FTD Florist Engagement Initiative

Turning a National Brand Into a Local Business Advantage

FTD’s success depended on more than consumer recognition. It also depended on the independent florists who fulfilled the brand promise in communities around the world.

The FTD Florist Engagement Initiative provided local florists with professionally developed marketing resources they could use to promote their businesses, connect with customers, and benefit from FTD’s national creative capabilities.

Role

Creative Services Manager

Leadership

Five-person creative team

Scope

Campaign development, video, email, digital, and tradeshow

01 Context

Rebuilding Partnership Across the Network

FTD supported an international network of independent florists, each operating its own business, serving its own customers, and building its own reputation within its local community.

Following an FTD brand refresh, some florists increasingly felt that the company was competing with them rather than working alongside them. FTD needed to rebuild confidence in the relationship, demonstrate the value of network participation, and provide practical support that could help florists compete and grow.

This created an opportunity to turn FTD’s centralized creative capabilities into useful marketing resources for businesses throughout the florist network.

02 The Challenge

Making National Creative Locally Useful

FTD needed to develop marketing resources that could serve a diverse network of florists operating in different markets and with different levels of connection to the brand.

The materials had to be professionally produced, easy to access, and practical for local use without requiring individual florists to create campaigns from the ground up. Some assets would carry the FTD brand directly. Others could be customized with local information, while select materials allowed FTD Master and Premier Florists to incorporate their own branding.

The creative challenge was to develop a flexible body of work that could support local business needs while maintaining the quality and consistency expected from a national brand.

03 Role

Leading Creative Through Execution

As Creative Services Manager, I partnered with the Creative Director, who led the broader strategy for the initiative. My role was to help translate that strategy into a cohesive creative concept and lead its development across video, print, email, digital, florist communications, and trade-show applications.

I led a five-person creative team and collaborated with marketing, sales, and florist-relations stakeholders throughout the project. I also helped present the creative direction to leadership and align the work with the needs of the florist network.

My responsibilities included concept development, storyboarding, art direction, design direction, hands-on design, and maintaining creative consistency as the initiative expanded across channels and applications.

04 Direction

Building Flexible Florist Marketing Support

The strategy was grounded in a straightforward idea: FTD should help local florists succeed.

Rather than developing a single corporate campaign and expecting every florist to use it in the same way, we created a flexible collection of professionally produced marketing resources that could accommodate different business needs and levels of FTD affiliation.

The initiative extended across video, magazine advertising, email, digital banners, trade-show materials, and florist communications. Depending on the application, materials could be used as FTD-branded creative, updated with local information, or adapted to include an individual florist’s identity.

This approach gave florists access to creative resources that could otherwise have been costly or time-consuming to develop independently. It also helped FTD provide more consistent marketing support while recognizing the differences among the businesses within its network.

The creative direction was guided by four principles:

Give florists materials they could put to work immediately.
Make assets easy to update for different markets and uses.
Preserve professional quality across every application.
Position FTD as a resource supporting local business success.

05 Execution

Connecting Support Across Multiple Channels

The initiative was expressed through a connected range of marketing resources designed to help florists communicate more effectively in their local markets.

Adaptable Florist Marketing Materials

We developed a library of ready-to-use materials spanning magazine advertising, email, digital banners, and florist communications.

Campaigns such as “You Deliver, We Deliver” and “Power of FTD” communicated the strength and value of the florist network while providing polished creative that could be extended across different placements.

Some materials could be deployed as FTD campaign assets, while others allowed local business information, contact details, or florist branding to be incorporated where appropriate. This gave florists access to professionally developed creative without requiring them to build every campaign independently.

FTD Florist Commercial

The FTD florist commercial translated the initiative into an emotional story centered on the artistry, personal service, and local expertise behind every delivery.

I led the concept, storyboarding, and art direction of the commercial. Video materials were structured so they could be used across florist communications and, where appropriate, adapted with localized opening or closing information.

This extended the value of the original production beyond a single corporate placement and made the content more useful throughout the florist network.

Trade-Show Experience

The trade-show experience brought the initiative into an environment where FTD could interact directly with members of the florist community.

Environmental graphics, displays, campaign materials, and supporting communications created a cohesive expression of FTD’s commitment to helping florists succeed. The experience also gave internal teams an opportunity to demonstrate the available resources and gather direct feedback from participating florists.

06 Business Impact

Creating Value Through Practical Support

Although formal performance metrics were not established for the initiative, florist adoption and qualitative response demonstrated the value of providing practical, professionally developed marketing support.

Florists used the materials in their local markets, requested additional assets and customization, and responded positively to resources that helped them promote their businesses. The use of the work across local markets also demonstrated that the materials were accessible and relevant to the businesses they were intended to support.

Internal stakeholders saw the initiative as a more effective way to strengthen relationships with the florist network while improving the quality and consistency of florist-facing marketing.

More importantly, the initiative helped reposition FTD’s centralized creative capabilities as a resource for local business success. It demonstrated that a national organization could strengthen partner relationships by providing useful tools without requiring every participating business to operate or communicate in exactly the same way.

Enterprise creative systems succeed when they make it easier for people to do better work.

I'm always interested in connecting with organizations and leaders who value creativity, clarity, and impact.

I'm interested in opportunities to lead creative organizations where brand, people, and business strategy intersect. Whether building a team, strengthening a brand, or helping an organization navigate growth and change, I'm energized by creating environments where creativity becomes a competitive advantage.