Flower promotion toward consumers is difficult (and expensive). When you do consumer promotion, it normally comes from a collective. In Europe, the Flower Council of Holland is the most prominent initiative to reach consumers and to make them buy more flowers and plants.
Funded by growers who supply flowers via the Royal FloraHolland auction system, this initiative is targeting four major markets, the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands. This year a new initiative started; 'That Flower Feeling'. Initiated by CalFlowers from the US. Thursd embraced and joined this initiative as a contributor.
That Flower Feeling
That Flower Feeling is a cooperative effort to get more Americans to enjoy more flowers, more often. From upscale florists to farmers' markets or grocery stores — as long as people are bringing home flowers regularly, that’s good enough for the initiators of this campaign.
Initiative From CalFlowers
The architects of this campaign, the people from CalFlowers, want everyone to experience the impact of flowers on a daily basis. They’re beautiful and are a natural dose of feel-good, so why should they be reserved for special occasions? Even the most modest bouquet of flowers can have all sorts of positive short and long-term effects on how we feel. In other words: it’s that flower feeling.
Self-Care Made Easy
The campaign is about flowers being the best self-care you can have. Because self-care has become a lot of work. You gotta pamper, practice mindfulness, balance life and work, and be awesome at all of them. Flowers on the other hand are self-care made easy. They won't replace working out or eating well, but they're a spiritual tune-up. So treat yourself to a little off-the-shelf self-care. A great idea of promoting flowers.
A great message:
Communication About Sustainability in the Flower Industry Has an Inverse Effect
With all the different sustainability initiatives in the flower industry and the huge amount of publications on all the different social channels, you could think the perception of the industry in the media with regard to sustainability is really good. The industry does a lot. Many sustainability labels and initiatives are being promoted.
But, what happens? We see more and more negativity towards flowers and plants in the Western media. It seems like talking about sustainability publicly almost has an inverse effect on public opinion toward the sustainability of the production of flowers and plants.
How can cut flowers be sustainable when you discard them anyway after they finish blooming in people's homes?
Nowadays, many people in Western countries perceive flowers not to be sustainable by definition. The more you talk about sustainability publicly, the more the non-sustainability of cut flowers is being presented by media and influencers.
The Right Message
And here comes 'That Flower Feeling' with just the right message! Besides having this right message, 'That Flower Feeling' also has the potential to be the worldwide initiative to do consumer flower and plant promotion, because it is not bound to specific target countries, as some other initiatives have. Arnold Wittkamp, CEO of Thursd:
"That Flower Feeling has the potential to reach the world, not just specific countries. And we should all embrace its message of flowers being the best self-care. At the same time, I think we should avoid too much talking about sustainability outside of the industry. That is why I call for everyone in the flower industry to think again before publishing sustainability stories.
It's important we are sustainable and set better goals every year. For sure. We shouldn't stop becoming better when it comes to sustainability goals. But, we should 'just be sustainable', and not talk about it so much. In some businesses in the flower industry, it's the main message. Be as Nespresso, do as much as you can, and show it on your website, but keep the main message clear. For Nespresso that is: 'What else?' For the flower industry, it has to be: 'flowers are the best self-care. A very strong and clear message."
Thursd Has Joined 'That Flower Feeling'
Thursd contributes to the initiative, hoping it will become a joint effort of the global flower industry, and based on voluntary connecting. So, its promotions can be done in each and every country in the world, sharing the message that flowers are good for people. According to Arnold, that is way better than talking about how to reduce pesticides and/or footprints.
You can contribute here: sponsor.thatflowerfeeling.org
What Flowers Do:
- Instant Feel-Good: Studies show that flowers trigger dopamine and serotonin — in other words: happy emotions. Just having them around is a surefire way to improve your mental and emotional health.
- Nature's Mood Stabilizer: There is no better natural supplement to help you manage your day-to-day moods. The simple act of buying flowers is a small shift that can improve your mindset and approach to life.
- Feels Like Home: By bringing life and color into your home, flowers actually make it a warmer and more welcoming atmosphere, passing those good feelings to everyone who enters the space.
https://thatflowerfeeling.org/
https://sponsor.thatflowerfeeling.org/
