Hilton Retracts Negative Ad

Hilton Hotels this week responded to a letter SAF sent in July about the company's comment cards that read: "Skip the flowers. Say it with words."

The response was from Leslie Beck, Hilton's director of recognition:

"It was obviously not our intention to make disparaging remarks about the floral industry, or any other industry. Our sole intention was to encourage people to say 'thank you' more often. The 'Catch Me At My Best' program is a summer-long program and most hotels will not be using the cards after August 31. And, of course, this statement will not be part of the 2007 campaign.

"This statement was one of many statements that we were planning to use in several advertising campaigns, in addition to 'Catch Me At My Best.' Based on your comments we are no longer planning to use this particular statement in any further campaigns. We appreciate your comments and sincerely hope that we have not alienated loyal customers in the floral industry. We appreciate both your business and your partnerships on the thousands of events at our hotels where flowers are a key element."

E-Brief editors first reported on the negative ad in the Aug. 2 issue. Read the story at http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/safwed/issues/2006-08-02.html. Spot a negative ad? E-mail jstromann@safnow.org, or fax print ads to (703) 836-8705.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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Remembering Sept. 11

Daryl A. DePottey, vice president of Nature Nook Floral & Gifts Inc. in Detroit, doesn't want people to forget about the events of Sept. 11, 2001. That's why each year, on Sept. 11, he gives away 3,000 bouquets -- the approximate number of people who lost their lives that day -- handing them out to motorists near his store.

Each bouquet includes a message: "Never Forget! Never forget the innocent victims and their families. Never forget the countless heroes who went above and beyond. Never forget the resilience of our nation. Never forget to be proud you're an American."

DePottey says he hopes other florists around the country are doing the same. "This industry rallies around so many causes and I believe none is more important." he says. "The 9/11 attacks were this generation's Pearl Harbor and the more time passes, the less important it seems to be. I did not want that to happen-I wanted to do something to at least keep the memory of that day's events alive."

Does your business do anything to commemorate Sept. 11? Send your comments to mbarton@safnow.org.

-- Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

 
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FTD's Good Neighbor Day: 13 Years Later

Today is FTD's 12th annual Good Neighbor Day, a campaign that lets florists give away thousands of flowers to customers who share buds with neighbors, acquaintances and friends. And while FTD started promoting the day 12 years ago, Brook Jacobs Sr. of Greenbrook Flowers in Jackson, Miss., created the good deed and kicked off the first one a year earlier. Jacobs even won Floral Management's Marketer of the Year title for the idea in 1997.

When Jacobs gave FTD the right to promote Good Neighbor Day, florist philanthropy spread across the world, he says. "We have had florists in Japan, Russia, Mexico, Canada, Bolivia and England participate," he says. "This has made it all worthwhile."

Jacobs still celebrates the day at his Mississippi shop by partnering with local businesses. This year, he'll even raffle off diamond jewelry to raise money for a local children's hospital. Jacobs hopes his shop's rose giveaway will raise $5,000 for the hospital. The governor of Mississippi and mayors from nine surrounding areas will be on hand to kick off the event at Greenbrook Flowers, and they'll likely bring media attention with them, says Jacobs. "We also have involved five radio stations that will be there, broadcasting live along with three TV stations," he says.

Jacobs has given away up to 55,000 roses on Good Neighbor Day. This year, he plans to hand out about 40,000.

How are you celebrating Good Neighbor Day? Let us know: ebrief@safnow.org.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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Texas Florists Meet with Ag Commissioner Candidate

Labor shortages, marketing of local plants and fuel costs were the top priorities when Texas growers met recently with the Hank Gilbert, the Democratic candidate for Texas Agriculture commissioner.

The growers, members of the Texas State Florists' Association Growers Division, met with Gilbert at Klepac Greenhouses Inc. in Blanco. Gilbert, a former high school teacher who taught agriculture, is criss-crossing the state to spread his message of "agriculture first, politics last."

Members of TSFA's Growers Division have also requested a meeting with the Republican candidate for state agriculture commissioner, state Sen. Todd Staples.

Growing Relationships (left to right) Pat Shirley Becker, AIFD, TMFA, TSFA second vice-president; Dianna Doss, AAF, TSFA executive director; April Klepac; Jimmy Klepac, TSFA president; Hank Gilbert, canidate; Jack Weatherford, TSFA grower director; Klepac children

-- Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

 
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Immigration Rally Set for Next Week

Members of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform (ACIR) will gather in Washington, D.C., next week to urge members of Congress to support comprehensive immigration reform. ACIR members, including SAF, the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association and the National Council for Agriculture, support the Sept. 13 rally, and encourage business owners to attend.

