SAF has been busy responding to a number of instances of harmful Valentine's Day floral publicity this week, and it received a number of responses from the offenders:

* Wine.com changed its Valentine's Day promotion after being contacted by SAF. SAF member Mark Erickson, AIFD, PFCI, of Oklahoma Flower Market in Oklahoma City alerted SAF to an email he received from the company that read "Tired of Flowers? Give something you can enjoy together like Champagne and chocolate."

SAF contacted Wine.com's corporate offices on Feb. 6 and, within a day, received an e-mail response from the company's director of marketing, Christine Fabi, saying the advertisement would be removed.

"We received your fax and sincerely apologize for your disappointment with regards to our Valentine's Day campaign," Fabi stated. "We purchase flowers all the time and did not intend to offend our customers in the flower business. We have removed the ad from our home page and will be sure to consider feedback like this when planning future campaigns."

* SAF has once again faxed a letter to Irene Steiner, the Vermont Teddy Bear Company's vice president of marketing, about the company's Valentine's Day radio commercials. Paul Harvey and Bill O'Reilly are among the deejays saying flowers don't last in its promotions.

SAF has contacted the VTBC several times over the years. The VTBC's marketing director has told SAF that it has no plans to change the tagline, "A Creative Alternative to Flowers."

* SAF also contacted The Chicago Tribune for its article "Forget the Flowers; Last minute Valentine's Day gifts to get her heart pumping," in its Qurious Consumer section. The article includes, "Wait until Valentine's Day to buy flowers and you'll pay a premium. And maybe if you're lucky, those buds will last a week. For the same price, a nice perfume can provide a sweet scent for longer. ... Roses on Valentine's Day are lovely but a bit expected. Go a different route with rose-scented skin products."

Denise Joyce, Qurious Consumer editor, responded within a few hours. "I appreciate your drawing our attention to the floral industry and the demands that face the business," she says in e-mail. "Of course we meant no harm by the stories...and yes, we will certainly be more sensitive to the concerns of florists in future stories. For the record, we have mentioned fresh-cut flowers numerous times in past stories as an appropriate symbol of love and appreciation... Thanks again for contacting us and I apologize for any hurt or injured feelings."

* Last week E-brief editors reported an apology from CustomInk LLC., regarding it's promotion to to "forget about chocolates & flowers" for Valentine's Day.

To really show how sorry it was, CustomInk also sent Jenny Stromann, SAF's director of marketing, a T-shirt with a note: "Happy Valentine's Day. From your friends at CustomInk.com, where we heart flowers, too! (despite our Jan. 30th e-mail.)"

 

CustomInk also sent Jenny Stromann, SAF's director of marketing, a T-shirt with a note: "Happy Valentine's Day. From your friends at CustomInk.com, where we heart flowers, too! (despite our Jan. 30th e-mail.)"

 

SAF is the voice of the industry and responds to instances of harmful floral publicity. Alert SAF to negative floral references by faxing (703) 836-8705, e-mailing jstromann@safnow.org or calling (800) 336-4743.