Banana Florist Blog http://bananaflorist.com/blog/ en Copyright 2008 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:29:02 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2ysb5-20051201 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Adios This will be my last post on this blog, as I am no longer a part of Banana Florist.  Special thanks to everybody who took the time to read, comment and email.

-- Joe Jarvis 

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/04/adios.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/04/adios.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:29:02 -0600 Barbie Bandits sentenced Yesterday, Georgia meted out justice upon the Barbie Bandits, who helped inspire Banana Florist's The Heist.  We notice that the more comely of the pair received the lighter sentence.  Just sayin'.

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/barbie_bandits_sentenced.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/barbie_bandits_sentenced.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:37:20 -0600 Imagination One of our colleagues at Flower Chat posted a thread, saying that same-day delivery was the only differentiator that "real florists" have against the mega-middlemen like 1-800-Flowers and ProFlowers.

We couldn't disagree more.  There's no one collective differentiator that all independent florists share.  Rather, each florist has something that nobody else has -- not the big boys, and not even other real florists: the opportunity to express individual identity. 

Take a look at Flower Bar, one of our competitors in Atlanta.  (Case in point: imagine the reaction that Jacqueline at the Teleflora blog would face if she were to brag on one of TF's competitors in her blog.  That's the kind of opportunity -- freedom -- I'm talking about.)  Flower Bar offers bouquets themed on mixed drinks, like the Mojito Bouquet and White Russian Bouquet.  With a trademark on every bouquet, literally nobody else can offer what they have.  But the one thing that truly makes them unique isn't their portfolio, but the personality it represents.  And that pesonality has been justly rewarded with exposure in DailyCandy Atlanta, where we popped up last month, scads of ATL print media and Good Day Atlanta, where we hope to be for Mother's Day.

Regardless of your industry, the monolithic corporations will always seek control through the mechanics of commerce, but your imagination transcends all obstacles. 

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/imagination.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/imagination.html Sun, 23 Mar 2008 11:09:01 -0600 Details, details I've been reading Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This.  The author reminds me of Seth Godin, in that both guys have a gift for presenting questions and solutions that seem excruciatingly simple once I've read them, but that I'd never think of on my own.  To wit:

  • "Find the central truth about your product."  (Cameras don't take photos; they freeze moments in time.  Banana Florist isn't a flower shop; we're a happiness brokerage.)
  • "Brand = adjective."  (Volvo = safe; Banana Florist = ?)

It's pretty embarrassing to admit, but we're not sure what single adjective we want people to associate with BF.  I started scribbling down my own questions, some of them discussed in Whipple, if not explictly addressed.  These questions are familiar ones, as I ask them whenever a client or project lead presents me with a writing job:

  • Who do you want to talk to? 
  • What do you want to say?
It's doubly embarrassing to admit that I can't definitively answer either of those in regard to BF.  Marketer, heal thyself.  The original concept of BF blew me away, and impressed enough folks to get us considerable burn in blogs, from Godin posting on us the day after we launched to Toby mentioning us yesterday on her Diva Marketing Blog.  But, as I mentioned last week, high-flown concepts are no excuse for skimp on basic discipline, and we're still mulling over the elementary.
]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/details_details.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/details_details.html Sat, 22 Mar 2008 17:42:35 -0600 Anna Jarvis, spinning in grave Teleflora's Flower Blog just posted on Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother's Day.  There's a tidy overview of Anna's efforts to get Mother's Day recognized as a formal holiday, which segues nicely into a Teleflora promotion.  Jacqueline, who edits the site, writes:

Anna Jarvis was definitely inspired by her mother. Bet she’d appreciate America’s Favorite Mom contest presented by Teleflora.

Yeah, probably not so much.  Jacqueline nicely avoids mentioning how the commercialization of Mother's Day ate Anna alive, driving her to denounce the popularized holiday with twice the vigor that she originally pushed for it.  The infallible Wikipedia quotes Anna:

A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment!

