OrganicBouquet created plenty of online and television media buzz this past Valentines Day when their “World’s Tallest Roses” appeared on ABC’s “The View”.  

The roses which can measure any where from 4 to 6 feet in height engendered so much curiousity for the company  throughout the day Organic Bouquet was the #1 search on Google by the afternoon.  The Views  average audience size is 4.2 million viewers so it’s not hard to image.

OrganicBouquet is the nation’s leading supplier of eco-friendly flowers and gifts.  Your purchase of these  roses incidentally make a positive impact on the environment by removing harmful chemicals from our environment, in addition to helping farm workers in developing countries support their families.

“Each purchase helps provide education, medical care and jobs with livable wages for growers and artisans. In addition, certified sustainable farms employ over 60% female workers-providing job opportunities where there once was none.” according a release from the company.

Here is a video with the CEO Robert McLaughlin talking about OrganicBouquet’s eco-freindly gifts.  

What are your impression of the roses? Would you buy them?

New Years Flowers and Plants for the New Year

New Year’s day is an occasion for looking forward and wishing family and freinds the best in the new year to come.  People around the world will be celebrating and cheering as the clock strikes 12:00 am.  It’s also a time of reflection in looking back on goals accomplished and some never started.

In comes our new years resolutions. Resolutions are our own personal way of declaring new goals and finally addressing old ones.  Don’t just make a mental note of the things you would like to do and see, write them down and read them everyday – out loud even – and soon you will see yourself accomplishing those goals and more.

Make giving to others apart of your resolution as well. There is a saying “No man is an island, entire of itself…”, so as you give and help others you can expect others will do the same for you. It’s a guiding principle that has propelled many to reach their goals and accomplish great things.

Gift giving is not an essential piece to bringing in the New Year but a great way to mark it’s beginning. New Years Flowers and Plants are an excellent way to say Happy New Years. New Years Flowers will not only last for several days commemorating the day but also remind you how you started the year.

Here are some New Years flower ideas.

Bonsai Plants - Offer someone a great bonsai plant like the Juniper Bonsai for New Years. The Juniper is one of the most popular bonsais in the US since it is great for bonsai beginners or experts alike. The Juniper Bonsai features rapid growth and long, trailing branches that add beauty to any décor. Get a great looking bonsai plant to for the New Year for yourself or as a gift to someone else.

New Year Floral Bouqets – Just adding a celebratory bouquet of New Years flowers to your home decor to celebrate the occasion or sending them as a gift to someone far away is also a great way to bring in the New Year.  The Toast of the Town  bouquet is a mix of fresh white flowers such as roses, miniature gerberas and cushion spray chrysanthemums – accented with greenery, plus a silvery mask and stars, delivered in a silver-toned urn.

If one single plant or bouquet will not due then New Years Gift baskets provide plenty of opportunity to share and revel in the celebration. The Taittinger® Champagne & Truffles Gift Set looks to be an elegant way to bring in the New Year. If you know someone who would enjoy a little bubbly then  this gift set that comes with a sophisticated, keepsake box that’s perfect for preserving New Year’s souvenirs.

Happy New Years!

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Continuing its trend of opening new avenues to market, online florist 1-800-flowers.com has entered into the social media space by being the first business entity  to open shop on Facebook. They were one of the first floral retailers to venture into the Internet space in 1992 and in 1994 they were the first merchant of any kind to transact on AOL. 

Now Facebook!  

Advertising products and services to customers happens all day, everyday on Facebook.  But brands that see this social media space myopically, by focusing on the potential of reaching 250 million facebook users and surreptitiously going for the sale, could be a short sighted marketing strategy.  

If the goal is to sell flowers, how will they do it, without marketing to it’s Fan base. But isn’t this antithetical to what social media networks are and should be used for?

Perhaps this is a bad move on 1-800-Flowers.com part.  Maybe they haven’t studied the social media space in depth enough and are only looking at the potential gain from the most popular social network in the world.

There are social media experts who see brands entering into social media to build relationships with customers, improve customer service, generate leads, and build brand loyalty.  It’s also about listening to what’s being said about your business or brand to better understand your customers.

Judging by the already low ratings 1-800-Flowers has with many consumers on Epinions.com (rated 2 out of a possible 5 with 554 reviews)  they will have to contend and address these type of complaints in the public space. They have to, in order to survive and earn the trust of consumers.  It’s not the satisfied customers that make the most noise but the disappointed ones you are forced to address and respond to. 

With social media networks like Facebook, brands must committ to openness and transparency. They must be willing to not only be receptive to negative feedback, but also be their to respond to negative comments as well. At the time of writing, the negative comments have already started. One “Fan”, Shamit Khemka, has posted his bad experience with using 1-800-Flowers.com. 

If disgruntled consumers suddenly flock to their page and litter their Wall post with negative experiences they risk turning what could be a opportunity to reach millions of consumers with their products to turning their page into a consumer complaint board. Their Facebook flower shop would become a mute point.

With an already recognizable brand 1-800-flowers can continue to build on it’s brand prowess by using Facebook to increase customer satisfaction. If done consistently their exposure on Facebook will only lift their brand if Fans are truly Fans.

It will be interesting to watch how this works for 1-800-flowers.  Somehow this will mark a turning point for brands looking to do business on Facebook or become another case study of what not to do..

I still wonder where this will take Facebook? Will Facebook turn into Amazon.com? Are they getting a cut on the new 1-800-flowers.com revenue stream?

We all know that vitamins are responsible for replenishing and strengthening our bodies. A recent research study has shown that flowers, dubbed the vitamin F, can help feed our minds with inspiration, wellness, gratitude, love and optimism.

Jayme Barrett, a personal fulfillment expert and best-selling author of Feng Shui Your Life points to university research studies linking flowers with mental well being such as creativity, compassion and tranquility.

Watch Jayme Barrett explain the floral energies in this Video: