The Offender
(Click the link for a PDF of the letter SAF sent.)
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The Harmful Remark |
The Offender's Response to SAF |
Better Homes and Gardens magazine
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The article “ Going Rate”
in the Money News column of the February issue of Better Homes And
Gardens magazine makes negative statements about the price of
Valentine’s Day roses. | Better Homes and Gardens has not responded. |
| Bonobos, Inc. |
The Web site reads: “Skip the flowers this year and get something your Valentine will really love …” | Bonobos has not responded. |
| CNET | During The Early Show segment “Tech That Says ‘I Love You’,” Natali Del Conte, a CNET senior editor and "Early Show" contributor, remarked: “chocolates and flowers are nice but they go away, these last longer … Thank you for the flowers I’d rather have a gadget.” | CNET has not responded. |
Danbury Mint
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Its Valentine’s Day catalog contains statements such as: “This Valentine’s Day, don’t settle for roses … More precious than a dozen roses ... Roses fade quickly …” |
Danbury Mint has not responded.
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| Danner, Inc. |
An e-mail reads: “Roses, Chocolates….or Danners? To us at Danner, the smell of leather and the feel of a well-finished boot beat the hell out of chocolate and roses any day of the year.” | A customer sales specialist e-mailed: “We apologize if our selection of words was offensive to members of your organization, and we’ll be more aware of our impact in this way in the future.” |
Gem of an Idea
Fairhaven, N.J. | Radio commercial says you should not buy roses because they die.
| Owner Maureen Bay e-mailed: “Thank you for your note of concern about my radio advertisement. I have been in business now for 27 years and have never endeavored to hurt another industry or business.”
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Harmons
| A radio commercial makes a disparaging remark about the price of roses sold by florists. | Harmons Director of Marketing e-mailed: "The spots have been pulled from the radio schedule. Once again I offer my apologies for this having happened."
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Harry and David
| The back cover of the Harry & David Valentine’s Day catalog shows a picture of a dozen roses in a vase and states, “Arrive fresher and last longer than bouquets from local florists.” | Harry and David has not responded to SAF.
An SAF member who wrote the company received a response from Martha M. Forrest, senior product line manager of Fruit & Flowers with Harry and David, via e-mail: “There are 2 additional catalogs already printed that may contain this copy. I will edit and delete any such remarks going past April 14, 2010.”
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M&Ms
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The M&Ms Web site reads "Forget Roses," and a TV commercial says can I send [M&Ms] instead of flowers?
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Jessica S. Graves, External Affairs Manager of Mars Chocolate North America, responded via e-mail.
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| Massage Envy Limited, LLC | Radio commercial says flowers are expensive and wilt. | Massage Envy has not responded. |
Sticky Lips Pit BBQ
Rochester, NY |
The marquee reads: “Don’t Buy Flowers Eat Barbeque.” | Sticky Lips e-mailed: “We regret any offense we may have caused with our marquee. We certainly didn't mean any harm. In fact, we're now changing the sign to read "Sticky Lips BBQ Loves Flowers."
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Successories
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An e-mail promotion reads, “Flowers only last a week … Create a piece of art that will last a lifetime!”
| Successories has not responded. |
Terre Haute Living magazine
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The article, “Roses are red, Violets are blue: Really is that the best you can do?" makes disparaging remarks about the price and freshness of Valentine's Day roses. |
Terre Haute Living magazine has not responded.
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Vermont Teddy Bear Company
| Radio commercial makes disparaging references about the longevity of flowers. | The Vermont Teddy Bear Company has not responded. |