We've been mulling over how Banana Florist should celebrate the upcoming 100th anniversary of the first Mother's Day celebration.  There's more to it for us than the big centennial.
See, I'm related to Anna.  She and I both go back to when Daniel Jarvis left behind spotted dick for corn meal and venison, depriving all future generations of cool English accents and a droll sense of humor.  (Well, maybe not all of us on that last count.)

Here's what we're currently thinking: 

I wriggle my way onto Good Day Atlanta and chat with Suchita about the 100th anniversary, Banana Florist, etc.  The hook being: Relative of woman who started Mother's Day is co-founder of Atlanta-exclusive florist.  Maybe Suchita would even let me set something on fire.  (If you haven't seen our video, check it out, here.)

But if we're going to pimp Anna's name along with everyone else, we should at least pay homage to her ideals.   Anna thought so highly of her mother, Ann, partially because of the elder Jarvis' community work.  Ann provided care to soldiers returning from the Civil War.  More importantly, she busted ass to reconcile communities ripped apart by the War, introducing mothers of Rebs to mothers of Yanks, prompting healing within the community.  

So, for every Mom Likes Me Best purchased for Mother's Day, a donation to an Atlanta veteran's group seems appropriate.  All of this stuff is still in the idea stage; we're still not exactly sure how we'll move forward.  Any thoughts?

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/anna_jarvis_spinning_in_grave.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/anna_jarvis_spinning_in_grave.html Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:21:17 -0600 Banana Aeronautics David K. recently posted about us -- and even featured our video on his site.  Thanks, David!

David's been chatting with us since we launched, always offering honest feedback. Most recently, he pointed out that nowhere on our site do we actually say that Banana Florist delivers fresh-cut flowers to the Atlanta Metro area -- at least, not in so few words.

Our home page points out that we "proudly serve Metro Atlanta." You click on the link up in there in the right-hand corner and read why "we (focus) our flower power exclusively on the ATL."  Our about page explains our policies on substitutions (we think substitutions stink and that you should get exactly what you pay for); our pricing; etc.  So, all the information is there, presuming that our visitors take the time to read our oh-so carefully rendered copy.  And that presumption -- for us, at least -- is at the heart of David's observation.

If I came across a company named Banana Aeronautics, I'd have a pretty good idea of what they offered.  But a splashy branding job is no excuse to overlook details, especially when you only make space shuttles for Atlantan cosmonauts.

In the age of copy written to scan and of businesses presented the choice of immediacy or irrelevancy, feedback like David's is gold.  When you're living and breathing a project, the most obvious details often go overlooked, and it's a blessing to have people interested enough in your brand to keep reeling you back in.

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/banana_aeronautics.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/banana_aeronautics.html Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:21:41 -0600 The Better Part of Valor This one's a bit dusty, but we'd forgotten about 1-800-Flowers blowing a philanderer's cover, resulting in his wife filing for divorce.  Gift-giving for mistresses is way overlooked.  We once had a spec-ad idea for Coach bags that featured the tagline: The Official Bag of Your First Affair.  Really hit the  burgeoning arriviste set, you know?

Maybe Banana Florist should offer a selection called The Better Part of Valor, with accompanying text explaining our discretion regarding personal information provided by our partners in crime.   People spend hundreds of millions every year on gifts for the Other Woman, and boy toys, for that matter.  Yet no goods/service/experience providers want to touch it.  Pity.

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/the_better_part_of_valor.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/the_better_part_of_valor.html Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:38:34 -0600 Banana Florist video this hyperlink.   Thus far, we've gotten the highest praise we've ever received, for anything.  YouTuber jrackles writes: "Mildly outrageous.  Unnecessary.  Informative."
]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/banana_florist_video.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/banana_florist_video.html Sat, 08 Mar 2008 13:42:40 -0600 Banana Florist on Squidoo.com Here's an excerpt from our new Squidoo lens:

Our flowers really aren't all that important. Your reasons for buying flowers in the first place -- that's what matters.

So why do you buy flowers?

