Apr 19, 2019

Flower Power Mobile Helps Spread the Word By Tim Hodson

Earlier this month, a team of ambassadors representing the Society of American Florists trekked through the Pacific Northwest in a vintage-style van — The Flower Power Mobile — offering unsuspecting people free flowers and tips to alleviate stress.

Their journey from San Francisco to Portland to Seattle spurred a flurry of positive news stories in the region’s biggest markets, as local media covered the flower giveaways and the visually compelling vehicle, as well as the scientific research supporting flowers’ stress-reducing powers.

“We are providing a solution that helps people cope with stress in little ways throughout the day,” Jennifer Sparks, SAF’s vice president of marketing Jennifer Sparks told Kara Mack, co-host of “Afternoon Live,” a program on KATU-ABC in Portland, Oregon.

During the live broadcast, Sparks introduced April as Stress Awareness Month, highlighting the affliction’s impact with statistics from Wakefield Research (68 percent of Americans report feeling stressed on a weekly basis; 32 percent endure it every day).

Sparks then dove into results from the University of North Florida’s recent research study, “The Impact of Flowers on Perceived Stress Among Women.”

“It’s that contact with nature so many of us crave,” she said. “The really great thing about flowers is that they bring the beauty of nature indoors. Simply having them on your desk or nightstand can significantly improve your wellbeing.”

While stress reduction is an evergreen topic, “Stress Awareness Month makes journalists especially receptive to covering the research results,” Sparks said.

You can learn more about this campaign as well as how you can benefit from SAF’s other promotional efforts at www.safnow.org.

— Tim