Mother's Day is the biggest holiday of the year for the big floral brands and they doing their utmost to reverse disappointing Valentine's Day sales (down 22.7% on average) this year.
FTD -- the 100-year-old network of 20,000 independent florists -- has a new Web site, a new look for its Mercury Man logo and a new luxury line that starts at $179. That may seem
counterintuitive but FTD president Robert Apatoff says "there's part of the market that wants unique and bigger arrangements."
Teleflora is running a TV ad in 29 markets to
raise awareness of the brand, as well as paid programming on cable's HSN with the message that Teleflora products are arranged by hand. Meanwhile, 1-800-Flowers.com is offering 30 arrangements for
less than $30 and is doubling its marketing budget 100% this year. The increased spending includes a focus on social networking and
Spotlight a Mom, a website
where people can post inspirational stories about moms they know.
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