Floral Industry To Make its Voice Heard on Capitol Hill

More than 100 SAF members will be coming to Washington, D.C., next week to make a difference in the floral industry by lobbying the issues that matter to you.

During Congressional Action Days, set for March 12 and 13, attendees will meet with members of Congress and their staffs to discuss comprehensive immigration reform, including the AgJOBS bill, increased funding for floriculture research and health care reform.

Attendees also will get the chance to hear political insights from three distinguished speakers: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), health-care reform expert and AgJOBS co-sponsor, Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report, and former Ohio Congressman John Kasich.

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), AgJOBS champion and industry ally, also will speak to members of the SAFPAC Gold Club, contributors of $1,000 or more to SAF's political action committee, during a luncheon on Tuesday, March 13.

For more information, contact Laura Weaver at lweaver@safnow.org; (800) 336-4743.

Florists from the Washington, D.C., area can register on site on Monday, March 12, at the Fairmont Hotel, located at 2401 M Street, N.W. Washington, D.C.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Colombian School Benefits from Wholesaler's Generosity

A foundation that works to improve the lives of Colombian children by advancing their health care and educational opportunities is set to receive a major boost from employees at the Bill Doran Company, headquartered in Rockford, Ill. a $10,000 boost, to be exact.

The school, which is sponsored by The Elite Flower in Bogotá, Colombia, as the Fernando Borrero Caicedo Foundation, will use the money toward audiovisual equipment, computers, Internet connections and indoor recreation and sport activities, says foundation CEO Maria Eugenia Anzola Ospina.

The foundation, founded in April 2000, has an annual operating budget of $845,000, which goes toward myriad educational, recreational and nutritional needs for hundreds of children. While The Elite Flower funds all maintenance costs, the foundation does not receive money from any government agencies, and Ospina calls the Bill Doran donation "unusual."

"We have received some donations like the one from Bill Doran for specific programs such as construction of classrooms, and purchase of books for the library," she says,  "(But) last year we received only $15,000 (in private donations)."

The idea for the donation began several years ago after a few Bill Doran employees saw promotional material about the foundation during a visit to The Elite Flower farm locations in Colombia, says Romni Pullen, Bill Doran's Madison, Wis., branch manager. After those employees and others expressed interest in making a donation, company executives put the wheels in motion, setting up a fund so employees could automatically deduct a portion of their paychecks -- anywhere from $1 to $10 a week, Pullen says.

"Because of the overwhelming support of the employees, the Bill Doran Company also donated to the fund," says Randy Schenauer of The Elite Flower. "We are looking to have some of Bill Doran's associates come to Bogotá to present the check with all the children present."

The donation marks Bill Doran's first group effort at philanthropy, says Pullen.
 
"We have a special relationship with some very wonderful farms in South America, Elite being one of them," Pullen says. "(We) wanted to do something to help, and this was in place so we chose this."

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

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WF&FSA's 'Detailed' Ads Debut

WF&FSA's new ad.

Do you value working with detail-oriented industry partners? If so, head to your wholesaler. At least, that's the message behind new trade advertising that promotes wholesale florists. The Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association's (WF&FSA) newest ads run with the tagline, "It's in the details," and will tie into a marketing kit with the same theme.

"Wholesalers look at the tagline and say, 'Yes, that is what I do.  It is about the details,'" says Jim Wanko, WF&FSA's executive vice president. "The ads are based on new research and should resonate very well with retail florists, because it is all true; it is what retail florists told us about wholesalers."

The ads are among the most recent efforts of WF&FSA's Wholesale Marketing Campaign, which "grew out of committee discussion regarding the perception of wholesalers among customers and suppliers," Wanko says. The group did initial market research in 2000 and started running ads in 2001.
 
"I hope [through the campaign] retail florists have a better understanding of the value that wholesalers bring to them and I hope that their focus goes beyond price," Wanko says. "Right now, wholesale florists have received the highest overall satisfaction rating in a blind, non-biased national survey of independent retail florists. We want that to continue."

The campaign, which is supported by the group's President Club, has a 2007 budget of $65,000.

For his part, Wanko believes the group's latest effort will carry more weight than previous attempts, in part because it is supported by research.

"Year's ago, WF&FSA ran ads showing the value of wholesale florists," he says. "The difference today is that the campaign is based on research and we hired professionals to develop the campaign... The research showed that wholesalers represent the best value for the money and their value comes in many forms, including satisfaction, reliability, accuracy, responsiveness, expertise and much more."

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Desktop Search Improves Supply Guide

Find everything you need with the desktop search feature.

More than 10,000 floral industry professionals have used the Ultimate Floral Industry Supply Guide to find the supplies they need to keep their businesses running smoothly. Now, this amazing search tool is right at your fingertips with the new Desktop Search feature.

With just a few clicks you can put a small window right on your computer's desktop and search for all those hard-to-find products whenever you
like. And, just one click takes you straight to the SAF Web site and all the great resources you will find there.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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High Notes of Retailers' E-mails Exposed

Heavy use of graphics, regular communication and less personalization than you might expect are just some of the characteristics of major retailers' successful e-mail marketing campaigns, according to a recent story on Email Insider, an online publication.

"At the top of the list is Neiman Marcus, which reaches out to its customer base via e-mail marketing on an almost daily basis," writes Bill McCloskey in his Feb. 28 run-down of the campaigns. "Of all the retailers I've monitored, Neiman Marcus has the most robust e-mail marketing program I've seen."

