Rick Canale of Exotic Flowers in Boston often blogs about pop culture. A late February post about “Fifty Shades Darker,” written by his wife, Susie, has been the shop’s most popular post so far this year.
When Suzie Canale went to see the steamy “Fifty Shades Darker,” she couldn’t take her eyes off the movie’s flowers.
That’s not a euphemism.
In a blog post for her business, Exotic Flowers in Boston, Canale recently wrote about the movie, which has grossed more than $300 million globally, including the director’s use of flowers, and lots of them, in a pivotal scene.
“During a family birthday party, Grey takes his lady friend into the pool house where the entire space has been filled with luscious blooms covering the sides of the swimming area as well as the ceiling,” wrote Canale. Grey then proposes and Anastasia, played by Dakota Johnson, says yes.
“ one of the only scenes where both of them keep their clothes on for a full five minutes,” Canale explains, calling “Fifty Shades Darker” a movie perfect for “all flower lovers.”
Canale posted her movie review on February 27 and it’s become one of the shop’s most read blog posts of the year. She said pop culture — movies, songs, current events in the entertainment industry — can provide fertile ground for social media and blog posts, a way to show customers that you are connected to trends and able to translate them into designs. Canale also has posted about flowers at major awards ceremonies, including the 2017 Golden Globes, celebrities who are professed flower lovers and gardeners and a Harry Potter-themed wedding, among many other topics.
The key to a great pop culture post, she said, is simple: “Timing is everything.” You want to be part of the buzz while it’s happening … which could make the March 17 opening of Disney’s highly anticipated “Beauty and the Beast” reboot particularly relevant to florists.
A key plot point of that movie rests on an “enchanted rose” that blooms for 10 years in a bell jar. (The excitement is real. At Disney theme parks, rose-themed cups are sold out and being resold for hundreds on third-party websites.)
“That iconic rose is a great mention,” on social media and in blog posts, Canale said. “Not only is the image famous, but bell jars are hot right now.”
Another angle to take in a post? Use the movie to promote your own long lasting rose varieties and the work you put into making those roses shine.
In fact, SAF Past President and American Floral Endowment Research Coordinator Terril Nell, AAF, recently talked to the Smithsonian magazine about the enchanted rose and how advanced care and handling processes, new varieties and professional florists are helping roses last longer in real life.
