out … we’re on pace to be collecting in the area of $1.9 million in that period of time.”
Among the companies that have donated is Equiflor-RioRoses, a grower and distributor headquartered in Florida. Oscar Fernandez, director of sales, says part of the campaign’s appeal is that it promotes flowers in general, rather than a specific company or group.
“We wish more people would do it. We believe in the power of marketing and we believe the industry as a whole can come together to make a difference,” says Fernandez. “We have to keep promoting our beautiful product.”
In addition to donating money, Dionne says floral businesses can help promote the campaign by utilizing its materials in their own marketing. Content created for the foundation’s campaigns, including videos and images, are available to floral industry businesses at no cost. For access, businesses can email info@thatflowerfeeling.org. To date, approximately 275 companies have requested access.
Tim Dewey, vice president at DV Flora, a New Jersey-headquartered wholesaler and campaign donor, says he encourages clients, including retail flower shops and wedding/event organizers, to use the campaign’s marketing assets to promote their own businesses. The impact is far-reaching.
For example, a flower sold in a retail shop generates income for every business in that flower’s supply chain, Dewey says.The foundation’s marketing push was timely last year because it helped the industry retain some consumers who discovered fresh-cut flowers during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, Dionne says. It is timely again this year because with the uncertainty of a recession and inflation in play, many businesses will pull back on advertising, giving businesses who continue to advertise more visibility.
“The impact of the fresh dollar spend is very high,” he says. “It gives you an opportunity to carve out the space in the market. We need to maintain the strongest impact we can during these economic times.”
For more information about the campaign or to donate, visit thatflowerfeeling.org.
Laurie Herrera is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