McCloskey also gave high marks to Macy's, which runs banner ads on ABC's e-mail campaigns that promote the network's use of Macy's linens on the hit TV show "Desperate Housewives." He also noted that, while all of the e-mail programs he reviewed featured impressive graphic elements, many relied on "a very similar, templated look." (Several of the retailers highlighted use the same program, Cheetahmail, to deliver their messages.)

Still, some companies have broken out of the box by incorporating personalization techniques to great effect. Wal-Mart's Baby Connection e-mail, for instance, "follows the lifecycle of an infant and gives helpful hints and, of course, product ideas when babies hit certain age milestones." Banana Republic and Target send different e-mails to male and female subscribers.

Create your own e-mail campaign with the help of SAF and its affiliation with MagnetMail. SAF members can use MagnetMail to start an efficient and effective marketing campaign or stay connected with customers through e-newsletters. The service includes access to SAF's ready-to-use newsletter articles and photos that can be inserted with the click of a mouse.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Convenience Stores Come Back

By tweaking their Web sites and offering loyalty programs, some convenience stores have defied analysts' previous predictions that the companies wouldn't survive competition from mass merchandisers and online vendors, according to a recent story in the Miami Herald.

One of the best examples of renewed success, Walgreens, has successfully reinvented itself by extending store hours, diversifying product lines and adding perks online, where shoppers can print out coupons for their local Walgreens store, according to the Herald. Likewise, CVS, a Walgreens competitor, has signed up 50 million people for its ExtraCare loyalty card, making it the largest program of its kind in the country -- and the most successful.

The stories illustrate a broader trend, according to the Herald, which recently reported on research showing that less than 25 percent of shoppers "consistently buy based only upon price."

"Most shoppers do consider comparative values," according to the story. "But their purchase decisions are based upon a mix of both logic and emotion. The logic/emotion mix varies with each product."

Read SAF research on the motivation behind consumers' flower and potted plant purchases in the Consumer Attitudes and Behaviors About Floral Purchasing Study.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

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Members: How Are We Doing?

Are our e-polls lame? Do you crave more industry news? Are you interested in seeing more trend information? E-Brief editors want to know: How are we doing? And, how can we improve?

SAF recently sent out a Zoomerang survey asking members for specific feedback on the SAF Wednesday E-Brief. Please take a moment to complete the survey. We can't get better without your help.

Did you miss the survey? If you haven't received the survey but would like to participate, contact surveys@safnow.org.

As always, E-Brief editors welcome your feedback on individual stories. E-mail vmachir@safnow.org.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Reader Feedback: On Snow and Mandates

Two readers wrote to E-Brief editors recently, on different topics. Jane Johns weighed in on how recent snowfalls hurt sales in "the northeast kingdom of Vermont." After reading the update on the Floral Marketing Funding Initiative Kevin Martin wondered about the effectiveness of industry-wide mandates:

"Our Valentine's Day sales were down by 30 percent.  We were hit with 24- to 36-plus inches of snow during the day.  People were concentrating on just being able to get home -- never mind buying anything, except maybe food.  Even the next day everyone spent the day trying to shovel out or wait for snow plows or bucket loaders that had been working thru the night.  We had hoped to make up some of the sales the next day, but we weren't even able to get into our store until afternoon."

Jane Johns
The Flower Basket
Hardwick, Vt.
flwrbskt@wirelessvt.net

"I'm a florist in Atlanta and attended a meeting headed by, among others, Mr. [Charles] Kremp (president of the Floral Marketing Funding Initiative Coalition).  Very passionate and innovative person.  I don't know much about this project; however, the word "mandate" bothers me for several reasons.  Has anyone else voiced concern about this proposal?... In short, I studied at the Chicago School of Economics, in which free markets rule, mandates don't.  Second, if prices are forced to increase because of a "mandate," well intentioned or not, the parties imposing the two percent increase can easily blame it on retail florist, which could have, I think, more of a negative effect than the positive aspects an ad campaign could.

"Just a few thoughts from a simple florist."

Kevin Martin
Conner's Florist 
Atlanta, Ga.
kevincm2@hotmail.com

Editor's Note: Read Charles Kremp's response to Mr. Martin.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Discrimination Suits: Not a Problem for Most

Almost 85 percent of readers responding to last week's e-poll said nobody has ever filed a formal discrimination complaint against their business. Fifteen percent said they have had someone file a formal complaint.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Talk on the Forums

One member from a small town (population: less than 7,000) is wondering whether it pays to participate in local wedding shows. Another lists the pros and cons of attending, and advises members to look carefully at the cost-benefit ratio. Participate.

Other Discussions:
Delivery vehicle graphics
Design school flowers for weddings

Start your own discussion.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Product Spotlight: 2007 Pest Management Proceedings

Did you miss the SAF 23rd Annual Conference on Pest and Disease Management? The 2007 Pest Management Conference Proceedings are now available. Speaker presentations and additional session materials are included, and proceedings are available for $44.95.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Valentine's Day Sales Increase

Forty-five percent of retail florists reported an increase in sales for
Valentine's Day compared to a year ago. About a third (35%) said sales
fell and almost one in five (18%) indicated they were roughly unchanged
from last year.

Source: SAF Zoomerang Online Survey of retail florists with email addresses. Based on 511 responses (response rate 14.5%).

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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