When Spirit Airlines encouraged travelers to “Skip the flowers, send them to paradise,” ahead of Valentine’s Day last year, the Society of American Florists took notice — and took action.
The airline’s email campaign, which promoted romantic vacation deals, was one of several high-profile ads in 2025 that used Valentine’s Day to make a pitch by undermining floral gifts. From spa treatments to books and car rentals to watches, brands leaned on a common refrain: Forget the flowers.
In the weeks leading up to the holiday, SAF contacted Spirit Airlines and nine other companies, asking them to rethink this messaging.
“We urged them to promote their product based on its own merits, rather than disparaging flowers,” says Elizabeth Daly, SAF’s director of marketing and communications.
SAF members can also step in to voice their concerns directly. Kevin Priest of Cleveland Plant & Flower Company last year contacted Macworld after the tech site ran a Valentine’s blog post titled, “Forget flowers, this right-priced Apple charger is just what your Valentine wants.”
“Your negative reference … to ‘Forget flowers’ is not appreciated by a person whose family business sells flowers,” Priest wrote in an email to the company. “Why not just promote the value and benefits of your product instead of running down another product?”
Daly says industry members like Priest play an important role. “Our hope is to make them think twice about disparaging flowers the next time they’re crafting their ad messaging,” she says.
If you see an offender, contact Daly or respond directly. In your response:
- Be objective, diplomatic, and reasonable
- Describe why you find the article or advertisement offensive or unfair
- Communicate the impact this type of advertising can have on your business
- Urge the media outlet or advertiser to refrain from disparaging flowers and promote products based on their own merits
Visit SAF’s Counteracting Negative Publicity resource center for more information.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the senior director of content and communications for the Society of American Florists.
