SAF "Petal It Forward" Campaign Aims to Spread the Joy of Giving Flowers
Citing their own research that 80 percent of Americans say that receiving flowers makes them feel more happy, and giving flowers made 88 percent of people feel better about their day, SAF recently took the idea of "paying it forward' and put a very floral twist on it.
On Oct 7, SAF workers took to the streets of New York City and gave random New Yorkers two bouquets - one to keep and one to give to someone else.
Jennifer Sparks, SAF’s vice president of marketing, served on the street team and said "peoples reactions to getting flowers randomly as they rushed off to work was even stronger than expected". Recipients sometimes had someone special they planned on giving the second bouquet to, while others immediately "petaled it forward' by turning and giving it to a stranger nearby. The team gave out 4,000 bouquets in total.
SAF hit the media circuit in New York that day, sharing the story and deliverying bouquets to high profile shows like Fox & Friends, Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda, The Meredith Viera Show, and print outlets such as Self, GQ, and Everyday with Rachel Ray.
The event went viral, as recipients were encouraged to share their experience on social media using the #petalitforward hashtag, while SAF posted images and updates throughout the day on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Florists, wholesalers and growers across the U.S. are capitalizing on the campaign by customizing and staging their own "Petal It Forward" events in as many as 40 cities. SAF is making special marekting kits available for this event which include a sample press release and media advisory, t-shirt template, flower card template, and social media messages.
Check out the SAF website for more information, including details about how other floral professionals are taking advantage of this powerful campaign and how you can participate too. And be sure to follow along on social media using #petalitforward.