The Offender
(Click the link for a PDF of the letter SAF sent.) | The Harmful Remark
| The Offender's Response to SAF |
Baja Fresh
|  A display poster for Baja Fresh gift certificates reads “A Fresh Gift Idea for Moms, Dads & Grads,” and shows a “No” arrow pointing to a flower.
| Baja Fresh has not responded.
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| Belk | A brochure read: “Think outside the bouquet”
| Ralph Pitts, Belk
executive vice president and general counsel, replied to SAF’s
concerns: “We regret that our brochure title caused you to think that
we were disparaging flowers or the flower industry. That certainly was
not our intent. It was merely a play on words to draw attention to our
promotion, and we apologize for any misunderstanding this may have
caused. We strongly support the floral industry, and we promote and use
images of flowers in many of our advertisements and special events. In
fact, this coming weekend we are offering free roses to our customers
as a gift with purchase for Mother's Day in all of our 306 stores."
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| Chicago Tribune | The article, “Ahh… the smell of freshly saved cash: Thoughtful DIY flower arrangements add textured elements to save you green”
includes these statements: “And flowers — lovely or not — die. … If you
want to skip the florist and save a little cash … Skip flowers
altogether. … it’s cheaper than buying them from a florist …” | The Chicago Tribune has not responded.
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| Crocs | Crocs ad reads: “forget the flowers … plant your feet in comfort.”
| Crocs sent SAF a bouquet with this note:
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| Edible Arrangements |
Edible Arrangements’ Mother's Day print advertisement pictures “Bloom Daisies” dipped strawberries next to a bunch of tulips with a quote bubble coming from them saying, “So that’s what a tasteful gift looks like. No wonder you’re mom’s favorite.”
| Bob Heffernan, executive director of the Connecticut Florists Association, e-mailed SAF on April 22 with this news: “I had a 40-minute phone conversation yesterday with Tariq Farid, the owner of Edible Arrangements based here in CT. You know he is a former florist, well known here in CT. I did tell him not to trash flowers, which he enthusiastically agreed with. He said his marketing people had pushed him, and that there was at least one more ad in the pipeline for Mother's Day that might be objectionable. But he said after that his company would not do it again.”
Another reason why Farid might want to rethink the anti-flower approach: Edible Arrangements announced its reaching out to florists as potential franchise partners.
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| Forbes.com | The site published an article titled: “Make
Mom Smile This Mother's Day--No Wrapping Required: Ditch the flowers
and the chocolates this Mother's Day and instead give her an experience
she won't forget." | Forbes has not responded.
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| Kalahari Resorts | A Mother’s Day radio commercial said don’t buy flowers. | Four hours after SAF e-mailed the company, Adam Fisk, Kalahari Resorts’ corporate marketing manager, replied to SAF: “Please understand we had no intention of casting a negative light on the floral business with our recent radio spot. Our current radio flight ends in three days and we will revise any appropriate copy for future promotions.” |
Kleinfeld Bridal
| During the TLC series “Say Yes to the Dress,” episode “Hot Dresses, Cold Feet,” Kleinfeld Bridal suggested cutting the bride’s flower budget in order to afford a gown. | Kleinfeld Bridal has not responded |
| The Knot | During the April 29 Today show segment “Budgeting Tips for Beautiful Brides,” an editor with The Knot misled viewers on the cost of wedding arrangements. | Carley Roney, Co-Founder of The Knot, Inc., replied twice to SAF’s concerns:
- “We have the same concerns and never want brides’ expectations to be set wrong because we know that makes a florist’s jobs more difficult and ends up with disappointment all around! Please know that we share your confusion over these prices,” Roney wrote in an e-mail on April 30. "We agree with you, the confusion must be wholesale price of ACTUAL blooms, vs Actual arrangement price. We are tracking down actual numbers and will be posting a revision on our blog immediately.”
- “Hatch Creative [the event decorating company that provided the flowers for the segment] had in fact only given us the wholesale price for the flowers and we should have stated that the savings were in fact on the hard materials of the flowers alone, and that service would of course be the same price no matter what blooms were used,” Roney stated in the second e-mail. "I am personally very upset about this. Since founding The Knot 10 years ago, I have made it part of my mission to have brides devote more to their floral budgets, as I have witnessed in wedding after wedding that the services and talents of a professional florist ARE the differentiating factor between a wedding that is nice and one that is jaw-droppingly beautiful! This incident flies in the face of all that I have been trying to do. I take some solace — as I hope you will — in the fact that, as a whole, The Knot, across our Web sites and magazines, has published hundreds of photos and articles over the years educating brides on the importance of professional floral décor on their wedding day.”
- The prices are clarified on The Knot’s blog. The Knot also posted an apology and clarification to its partner florists on its corporate blog.
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| LaMar's Donuts |
An APW e-mail promotion reads, “Because flowers taste terrible.”
| LaMar's has not responded.
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Longwood Gardens,
Kennett Square, Pa. | An e-mail promoting Always in Bloom Perfume read, “Doesn’t Mom deserve more than just a bouquet?” | Longwood Gardens has not responded.
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| MNDC News | The article “Mothers Day gifts- What’s hot and what’s not” makes negative statements about the price of flowers. | MNDC News has not responded.
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PANDORA Jewelry
|
In a Mother's Day e-mail promotion, one of the charms is described as: “A symbolic miniature flower bouquet, that never wilts.” | PANDORA has not responded. |
| Shirley’s Potpourri LLC |
A Mother's Day e-mail promotion reads: “While flowers are usually the gift of choice, they'll be gone almost as quickly as they've been delivered. … What's more, long after all the flowers have wilted and all that's left is the vase …”
| Shirley’s Potpourri e-mailed: “I do apologize for offending anyone. I will not use the same campaign again.”
|
Sullivan Jewelers
Brookfield, Wis.
| A radio commercial slighted the longevity of Mother’s Day flowers.
| Sullivan Jewelers has not responded. |
III Forks Restaurant
(A steakhouse chain in Florida and Texas) |
A newspaper advertisement reads, “Mom Wants to Spend Time with You. Not a Bunch of Flowers.”
| Bill Watson, Vice President Marketing with Consolidated Restaurant Operations, Inc. e-mailed SAF: "I appreciate the opportunity to review comments about our advertising including most especially negative responses. I will take your perspective into consideration as we contemplate future advertising messages."
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| TigerDirect.ca | A Mother’s Day e-mail promotion read: “… keep your flowers.” | Tiger Direct has not responded. |
| Today.msnbc.msn.com |
The article, “15 Mother's Day gifts under $50,” begins, “Forget flowers!”
| Today Show has not responded. |
USA Weekend
| The article: “6 ways to keep wedding costs down: Be ready to bargain, think creatively and resist pressure” includes the quote, “I think flowers are a waste of money, so I'll cut back on them.” | |
