ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Floral Endowment (AFE) is excited to announce the grand prize winner and two honorable mentions of its #FlowerLoveVideoContest,sponsored by Asocolflores and funded through the Floral Marketing Research Fund (FMRF).
$4,000 Grand Prize Winner
"Let Happiness Bloom"
by Jaclyn Fiola
$500 Honorable Mention
"The Flower Princess"
by Mickelle Martin
$500 Honorable Mention
"Happiness Blooms From Within"
by Kristin Peters
The contest was created based on results from the 2016 FMRF-funded study "Marketing Tactics to Increase Millennial Floral Purchases," also sponsored by Asocolflores. The study suggests that reaching millennials through short, authentic videos is an effective way to engage them, and that millennials enjoy sharing funny, sentimental and how-to videos on social media. The study also reveals that 75% of millennials use Facebook daily, and 46% visit YouTube daily.
Flower lovers from across the country submitted creative videos for this contest that featured and promoted the use and giving of fresh flowers. AFE received videos that were skits, animation, surprise moments, artistic montages, testimonials, and more!
More than 50 videos were entered into the contest, and the top 10 finalists were chosen by a selection committee. The videos were scored based on commercial appeal, creativity, and how much the video highlights fresh flowers in a positive way. The top 10 videos were then voted by consumers, industry members and others on social media, with the video receiving the most votes crowned the grand prize winner. About 3,500 people voted in the contest within the three-week voting period.
"It's neat to see the creativity that awakens in people when given a fun and open-ended opportunity to display their talent and passion," said Gray Simpson, one of thejudges in the selection committee, and a member of AFE'sYoung Professionals Council.
"Genuine, heartwarming advertising is scarce, and I can't remember the last time I saw a clip featuring flowers. Wouldn't it be refreshing to see this more often?"
Grand prize winner Jaclyn Fiola was ecstatic to hear that her video received the most votes.
"As a student studying horticulture, it means a lot to be recognized and I'm grateful for the opportunity to promote the floral industry and the gift of flowers," she said.
"I believe videos like these can tell a story that both informs and encourages people to buy more flowers."
BONUS: New Flower Video Library Launched!
Free Short Videos Promoting Flowers — Just in Time for Valentine's Day!
The #FlowerLoveVideoContest generated more than 50 short videos that can be used by industry members to promote the power of flowers. Videos can be downloaded and used on websites and social media, not just for holiday reminders, but for promoting flowers as the perfect gift every day.
See the winners, finalists and entire video library at endowment.org/flower-love-videos.
The study "Marketing Tactics to Increase Millennial Purchases" is also available for download atFMRF.org.
About AFE
The American Floral Endowment is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the floriculture and horticulture industry through funding research, educational grants and scholarships. Since 1961, more than $15 million has been funded in research and educational projects, and more than $2 million has been funded in scholarships and internships designed to attract and retain the future leaders of the industry. To learn more about AFE or make a tax-deductible contribution, visit www.endowment.org.
About FMRF
In 2008, the Floral Marketing Research Fund was established by Trustees of the American Floral Endowment to support consumer-based research to benefit the floral industry. Visit www.fmrf.org to create an account and download all FMRF reports. Follow us on Facebook for updates on new FMRF studies.
Source: The American Floral Endowment