SAF pointed out inaccuracies and oversights in Time’s coverage of the challenges of the floral industry.
While many of the national publications’ coverage of the Valentine’s Day holiday was thorough, SAF responded to several groups that provided outdated information, mistakes or an unnecessarily negative tone.
In reporting on flower business startups, for instance, Time portrayed the floral industry as being “plagued with inefficiencies” and stating that florists “throw away as much as a third” of product.
In communications with the publication, SAF Vice President of Marketing Jennifer Sparks expressed disappointment in the lack of balance to the story.
“The floral industry is indeed changing to provide a vast array of opportunities for consumers to purchase flowers, from a very niche model of seasonal bouquet-of-the-day options, to a full service florist that offers a wide selection of flowers, unique designs and containers, and same-day delivery,” Sparks wrote. “While you provide a thorough perspective from the startup businesses, we were surprised by the overall negative tone of the article, which includes accusations of industry inefficiencies by sources who have never run traditional flower shop…”
Citing information from floral industry financial expert and Floral Management magazine contributor Paul Goodman, CPA, Sparks stated that the spoilage statistic cited in the article is “way out of the realistic realm” and that “efficient florists have less than 5 percent” spoilage.
“By talking to professional florists, you would have gotten a more realistic perspective on the industry as a whole from people who live it day to day,” Sparks continued. “Many professional florists are family-owned businesses that have been in business for decades, even centuries, and make the changes and adjustments necessary on a daily basis to meet the needs of their customers and support their local communities. They play a vital role in the need to fulfill the consumer demand for flowers during large holidays as well as everyday occasions.”
After hearing from SAF, Katy Steinmetz, the article’s writer replied, “There’s a chance a shorter version of the piece runs in the magazine and I will take all this into account before it does.”
SAF also responded to U.S. News & World Report for its article “5 Valentine’s Day Gifts That Are a Waste of Money: Forget the flowers and chocolates. Give these gifts instead.”
“While SAF understands and appreciates your need to provide readers with a variety of gift ideas, the negative floral statements seem unfair and unnecessary, as the gift suggestions can stand on their own,” Sparks said. “We realize the headline for the article may not be intended to be taken seriously, but in this case, your need to entertain is done at the expense of an industry that works very hard to help people express their feelings.”
SAF sent a similar response to eHow for an article in its Feb. 13 newsletter with the headline, “Skip the Pricey Floral Arrangement and Make Jolly Rancher Roses Instead.”
Find out more about the companies that used negative ads this year, along with SAF’s responses. To report negative publicity, email jscala@safnow.org. Did you get great press? Experience a PR win? We want to hear all about it. Email mwestbrook@safnow.org.
Ready to improve your own PR efforts? Check out SAF’s PR Boot Camp for practical tips and real world examples that will get you and your team up to speed by Mother’s Day.
