The Society of American Florists and its members actively worked to promote positive messaging around Mother’s Day flowers, reaching out to nearly a...
Flower Bashers, Beware
The last thing florists gearing up for Mother’s Day need is other businesses or news outlets disparaging the gift of flowers. And yet, year after...
Negative Publicity Roundup: Undergarment Company Apologizes, Removes Social Post
In the week before Valentine’s Day, women’s undergarment retailer Hanky Panky removed its flower-bashing social media ad and sent the Society of...
Negative Publicity Watch: Luxury Fragrance Company Apologizes
Hotel Collection, an upscale fragrance and lifestyle brand which sells hotel-inspired home products such as candles and diffusers, apologized after...
See A Negative Flower Ad? Tell SAF!
It’s that time of year when flowers are often portrayed in a negative light to give a competitive edge to other products vying for Valentine’s Day...
Negative Publicity Update: The Adventure Challenge Apologizes
A custom guidebook company that sent customers an email discouraging the purchase of flowers for Valentine’s Day has apologized after the Society of...
Negative Publicity Watch: SAF Receives Response from Textile Company
When textile company Boll and Branch used “What’s better than flowers and chocolates?” as a marketing email subject line, the Society of American...
Negative Ad Watch: SAF Responds to Companies, News Agencies
News agencies and a mail order liquor service recently dinged flowers in Mother’s Day ads. As the voice of the floral industry, the Society of...
TJ Maxx to Pull Negative Mother’s Day Commercial
One of the largest clothing retailers in the country has promised to remove a Mother’s Day TV commercial after hearing from the Society of American...
‘Sock-cess!’: Bombas Apologizes for Negative Email
A popular sock company that disparaged the gift of flowers in a Valentine’s Day email has a message for the floral industry: “We hope you can...
SAF Asks Companies, Publications to Reconsider Negative V-Day Ads
The world's largest software maker and magazine and news editors promoting food gifts are among the companies making disparaging remarks about...
Florists Convince Companies to Rethink Negative Flower Ads
When Robert Bryant, AAF, AIFD, of Flowers By Robert Taylor West Covina, California saw a Facebook post that read, “Get Tickets instead of Last...
Negative Publicity Watch: SAF Gets Responses from Hotel, Frame Company
The world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands and a startup company in the custom framing industry apologized to the floral industry...
SAF Asks Magazines to Nix ‘Forget Flowers’
With two weeks to go until Valentine’s Day, major publications and platforms are publishing articles that discourage consumers from buying flowers...
Florist Convinces Businesses to Ditch Ads Disparaging Flowers
Quick-thinking, humor and a dash of diplomacy helped convince two local businesses in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to ditch Valentine’s Day ads that...
Red Sox, Chili’s Apologize for Ads that Dissed Flowers
One of the country’s most storied baseball teams has apologized to the floral industry after the Society of American Florists cried foul over an...
StubHub, NFL Shop to Consumers: Don’t Buy Mom Flowers
The world's largest ticket marketplace and the official store of the NFL are among the advertisers telling consumers not to buy flowers this...
SAF Responds to 28 Cases of Harmful Floral Publicity, and Counting
This Valentine’s Day season, the Society of American Florists responded to 28 instances of harmful floral publicity to date. “That number could...
Amazon, Avon Slight Mother’s Day Flowers
A tech giant, the fifth-largest beauty company in the world, and a pictorial publisher recently made disparaging remarks about flowers as Mother’s...
Amazon, The Bouqs Co. Agree to Change Negative Ads
The country’s biggest online retailer and a floral industry startup have both agreed to change or address Mother’s Day ads that disparaged floral...
Negative Publicity Watch: SAF Responds to Brooks Brothers, The New York Times
Advertisers of men’s clothing, plants and home fragrances, Brooks Brothers, are among the companies alleging consumers are tired of flowers, they...
Negative Publicity Watch: SAF Responds to AutoMaxx, Victoria’s Secret
What do a used car dealer, a retailer for computer enthusiasts, and a marketer of women's premium lingerie have in common? They rely on the same...
Danbury Mint Revives Negative Valentine’s Day Ads
“They're ba-ack!" The popular catchphrase from a mid-1980s horror flick haunted Jenny Scala, director of marketing and communications at the Society...
SAF Responds to 23 Cases of Harmful Floral Publicity
This Valentine’s Day season, the Society of American Florists has responded to 23 instances of harmful floral publicity to date. “That number will...
Tim Tebow Gives Corsage to Prom Date on The Tonight Show
A popular athlete surprised a fan with a rose corsage and slow-dance on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on May 17. The high-profile...
SAF Tackles 18 Cases of Harmful Mother’s Day Floral Publicity
This Mother’s Day season, the Society of American Florists responded to 18 instances of harmful floral publicity to date. Ancestry.com and Coach...
Ancestory.com ‘Reviews’ Negative Floral Remark in Ad
With Mother’s Day fast approaching, Ancestry.com and other companies continue to disparage flowers and floral gifts. The Society of American...
Prom Fundraiser Urges Teens to Give up the Corsage
An effort to raise money for teens with special needs has the floral industry asking a nonprofit headed by a popular athlete to reconsider its...
Coach Disses Flowers, SAF Responds
Leather goods brand Coach is telling its customers to “Forget Flowers: Give Mom something that’s just her style.” It’s a tactic used by many gift...
Target, HuffPost Knock Mother’s Day Flowers
The second-largest discount store retailer in the United States and an influential online news aggregator and blog disparaged Mother’s Day flowers...
Negative Publicity Watch: Valentine’s Day 2017 Heating Up
Valentine’s Day promotions for electronics, restaurants and vacation getaways recently claimed their products are “better than flowers.” As the...
Negative Publicity Watch: Valentine’s Day 2017 Underway
A women’s lingerie retailer, a members-only men’s fashion retailer, and an online charity auctioneer all used the same marketing tactic in their...
As Valentine’s Day Nears, SAF Responds to Negative Ads
Along with cupids and hearts, Valentine’s Day brings some companies to run ads disparaging floral gifts and sometimes news media publish stories...
Every Order Deserves the Royal Treatment
Reporters conduct research in January for Valentine’s Day “test order” news stories, when they pose as consumers ordering flowers. Published in...
SAF Alerts AmEx to Negative References in Local APW Promo
When a major corporation knocks flowers in the run-up to an observance meant to recognize hard-working employees, could it be anything other than a...
SAF Urges Companies to Reduce Negative Mother’s Day Advertising
Skip flowers on Mother’s Day? How about skipping the negative references instead? That was the message the Society of American Florists delivered...