Standing in front of the Capitol’s reflecting pool, Teleflora’s 8- by 50-foot “Wall of Love” consisted of 1,000 floral bouquets placed in pegs for easy removal
Teleflora peddled a message of unity and hope in Washington, D.C., last week with a massive wall of flowers on the National Mall. The company’s 8- by 50-foot “Wall of Love” consisted of 1,000 floral bouquets placed in pegs for easy removal.
“We wanted to send a positive message by building a wall meant for tearing down, as people come together and make a purposeful decision to show off their feelings for one another,” said Teleflora Vice President of Consumer and Florist Marketing Kelly McKeone.
Ten employees from Conklyn’s Florist in Alexandria, Virginia, spent two days arranging the flowers and then arrived on the National Mall at 4 a.m. Wednesday, November 29, to help Teleflora representatives assemble the display. Throughout the day, the volunteers greeted passersby, inviting them to take a bouquet and give it away to brighten someone’s day. Gradually, the wall began to disappear, revealing the message of the company’s latest campaign, “Love Out Loud!”
The company planned the promotion for the start of the holiday season, an especially apt time to remove the metaphorical walls that separate people.
Throughout the day, the volunteers at Teleflora’s “Wall of Love” greeted passersby, inviting them to take a bouquet and give it away to brighten someone’s day.
“No matter your political or ideological affiliation, this wall — built expressly to serve as a symbolic outward expression of love — serves as a universal call-to-action for the public simply to take a minute to love one another,” McKeone said.
When he first learned about the project, Paul Brockway, business manager and CFO of Conklyn’s Florist, wondered how Washingtonians would react to seeing a wall, given the stigma surrounding the symbol.
“That didn’t turn out to be an issue at all,” he said. “People simply saw a huge display of beautiful flowers.”
Initially, people expressed skepticism when offered a free gift, but their disbelief quickly gave way to joy, which the local media captured for the evening news.
“Gorgeous day, huge smiles — I’d say it was a success!” Brockway said of the positive PR the effort generated.
McKeone also expressed pride and appreciation for the wide-scale collaboration that went into making the wall a reality.
“The end result was the work of several florists, designers, engineers, fabricators, and many other talented individuals,” she said. “Constructing the floral wall took three weeks in total, but started with several months of planning to determine all the engineering, logistics, material testing, and securing the proper permits.”
To keep momentum going, starting December 13, Teleflora will launch a series of sharable online videos on social media that profile the real-life moments of people expressing their love — one bouquet at a time — from the “Wall of Love” in Washington, D.C.
Additionally, the company is encouraging consumers to demonstrate how they are delivering joy this holiday season by sharing their special moments on social media and tagging them #LoveOutLoud.