The Society of American Florists is on the hunt for the industry’s most effective marketing campaign — and your strategy could earn you national recognition and a $5,000 prize.
There’s still time to enter SAF’s 31st annual Marketer of the Year contest, sponsored by Design Master, a division of Smithers-Oasis. The competition honors one floral business whose marketing efforts stand out for its creativity, strategy and impact. The winning campaign will be featured on the cover of Floral Management magazine and announced during SAF Phoenix 2025.
Whether your campaign spotlighted employee culture, introduced a new brand, embraced digital tools, or reimagined how to connect with customers, SAF wants to see how you made your mark. Past winners include:
- Tiger Lily Florist, for its community-rooted marketing with a focus on digital strategies.
- Jet Fresh Flower Distributors for its employee-driven branding
- J Schwanke’s Life in Bloom, a TV show that introduced floral storytelling to a wide audience
- Arizona Family Florist, which built a wedding-specific brand
- Certified American Grown, which elevated its mission with a farm-to-vase dinner tour
- Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers, which helped proteas break into the mainstream
What Are the Judges Looking For?
Standout entries demonstrate both innovation and measurable success — especially when businesses apply tactics from outside the floral world in smart, industry-specific ways, says former judge Melanie Spilbeler, marketing director at Choice Farms. “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” she says. “The most compelling ideas are often simple strategies applied in a fresh context.”
Want your entry to rise to the top? Here’s how to make your application shine:
Lead with Impact. Summarize your campaign and its results right away. A strong, clear opener helps judges quickly understand your entry.
Demonstrate Relevance. Show how your idea could be replicated by others in the floral industry. “Share what others can learn from your experience,” says past judge Dani Mackey of Dani Mackey Communications.
Focus on Presentation. Typos and poor formatting can distract from a brilliant idea. “Treat it like a resume,” Spilbeler advises. “Details matter.”
Explain the ‘Why.’ Outline the problem your campaign addressed — low web traffic, declining walk-ins, underwhelming sales — and how you tackled it. “A clearly identified challenge makes the success more impressive,” says past judge Chris Drummond, AAF, PFCI, of Penny’s by Plaza Flowers in Philadelphia.
Tell the Full Story. Include your plan and how it evolved. If something didn’t go as expected, don’t hide it. “We love hearing how you adapted,” Drummond adds.
Make It Visual. Add context-rich visuals — photos, charts, social media screenshots, print pieces. Just steer clear of video-only submissions. “They’re harder to evaluate,” notes 2013 winner and judge Raya Ward of Nielsen’s Florist & Garden Shop in Darien, Connecticut.
Show the Numbers. Quantify your results wherever possible — from revenue and website visits to social media growth and customer engagement. “The more data, the better,” says Spilbeler.
The deadline to enter is May 31. Find complete instructions and application materials here.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the senior director of content and communications for the Society of American Florists.
