The Society of American Florists’ 2-minute YouTube video showing the emotional responses to the Petal It Forward effort in October has racked up nearly 223,000 views, nearly 200 likes, and dozens of positive comments from consumers to date — and those numbers continue to rise.

“Now is a great time for retailers, wholesalers, growers and suppliers looking for ways to promote their businesses, the floral industry and the benefits of flowers, to share the Petal It Forward video on social media,” said Jennifer Sparks, SAF’s vice president of marketing, “and suggest watching it as a cure for the winter blues.”

“It really makes you to want to give flowers, and that’s the message we want to leave with consumers, especially with Valentine’s Day and Women’s Day around the corner,” she added.

SAF began paid promotions of the Petal It Forward video in early November with messages tied to the presidential election, and accelerated the promotions in December through the New Year, reaching key YouTube audiences over the holidays.

“We in the industry can’t help but smile while watching this video, and the response from consumers is they can’t help but smile, too,” Sparks said.

Viewers’ comments include:

• “Made me cry… So amazing and empowering to see people going out and just giving something simple to make the world a better place. It’s a great reminder that you don’t have to be famous or do something huge to make an impact on people for the better. Thank you so much for doing this!”
• “This is just amazing. Thank you so much for doing this! You’re restoring my faith in humanity!
• “This video touched my heart to see all those people smiling!”
• “We need more acts like this!”
• “It shows how one act of kindness can help someone’s day. It brings me joy to watch this.
• “This is beautiful and heartwarming! Happy New Year everyone!”

SAF will continue to promote the video at key times throughout 2017. “Our goal is to keep floral gifts top of mind among consumers,” Sparks said.