"We need to stress to Congress that agriculture needs a viable guest-worker program and earned legalization for our trained and trusted workforce in addition to border security," says Jeanne Little, SAF's senior director of government relations. "And with Congress preparing for elections this year, we only have a small window of time to do that."

In addition to the rally, Little also encourages SAF members to come to the Hill to meet with their elected leaders. Click here to learn more about the rally -- and to find out how you can become a part of it.

To learn more about what SAF members are doing to help push legislation for comprehensive immigration reform, read last week's issue of SAF's Washington Week in Review, http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/safwash/issues/2006-09-01.html.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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Marketing Tips for 'Luring In' Customers

Appealing to consumers' senses seems to be a great way to get them not only visiting your store but also opening their wallets, too, according to a recent story in USA Today. Some tips from retailers interviewed for the story:

• Some stores are creating "signature" scents -- clothier Thomas Pink, for instance, pipes the smell of clean, pressed shirts into its stores. A subtle fragrance of vanilla and mandarin orange, created especially for Sony Style stores, wafts down on shoppers to help them relax.
• Appealing displays (and not the floor-to-ceiling racks of goods) greet customers at a Home Depot store in Atlanta's exclusive Buckhead neighborhood.
• Some J.C. Penney stores play certain kinds of music, depending on the customer demographic -- playing more Latin music, for instance, in areas where there's a high Hispanic population.
• Abercrombie & Fitch lures trendy teens in with its soft lighting, couches and books, hoping they'll stick around and shop while they're hanging out.
• Some retailers create mini-displays, called "trend stations," and park them in the middle of aisles to entice consumers to buy.
• Studies show that once consumers enter a store, they always head to the right. Some retailers, such as Williams-Sonoma, place high-priced impulse items there.

-- Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

 
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'Closed' Signs Abound on Sept. 4

Nearly 88 percent of florists responding to last week's E-Poll said they planned to close shop on Labor Day, Sept. 4. About 12 percent said they planned to open.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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New SAF Web Site Attracts Hundreds

More than 300 members have logged in to SAF's new Web site since it went live last Friday, Sept 1. Many already are posting questions and comments in the discussion forums, submitting news and links to SAF, signing up for a free aboutflowers.com e-mail address, and sending messages to each other through the site. 

Two new discussion forums have already been added as a result of member suggestions: Business-to-Business and Weddings and Special Events. Click this link to check them out.

Remember -- you must create a new username and password in order to access the members-only sections of the site. To do that, click here, put in your member number, click "continue" and type in the username and password that you want. (Be sure to write it down!)

-- Shelley Estersohn
sestersohn@safnow.org

 
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Keeping it Cool at SAF Naples 2006

Product that remains within the cold chain from field to store lasts longer and looks better, but how do you know that the products you've received have kept their cool?

If you're attending SAF Naples 2006 this month you'll find the answers at the educational session "Chain-Chain-Chain: How to Sell Quality."  Attendees will see the cold chain in action as progressive operators lead them through a grower's fields, a trucking company's facility, a wholesaler's warehouse and a retail shop and talk about what they're doing to ensure quality at each stop. Participants will take away a laundry list of questions to ask suppliers to ensure that product hasn't left the cold chain during distribution. 

Close to 340 industry members are already registered for SAF Naples 2006, Sept 27 to 30 in Naples, Fla. If you're not one of them, click here to register now, or contact Laura Weaver, CMP, at 800-336-4743; lweaver@safnow.org.

-- Shelley Estersohn
sestersohn@safnow.org

 
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Product Spotlight: Online Postcards

Have you checked out SAF's redesigned Web site, www.safnow.org? After you finish perusing, you'll want to check out one of its newest tools: online postcards that retailers can customize for their own marketing purposes. You can even pick from a selection of current and previous designs that were once sold out.

Browse the postcards at www.safnow.org/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,212.

-- Julia Sydnor
jsydnor@safnow.org

 
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Ghosts and Goblins? Not likely

Most florists say their employees don't don costumes to work on Halloween.

Source: SAF online survey of retail florists. Based on 296 responses. Response rate: 12.1 percent.

-- Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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