Letter from the Executive Director, Lane DeVries
As the new CalFlowers Executive Director, I attended the WFFSA Floral Distribution Conference in Miami. Many of the conversations among the attendees centered around how well Valentine's Day sales went this year. For many the focus now shifts to preparations for Mother’s Day. These two holidays are very important to the floral industry, but here is the question: what about the period between these holidays and what can we do about the dreadfully long summer slump? This is the reason for all of us to be looking at ways to keep consumers engaged and buying flowers throughout the year. The mission of Calflowers is “More Americans enjoying more flowers more often.”
The launch of “That Flower Feeling” in the summer of 2022 was an important step in persuading the American consumer to buy flowers for everyday use. The initiative garnered broad support from the industry. A big thank you to all contributors to That Flower Feeling over the last 3 years. The initial campaign was focused on self-care augmented with social media engagement. In 2023 the campaign resulted in 78 million impressions through channels like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit and LinkedIn.
Since the inception of TFF, an elaborate arsenal of promotional materials has been made available to the floral industry at no charge. We are now 3 years later, and the program has expanded with a unit sales program, including supermarkets like Albertson, Kroger, Vallarta, Price Cutters and Price Choppers. Participating Floral vendors like Sunshine Bouquet, Galleria Farms, Riverdale, B-Fresh, Kendal Floral, Legacy farms, USA Bouquet. And hard vendors like Broekhoff, Koen Pack, Deco Wraps, Floralife, Chrysal and A-Roo. These suppliers sell That Flower Feeling branded bouquets through these mass market retailers, and a portion of the sales of each bouquet is contributed directly into the TFF campaign.
Currently we are in the midst of a test market in Midland/Odessa, Texas. This test started in January and is running through mid-May. Promotional efforts include billboard advertising, radio spots, and social media.
Based on the comments that I have heard in the last 4 weeks about That Flower Feeling there is some apprehension in the floral community. The initial social media campaign has lost some of its vigor, from 78 million impressions in 2023 to 33 million impressions in 2024.
Some contributing companies from the first hour have taken the foot off the pedal and are now taking a wait and see approach. Many stakeholders I have spoken with want to see tangible results and a noticeable rise in sales. I empathize with their concerns. Let me share with you my perspective on this. Self-care was a great platform of the original campaign after emerging from the Covid period, but for the industry to put their full support behind this initiative we need more.
We are now embarking on That Flower Feeling 2.0 and taking a fresh look at the program and shifting the strategy to broaden our approach from not only just self-care but to utilize a larger playbook and a strategy that the entire floral industry can coral around. This includes a strategy that focuses on highlighting dormant floral holiday opportunities scattered throughout the year. Let me illustrate this with a few examples.
Women’s Day was reintroduced in the USA 15 years ago as a flower holiday. Collectively as an industry we have moved the ball down the field, and with a little more effort we can get the ball into the end zone, put points on the board, and build the confidence that the formation of a new holiday can be accomplished. Here is another illustration: CalFlowers is main sponsor of the Memorial Day Flowers event, and through That Flower Feeling we can use this platform to help reinvigorate Memorial Day as a nationwide flower holiday again and bring it back to its former stature as a major flower holiday.
The opportunities that dormant flower holidays offer is tremendous and let me suggest a few more. With active promotion on behalf of That Flower Feeling, the summer doldrums can be countered with holidays like: Father’s Day on June 15th, (there are 70 million fathers in our country, and men like flowers too), Independence Day in July, Girlfriends Day in August, Back to School Day at the end of summer, and Grand Parents Day in September, targeting an estimated 67 million grandparents in the USA.
Folks, together as the floral industry we can make a difference, we need to have an open mind, give back, and support the promotion efforts of That Flower Feeling with all our might.
Thank you and God bless you,
Lane DeVries