A radio ad pushing digital cameras instead of flowers for Mothers' Day A McDonald’s radio commercial caught the attention of an SAF member Other advertisers still don't get the picture. “This Mother’s Day, give a gift that stays fresh all year” was A Home Depot radio commercial pushed rose plants over floral “This Mother's Day, skip the flowers and forget the chocolate "Finance beats flowers for Mom” “Flowers die but plants live on and on” began the “Instead of Many thanks to SAF members who reported negative publicity to SAF.
won't be giving florists any more static. "I will be sure in any future
spots to avoid any negative references to flowers," wrote Bob DeVita, vice president of advertising for Ritz Camera Centers. SAF had reached out
to Ritz after a subsidiary chose this wording for a commercial: "For
about the price of a dozen roses you can buy mom a digital camera." SAF
members in Denver and San Francisco heard the ad on Clear Channel stations
and reported it to us.
in Ohio. The commercial asked, "Why send flowers when you can get a
café latte?" SAF sent an e-mail to a company marketing executive
on May 7. In a phone call to SAF May 12, Elaine Berki with McDonald's
Corp., said that because the radio commercial was not a national
campaign, she didn’t know anything about it and suggested that it
may have been produced locally. Berki did apologize and said McDonald’s
does not intend to disparage the floral industry. On May 13, Berki sent
an official response informing SAF that the local advertising team will “take your concerns into consideration when planning future commercials.”
the headline of an ad in St. Louis magazine promoting subscriptions
instead of flowers. Citing SAF PR Fund sponsored research, we told the magazine’s publisher that “most Americans appreciate the beauty and ephemeral nature of flowers.” SAF also reminded the magazine
team that negative ads “run the risk of alienating loyal subscribers”,
namely the florists who read the magazine for its coverage of local
lifestyle trends.
arrangments because "flowers die." While purchasing rose plants
certainly has advantages," wrote SAF in response,
"this type of campaign runs a risk of giving consumers an overall
negative impression of floral gifts — regardless of the type or
location where they are purchased." The letter also suggested that Home
Depot runs the risk of "alienating floral industry members who enjoy
gardening and home improvement products."
… Give your mom something she really needs — the gift of good health,”
an article on Health.com and CNN.com recommended. SAF responded to
point out that the gift of flowers is a gift of good health and
referenced the Harvard and Rutgers research on the emotional benefits
of flowers.
headlined a Times-Picayune blog article about the need for mothers to
understand financial planning. It also stated, “I asked...for a few
alternative Mother's Day gifts in lieu of flowers and earrings.” In its
response, SAF said florists “understand that financial acumen for mothers is an important topic,” and asked the reporters to eliminate negative references.
Flowers for Mother's Day” report that aired on WCBS Newsradio 880 in
New York City. SAF wrote to the reporter
saying “the negative flower statements seem unfair and unnecessary as
the gift-buying tips can stand on their own." We also directed their
attention to Harvard and Rutgers research that proves the gift of
flowers boosts happiness.
Please tell us about flower bashing (or praise) you find in your local
media. Contact Jenny Scala at (800) 336-4743 or jscala@safnow.org. Fax ads to her at (703) 836-8705