Recently I was somewhat appalled by a statement that SAF, the Society of American Florists, made me aware of which, was part of a marketing campaign by the Melting Pot. In its Mother's Day press release the restaurant chain made the statement that flowers are "typical gifts" that stand as "cliché sentiments" on Mother's Day. After being contacted by SAF, the company's PR agency initially defended the context of the press release by saying it "merely used flowers as an example of a 'staple' associated with Mother's Day and just wanted to provide an alternative."

For those of us who love flowers and understand the emotional impact they have on our lives the tiresome barrage of anti-floral sentiment is tiresome. The mere fact that flowers are very often a target for other industries is a testimony of the ubiquitous love that people have for them. Those of us who share the seat of our emotions by sharing God's fragile treasure with our loved ones and business associates understand the power of color, fragrance and joy that can only be packaged in a bloom.

I admit, I am on the edge as I am confronted with others telling us who know and love flowers that teddy bears and chocolates are better, or that I should show my sympathy for the loss of a friend by donating money to a service organization. I will admit I have hugged a few teddy bears and I love to receive a gift of chocolates. The point is that I never feel obligated to sell flowers by telling my customers that flowers are better than chocolate. It simply is not true! Flowers are flowers, chocolate is chocolate and each has a place in my life and in my gift giving.

Now that you have the context of my thoughts on this issue I will share about my interaction with the Melting Pot which has 15 locations throughout our southland including one soon to open in Santa Barbara at 608 Anacapa St.

I contacted the national chain by visiting their website and expressed my exception to their negative use of flowers to sell their product. I have contacted many companies through the years and requested that they simply stop making negative references to flowers and very often they are defensive and refuse to do so. Of course, many companies do respond to SAF but very often they simply do not respond to an individuals.

I was pleasantly surprised that I received an email from Suzie Boland of RFB Communications the marketing firm behind the Melting Pot's campaign. In her email she expressed her apologies for the error and promised redirection of future campaigns. Wow! This is a great company to recommend. They are friendly, they are concerned about the success of others and support the marketplace by choosing to work with SAF rather than rebuffing our concerns. You may read the article by Visiting this Link

Please, flower lovers, visit the Melting Pot. They are a wonderful business, have a great menu and value the things in life that will make the world a better place. We need more businesses that are concerned not only about their own bottom line but the welfare of others and the Melting Pot and RFB Communications have that focus.