Growing up in the Netherlands, fresh flowers were always a part of everyday life. The floral industry here advertised the slogan, “Flowers Love People” ( translated bloemen houden van mensen) this led to people buying flowers on a weekly basis. I have been in the floral industry for over 41 years and one thing I have always hoped for is to get the entire industry agree on an effective marketing campaign that reminds people to keep flowers in their lives.

Many floral committees have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into studies, projects and events that helped various segments of the industry. Specifically, CalFlowers (California Flower Growers & Shippers) is a national organization that has funded  created a campaign called That Flower Feeling. The purpose of this campaign is to get more people to buy flowers more often. Commercials for TFF are being advertised on streaming services since many people utilize those services more than cable TV. CalFlowers has seen promising results with their advertising as it has encouraged people to buy more flowers. Below, I have outlined a few key metrics and insights from the campaign as well as included a graphic with similar information:

1. Approximately 60 million consumers have seen this campaign.

2. After seeing the TFF video, 70% of those surveyed stated that they were more likely to buy flowers than they were before watching the video.

3. The number of exposures from the initial data multiplied by the increased likelihood of buying flowers equates to millions of additional purchases nationwide. It is highly likely that some of these sales may have passed through your business.

This campaign was designed in a way that enables you and other companies to utilize the marketing assets that have been created in your own marketing campaigns. Essentially, these assets are ready to use and saves you the time and money that is required to create your own campaign. To access these materials, you will need to go to the Partners page and request an account.

Although the campaign has achieved impressive results, we still need more engagement to increase enthusiasm within the industry. The answer? A continuation of national advertising! Thus, I am writing to ask for your support. That Flower Feeling Foundation is independent of CalFlowers and ensures that every dollar we raise will be used to fund this marketing initiative. I have already committed my company, Florabundance Inc., to allocate a part of our marketing budget to the TFF Foundation for the next 3 years and I hope you would consider doing the same thing. My hope is every segment of our industry contributes voluntary. Flower breeders, Flowers Growers worldwide , Importers , Transportation companies  Wholesalers ,Retailers, studio florists Supermarkets , Freight forwarders and Floral trucking companies.

CalFlowers has budgeted at least $500,000 per year for the next 3 years and with the support of industry partners like yourself, I think it is possible to reach our goal of $4.5 to $5 million per year. Every donation, large or small, will help us get the funds we need to refresh and create new media campaigns and with today’s technology it is easy to participate!

Thank you in advance for your contribution. With your help, we will see the floral industry blossom even more and be able to reach more people than ever.

Here is a link to our funding page, where you can select credit card, PayPal, ACH, or mobile wallets to make your contribution. Please note you can select 1-time or recurring payments, including recurrence monthly or annually.

Written by Joost Bongaerts, CEO of Florabundance, Inc and marketing chair of That Flower Feeling Foundation.