Tiger Lily Florist in Charleston, South Carolina got plenty of airtime leading up to Valentine’s Day, including a spot featuring its senior floral designer, Kevin Smoak, who demonstrated how to recreate one of the shop’s popular arrangements.
Media coverage of Valentine’s Day gave florists the opportunity to encourage early ordering and emphasize why flowers are the perfect gift.
In a radio broadcast for WTOP in Chevy Chase, Maryland, Society of American Florists CEO Kate Penn emphasized that flowers remain a top gift choice for Valentine’s Day and called attention to research from Rutgers University that found flowers “can create instant happiness.” She also encouraged consumers to try a variety of flowers.
“There are plenty of options to choose from,” Penn says. She added, “The list of flowers that can make a great Valentine’s Day gift are pretty endless.”
SAF members also made the news.
Mayfield Florist owner Greg Coleman landed a spot on the NBC Tucson affiliate evening news two days before Valentine’s Day and used the opportunity to urge consumers to order early. “We kind of have a good feel for what the consumer is going to ask for…so we really stress that you get on the phone and place your orders now,” he told the news station, adding that he expected to sell out.
Monty Pereira, general manager of Watanabe Floral in Honolulu, was featured on the NBC affiliate Island News broadcast encouraging consumers to shop local. “We’re in a real beautiful industry where we make people happy,” Pereira said. “Certainly, Watanabe Floral can’t serve everyone here in Hawaii. We need the other flower shops to stay relevant and to sustain themselves. Valentine’s Day is one of those rare occasions throughout the year where it’s extremely important. So, support local business. Support your local florist.”
The Capital Gazette published a spread of photos featuring Maher’s Florist, in Pasadena, Maryland, busy preparing for Valentine’s Day. The photos show designers working on dozens of arrangements, and a close up of a red rose.
Tiger Lily Florist in Charleston, South Carolina got plenty of airtime leading up to Valentine’s Day. The business sponsors a segment on the ABC affiliate morning show, where owner Lisa Holmes appeared several times with many Valentine’s Day offerings staged around her and the host. The florists’ senior floral designer, Kevin Smoak, was featured on a Fox news affiliate talking flower colors and meanings and demonstrating how to recreate one of the shop’s popular arrangements.
An NBC affiliate caught employees at the House of Flora Flower Market in Hartford, Connecticut, servicing a line of customers that extended out the door, including a mother and wife who wanted to have “something unique for to come home to,” she said on the broadcast. Her choice? Glitter roses.
Tipton & Hurst President Howard Hurst used his time on an NBC affiliate’s broadcast to draw comparisons between the meaning of Valentine’s Day and the flowers his Little Rock, Arkansas sells. “ people reaching out and touching people, and that’s what it’s all about with flowers,” he said.
And in Dallas, McShan Florist made an ABC affiliate’s newscast for a more unfortunate reason. On the night before Valentine’s Day a driver suffering a medical emergency crashed into the store’s parked vans and one of its buildings. No one was killed in the seven-vehicle accident, and no one was in the building, says the business’s vice president, Jodi McShan, AAF, AIFD, PFCI. Despite the accident, McShan managed to give flowers a plug. “It’s Valentine’s and everyone wants to send flowers to show their love,” she said.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF News Now.
