Allure Magazine Says "Better with Flowers"

Allure picks up The Home Ecology, Emotional Impact of Flowers studies.

Looking for a countertop display or fodder for your next e-promotion or direct mail piece?  The March issue of Allure magazine has some great news for readers: "Improving mood and boosting energy may be as simple as getting flowers."
 
The article, "Better With Flowers," cites The Home Ecology of Flowers study, a result of a collective effort and strategic alliance by SAF and the Flower Promotion Organization (FPO). In the story, Allure editors point out that "... flower receivers ... felt a quick mood lift, and within a week they reported a rise in compassion and kindness and a drop in sadness and anxiety."

The magazine has a circulation of about 1.2 million, which translates into almost 3.5 million consumer impressions (the marketing standard for measuring the number of times consumers are exposed to a message). The article also cites SAF's Emotional Impact of Flowers study, which was conducted at Rutgers University, telling readers that "100 % of people given flowers exhibited genuine happiness."

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Larimer Wins WF&FSA's Highest Honor

A solid 15 seconds of stunned silence at the microphone was proof that Dwight Larimer, AAF,

Larimer with wife Dawn and sons Nick (left) and Garrett (right).

had no idea that he was going to receive the 2007 Leland T. Kintzele (LTK) Distinguished Service Award. The Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association announced Larimer, president of Design Master color tool inc., as the recipient of its highest honor during the opening breakfast at the WF&FSA Expo, held Feb. 21 to 24 in Phoenix, Ariz. "It really, really was (a surprise)" he says.

Each year, the LTK award recognizes a WF&FSA member who has made significant long-term contributions to the floral industry and has displayed the qualities of integrity, fairness, perseverance and decisiveness during his or her career.

"I don't know of any individual in the industry that has more respect from more people for his tireless, giving nature as a member of the industry and his community," says Jim Wanko, executive vice president of WF&FSA.

David Garcia, who was elected during the Expo as WF&FSA's president, agrees.  "He is a great leader, (and) he inspires others," says Garcia, who has known him since 1978. "His knowledge and commitment to the industry helps other achieve."

A week after the Expo, Larimer is still shocked by the recognition. "It still hasn't sunk in yet," Larimer says, adding that previous award recipients are his "idols and mentors."

"I get so much out of (my involvement in the floral industry)," says Larimer, "So to be recognized as someone who gives a lot... I'm thinking,  'No, no, you missed it -- I have already been reimbursed.'"

Larimer started his career in the floral industry in 1977 with specialty wood product producer W.J. Cowee Company in Berlin, N.Y. He joined Design Master, color tool inc., which manufactures aerosol color sprays specifically developed for flowers and floral products, in 1983.

President of WF&FSA from 2002 to 2003, Larimer has served on numerous committees and was involved in, and honored by, WF&FSA's Young Executives. He's served on many SAF committees and boards over the years, and is currently on SAF's Board of Directors and chairs the SAF Consumer Marketing Committee. 

Larimer was instrumental in developing the Floral Management Marketer of the Year award and has sponsored the annual $5,000 cash prize since its inception, in 1994. His other industry honors include:  American Institute of Floral Designers Award of Merit, the FTD Award for Innovation and SAF's Paul Ecke Jr. Award. 

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Initiative Leaders to Address Industry Concerns

The Floral Marketing Funding Initiative Coalition is taking its next steps to address concerns within the floral industry about the establishment of an all-industry marketing initiative, says the group's president, Charles F. Kremp 3rd, AAF, of Kremp Florist in Philadelphia.

Kremp and others from the organizing committee are traveling around the country to get industry feedback on how a program could be structured. The main concern expressed so far, says Kremp, is a fear by some importers and domestic growers that certain mass marketers and wholesalers would resist price increases that would be necessary because of the assessment charges.

"Our industry is changing to where the supply side is being more and more diversified, with flowers coming from many new countries, and the retail side is getting to be more and more concentrated with the mass marketers," wrote Kremp in a Feb. 9 update. "This coalition is committed to including all perspectives in the planning of the program and to facilitate discussions so every industry member can be fully informed before a program is presented for a vote.
 
Kremp recently traveled to Washington, D.C., on behalf of the coalition to meet with key leaders at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and U.S. Department of Agriculture, including  Sonia Jimenez, the chief of the department's research and promotion branch who previously worked with the floral industry on the Promoflor marketing initiative.

"She is very supportive of our effort and will help guide us as needed," Kremp said.  "USDA appreciated being kept in the loop."

