Mother's Day is a prime time to score coverage in the local media. E-Brief editors sought out a few samples of floral businesses making headlines and followed up to find out how they got them.

Beneva Flowers & Gifts' exclusive ceramic tote bouquets.

• Art Conforti knows that a great way to garner a little publicity for Mother's Day is to build relationships with local media. This Mother's Day, the owner of Beneva Flowers & Gifts in Sarasota, Fla., was featured in an almost 4-minute segment airing May 6 on the local ABC affiliate's noon news program. Marsha Panuche, the station's resident fashion consultant, raved about a selection of arrangements from Beneva, including two arrangements in ceramic tote bags with Panuche explaining they were "exclusive to Beneva." Beneva Flowers has a pre-existing relationship with the station because the florist supplies it with arrangements every week.  

• Working with the media on previous occasions paid off for Villere Florist in Metairie, La. On May 11, The Times-Picayune of New Orleans featured an extensive article profiling Villere's operations in preparation for Mother's Day on the front page of the its "Living" section. The writer, Elizabeth Mullener, is a customer of Villere Florist, and The Times-Picayune relies on Villere to decorate its main headquarters at Christmas.

Roger Villere Jr., AAF, president of Villere Corporation, says the newspaper had originally only intended to include the shop along with several other florists in a shorter piece on Mother's Day.

"They did a more in-depth piece because the writer was so impressed with the flower operation," Villere explains.

Mullener spent four days learning the ins and outs of Villere's operation and even hit the road with the drivers while they were making their deliveries. While Villere is not aware of any new customers that have come in as a result of the article, he says several existing customers have mentioned it.

• Former SAF president Red Kennicott, AAF, chief executive officer at Kennicott Brothers Company in Chicago, appeared in a piece on his local ABC affiliate, just days before Mother's Day. The report, which also featured a local restaurant and salon, began with Kennicott stating the company's positive philosophy about the holiday: "The nice thing about Mother's Day is that all flowers are popular," he says.

Kennicott acknowledges that the rising energy costs have a direct affect on his business, during the segment, but asserts that flowers "are very affordable and maybe people can give up some of their more expensive things."

Kennicott Brothers' relationship with its local ABC affiliate dates back 10 to 15 years, although Kennicott admits he is not quite sure how it all started.

"They have been here before," explains Kennicott. "Every once in awhile they'll call about an item, especially around Valentine's Day or Mother's Day. It's an ongoing relationship."

For more helpful marketing ideas or tips for interviewing with the media, head over to the Industry Promotion section of the SAF Web site.

E-brief editors want to hear how you got good media coverage. Send your stories to mschimminger@safnow.org.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 

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