SAF's targeted outreach to the funeral industry has yielded more good press for the floral industry.
 
The floral industry's concern regarding the 'in lieu of flowers' phrase in obituaries was highlighted in the cover story, "How Flowers Ease the Grieving Process" in the October 2007 issue of Texas Director, the official publication of the Texas Funeral Directors Association.
 
"SAF is stepping up its efforts to deal with the [in lieu of] issue by helping florists and funeral directors build better working relationships," says the 4-page article, which provides insight into the tradition of sympathy flowers and discusses the benefits of flowers at a funeral.
 
The article includes SAF's suggested alternative phrases to 'in lieu of,' and advice on how to communicate with floral directors, to best serve their individual needs. Florists, for example, may want to ask directors what their preferred delivery times are and if they need help transporting flowers. "Communicating and working to reach a mutual understanding of problems will benefit the director, the florist and our mutual customer: the family and friends of the deceased," says SAF president Rod Saline, AAF, of Engwall Florist and Greenhouse in Duluth, Minn., in the article.

The article also reports on the SAF/FPO Home Ecology of Flowers Study, which found that the presence of flowers in the home makes people feel less anxious and more compassionate. "With people's desire for tranquility and stress relief stronger than ever, fresh research takes an insightful look at flowers and the important role they may play in our daily lives," states the article.  

The information included in the article comes from a press release sent to the major funeral trade publications by SAF this summer in an effort to promote the benefits of sympathy flowers to the funeral industry. In addition to the Texas Director article, the press release was posted on the Web site for American Funeral Director and American Cemetery magazines in June, and information was featured in the July issue of the National Funeral Director Association's magazine, The Director. An article ran in the September issue of the Funeral Monitor newsletter, and an article on trends and personalization in sympathy flowers is scheduled to run in International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) Magazine later this year.

"This kind of exposure of our message to the funeral industry is empowering," says Jennifer Sparks, SAF's vice president of marketing. "It is the perfect time for florists to contact their local funeral directors and get a dialogue started. SAF's efforts to build top-of-mind awareness coupled with the local florists' efforts is a strong, effective combination," she adds.
 
SAF provides members with free, new tools and advice, including: A sample letter to local funeral directors; SAF's sympathy flowers, a press release and alternative phrases to 'in lieu of flowers.' Also available is a checklist  that can help your shop evaluate its sympathy business. Read more about SAF's outreach to funeral publications.

The sympathy flowers outreach program is a direct result of the SAF Fund for Nationwide Public Relations. Get more information on the PR Fund.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 

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