Founded in the spring of 2006, the coalition's steering committee researched all known options and concluded in October that a federal promotion order would be the only way to achieve its goal of finding a broad and fair way to mandate funding for floral marketing. Since then, leaders of the group, including members of its development committee, have met frequently to discuss details of the order. It must receive a "yes" vote from the majority of domestic growers and importers voting who represent a majority of the volume of cut flowers and cut greens represented in the referendum before it is implemented. The coalition hopes to raise $30 million annually, Kremp says.

Read more about the initiative in the Jan. 3 issue of E-Brief.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Growers Have a Few New Tricks up Their Sleeves

Jim Rietkerk of Kallisto Greenhouses in Fontana, Calif., spent two days last week learning about fungi, bugs and slugs. While the idea of spending even one minute discussing such creepy-crawlies would make some folks' skin crawl, Rietkerk is exited about it.

Why? Because he'll use what he absorbed during SAF's 23rd Annual Pest Management Conference held last week in Portland, Ore., to help keep such pests at bay. 

"Michael Stanghellini's talk about the fungi he grew which attracted and infected fungus gnats, and totally wiped them out -- I had never heard of that," says Reitkerk, who grows potted plants. "I could use that right away."

He also learned about new pests and diseases that could cause trouble in the future. "It's a real key thing -- to be aware of what's coming," he says.

Like Rietkerk, Steve Clark of Blooming Nursery in Cornelius, Ore. also plans to integrate what he learned into his business. "There are about three or four things [I learned at the conference] that we are going to try," he says.

The conference focused on "new directions," as well as necessary "refreshers." "Even if [the information you hear] is not new, it reinforces the way you should be doing things," says veteran attendee Donald Bleeck of Suncoast Nursery in Carpinteria, Calif. "You're motivated to get all the weeds out, and try to clean up."

Rietkerk agrees. "Sometimes you go 'oh that is what is being done [in the industry to control pests and diseases] and that's what I am doing,'" he says. "Sometimes it's good to know you are doing everything that can be done."

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Rio Roses: Ready for Their Close Up?

If it's up to Equiflor's Mike Miller, consumers may soon ask for a "Rio Rose" when buying flowers just as naturally as they ask for a Kleenex when they have to blow their nose. The "Rio Rose" is the brand name for the company's 400 rose varieties grown in Ecuador and Colombia.

Miller, director of marketing, is upping the Miami company's brand power for its clients -- wholesalers and florists -- by partnering with a Hollywood company, Legacy U.S., that specializes in placing products in TV shows and movies. Equiflor pays the company an annual fee (Miller won't divulge the amount) and in return receives contact information and help placing its product -- Rio Roses -- on TV shows and in movies.

"We want to get our name in front of the end consumer," Miller says. "People don't like to watch ads. We're in the emotion business."

Rio Roses made its TV debut on Valentine's Day on ABC-TV's "The View," a top-rated morning show, where the roses were handed out to the hosts and audience members on Valentine's Day. Equiflor donated $15,000 in roses. (Mediaweek, a publication covering the ad industry, points out the cost of a 30-second national TV ad is about $100,000.)

It's an idea that could be replicated on the local level, the American Marketing Association says. Any florist or wholesaler can contact local TV producers and ask for a mention or credit on a show in return for free or discounted product.

Once you get your product placed on a TV show or movie, the next step is to make sure everyone knows about it, Miller says. He does that by sending out press releases, promoting appearances on the company Web site and contacting the Associated Press wire service.

Any more roles coming up for Rio Roses? Miller is working on getting them in the hands of Oprah Winfrey and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" audience on a date close to Mother's Day. Plans also call for appearances on the Emmy Awards show in the fall and "The Bachelor" TV program (the bachelor hands out roses to the women he hopes to see on the next episode).

Rio Roses will also make some big-screen appearances, including a role in "Get Smart," starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway. Miller says the roses will get even more exposure at the film's premiere and in promotional materials.

--Mary Ann Barton
maryannbarton@msn.com

 
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Cup o' Cocoa: Sweet Treat Could Benefit Boomers

Trying to reach the 78 million-strong Baby Boomer market? Retailers who sell gourmet specialty items might want to keep their eyes on new chocolate products being developed that promise health benefits for an aging population.

A study funded by the Mars candy company -- and covered this month in the consumer media and medical and food trade publications alike -- shows that cocoa "flavanols" (a plant-derived antioxidant) in chocolate can boost blood flow and may also affect cognitive function.  The flavanols help increase production of nitric oxide, a molecule that signals muscles to relax. Mars is testing a patented process called "Cocoapro" that helps retain cocoa flavanols that occur naturally in cocoa beans.

Tests show that four cups of a special "Cocoapro cocoa" drink (not yet available to the public) increased blood flow to the arms and fingers of study participants after a few days, according to Norman Hollenberg, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School, who presented his findings earlier this month at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Francisco.

