Brand Marketing of Flowers  BY JAGDEEP KAPOOR In these days a number of commodities are moving towards brands. One wonderful and beautiful category, which is full of fragrance, is also moving towards a strong branding and marketing initiative. This natural category is the category of flowers. Internationally, the size of the market of flowers is huge and is able to spread happiness to both the recipient and the giver. Infact the flower industry has been inspired over thousand of years and has been portrayed very well including in Hollywood and Bollywood roles of flower girls. Whether it be in romance or prayer, whether it be on a happy or a sad occasion, whether it be at dawn or at dusk, flowers have always been human beings’ companion and therefore the marketing of flowers is going to assume great significance in the next few years. Flower marketing is spreading its fragrance far and wide whether in the form of International Tulips or Orchids or national Roses or Lilies. Flower marketing and branded flowers and branded flower service providers are going to grow by leaps and bounds. The Internet is helping spread the net far and wide and is able to bring people closer and the gifting of flowers is helping people express their sentiment for one another, easily across countries. For the brand marketing strategy of flowers what are the key element which may be important in addition to the normal marketing initiatives ? To my mind there are 6 elements which are important in formulating an effective brand marketing strategy for flowers. I would recommend that, first of all, there should be the element of sensitivity incorporated and there should also be the packaging done to convey the sentiment along with flowers in a sensitive manner. The second element would be the element of freshness. In the brand marketing strategy of flowers there should not only be the element of tangible freshness but also intangible freshness with the choice of flowers and reduction of boredom and fatigue. The third element, I would recommend is the arrangement of flowers. Even if the flowers are good but are not arranged well, the perceived value could go down. The fourth element, I would recommend is the element of pedigree. The source from where the flowers come, makes a lot of difference. Orchids from Singapore or Tulips from Holland, the pedigree counts. The fifth element, I would recommend in flower marketing is that of consistency. The quality should be maintained across years for the brand to be successful. The final element, I would recommend would be that of safe storage and transportation because of the perishable nature of flowers. The fifth element, I would recommend in flower marketing is that of consistency. The quality should be maintained across years for the brand to be successful. The final element, I would recommend would be that of safe storage and transportation because of the perishable nature of flowers. If all the above elements, along with the normal marketing initiatives are taken care of, very strong brands can be built in the area of flower marketing. Let the branded flower market, and its fragrance, spread far and wide. The author is Brand Guru Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director of the successful Samsika Marketing Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. Tel: 022 28477700 / 7701 Fax: 28477699 E-mail: jkapoor@samsika.com Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved with Jagdeep Kapoor, Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants Pvt. Ltd. No Part of this document may be modified, reproduced, stored, deleted or introduced in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (Electronic, Mechanical, Photocopying, Recording or Otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of the document.