The prospect of "a targeted treatment to reverse the decline in cerebral blood flow that accompanies dementias" is extremely promising, he told those at the meeting.

Hollenberg has studied the benefits of drinking cocoa, specifically among the Kuna Indians who live on islands off the Panama coast. They drink up to five cups of cocoa a day and enjoy low blood pressure.

--Mary Ann Barton
maryannbarton@msn.com

 
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Discrimination Charges Up in 2006, Feds Say

The beginning of the new year is a good time for you and your staff to review company HR policies. Need some incentive? For the first time in four years, U.S. employers saw an increase in the number of employees who say they were discriminated against in their jobs.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last year received 75,768 discrimination charges, the first increase in charge filings since 2002, the federal agency reports.

Here's a breakdown of the charges:
•Race (27,238)
•Sex (23,247)
•Retaliation (22,555)
•Disability (15,625)
•Age (13,569)
•National origin (8,327)
•Religion (2,541)

Additionally, 12,025 sexual harassment charges and a record 4,901 pregnancy discrimination charges were filed with the EEOC and with state and local Fair Employment Practices Agencies combined. (A record 15 percent of sexual harassment charges were filed by men.) Pregnancy discrimination charges are up 31 percent since 1992, and the EEOC has filed five times as many pregnancy discrimination lawsuits as it did 10 years ago.

The EEOC resolved 74,308 private sector charges and a record 8,201 cases
were resolved through voluntary mediation.

How can you stay out of hot water? SAF members can take advantage of a free 15-minute consultation with John Satagaj, who can be contacted at (202) 639-8888.  Also, visit the EEOC Web site for more information. The government agency has information for small businesses too.

--Mary Ann Barton
maryannbarton@msn.com

 
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Reader Feedback

At least one E-Brief reader disagreed with our story last week on the effect of snowstorms on Midwest and East Coast florists, and another responded to our story about meeting with the FTC.

"Truthfully, I think the snow had nothing to do with bad sales for [Valentine's Day]," wrote Matthew Armbruster of Armbruster Florist and Greenhouses in Middletown, Ohio. "I think it is the overall economy of this county."

Armbruster's shop has been in business for more than 65 years.

The story about meeting with the FTC prompted Muffy Sander of Libby's Flowers, Beach Buds and Weeds & Things in Fort Myers, Fla., to advise florists to educate consumers on flower pricing:

"My husband and I own three floral shops in Lee County, and we regularly advise our customers about the deceptive listings and how much the customers actually pay for arrangements they order through these call centers," Sander wrote. "We are actively involved in several Chamber of Commerce organizations as well as a business networking group, and we never let a chance go by to positively educate the consumers regarding what they are getting for their hard-earned dollars. I am quite surprised to find that many of the consumers have no idea what it costs to get an arrangement out to the recipient. They think if they spend $75 on an arrangement that is what is going to show up at the door of the customer. I firmly believe all consumers need to be educated in the flower ordering process and how to get true value for their dollars."

Want to share your thoughts on these subjects with the rest of the industry? Visit our Valentine's Day Roundtable and Phoney Florists discussions on the Discussion Forum.

E-Brief editors welcome feedback from readers on all stories. Share your thoughts with vmachir@safnow.org.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Talk On The Forums

Members are discussing which type of van is the most fuel-efficient. Looks like it's a toss-up between Scions and the Honda Element. Check out the discussion and weigh in for yourself.

Also on the Forums:
Blogging
Wedding Coordination

Start your own discussion.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Mardi Gras Not a Big Holiday For Florists

Eighty-eight percent of readers responding to last week's e-poll said that they did not get any Mardi Gras-related orders. Twelve percent said they did.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Product Spotlight: FloraTrac

Need a way to see how you measure up to the competition? Try FloraTrac, SAF's new market share reporting system. This powerful tool will allow you to get month-to-month and year-to-year comparisons of your business against operations with similar revenues or geographic locations, as well as against all program participants. Enrollment is currently free for members.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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How Florists Dealt With Bad Weather on Valentine's Day

Preliminary data from the SAF Valentine's Day survey of retailers showed that 92 percent believed that despite weather problems on Valentine's Day they had satisfied "the vast majority" or "100 percent, all..." of their customers. The chart below shows some of the things retailers did in anticipation of bad weather in their areas on Valentine's Day. Some responses not included in the graph: calling customers before delivering, limiting delivery radius, staggering delivery to remote areas, doubling up on drivers in vans, putting banners on their Web sites, and the best answer of all, "smile, smile, smile."

Source: Preliminary data based on a record 418 responses. Response rate 11.9 percent.

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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