  • To get laid (duh)
  • To get a second date (to further entertain fantasies of getting laid)
  • Because your verbal apologies lost currency a long time ago
  • In some random instance, you realize that pride always flickered in your mom's eyes, regardless of the occasion -- whether it was Jenny Gibbs' dad charging up the lawn hollering that you were no good, or six years later, when you handed the woman your freshly doffed mortarboard and cum laude diploma
  • Because every so often, it occurs to you to do something nice for someone, without expecting anything in return (hey, it's been known to happen)
These events are all heavily charged with lust, appreciation, sincere regret and a whole heapin' helping of other high-caliber emotions.  So, you swing by the neighborhood florist after work.  Everybody's really nice and earnestly ask if they can help, but what are you supposed to say?  "Why yes, I'd like something to help me get to Second Base, at the very least." 

Of course, shopping online alleviates these awkward situations.  So, you visit 1-800-Flowers, where you get immediately slammed with 178 categories, and cheese crates and bouquets named Fields of Europe and Autumn's Eternal Ascent aren't helping.   You need to know which flowers best assist your intention, and you need to know now.

There's a fundamental disconnect between your reason for buying flowers and the flower-buying process.  And that's the problem: buying flowers is a process, not an experience.  You're clicking through screen after screen of nearly identical items, or staring at endless assortments behind the cooler door, and that original urgency starts to fade into frustration and confusion.

That's where Banana Florist comes in.  Check us out at www.bananaflorist.com

 

 

 

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/banana_florist_on_squidoocom.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/banana_florist_on_squidoocom.html Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:22:12 -0600 BF Video-Edit Liveblog! Everybody's doing liveblogs to cover events, from marketing conferences to sporting drafts, so we thought we'd give 'er a go, to give you blow-by-blow reports of the Banana Florist video editing process.  Our good buddy Will Russell came over this morning and we shot the video together.  We've just finished pizza and milkshakes; now he's editing!  And here we go with the liveblog:

1:16: Will is doing something on his "Mac" that I don't understand.

1:18: He's still doing that same thing, and I still don't understand it.

1:23: Will says he's too busy to discuss my sweater collection. 

1:32: Surveying the day's destruction, now heaped around the kitchen, I wonder what it means to give a girl scorched, blackened red roses.  Hey, remember that one episode of the Real World when the peroxide-blond British guy (Neil?) got a cow's heart wrapped in barbed wire for Valentine's Day?   That was pretty wild, huh?  Note to self for next February...

1:36: Call from the better half.  And I was just thinking about Valentine's Day!  Providence!

1:47: Watching Will edit video reminds me of watching my dear mother crochet.  In the old days, I made myself useful by feeding yarn.  Today I'm making myself useful by entertaining Will with unsolicited anectdotes -- some of which are even a bit off-color!

1:52: I'm off for a nap.  Will can let himself out.

As soon as we get this video "in the can"*, we'll let you all know.  (It won't be that long; remember to breathe.)

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/bf_videoedit_liveblog.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/03/bf_videoedit_liveblog.html Wed, 05 Mar 2008 19:09:39 -0600 Banana Florist video checklist We're scheduled to shoot a short video next week.  Here's our checklist:

Should be good times.  We're going to give our partners in crime a sneak peek.  So, if you'd like to be one of the first people to witness Banana Florist's foray into talking pictures, just enter your email address in the upper right-hand corner of our home page.  (Of course, your email will never be loaned, sold or even seen by anyone outside of BF.) ]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/banana_florist_video_checklist.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/banana_florist_video_checklist.html Wed, 27 Feb 2008 03:40:42 -0600 SERM My day job recently introduced me to search engine reputation management (SERM).  Let's say you're a muckity muck at a company.  When you Google your company name, the first-page results include links to negative articles, blog posts, etc.  So, how do you change this situation, so that people searching your company don't see the rough stuff?  Why, practice deception, of course!  

All you have to do is hire a firm to perform SERM for you.  SERM tactics tweak the series of tubes, pushing down the negative links while drawing up more positive portrayals.  In effect, SERM buries negative press.  Done and done.

We at Banana Florist want people to like us.  That's why we try to be likeable.  We want people to volunteer their own effort and bandwidth to point us out to their friends.  That's why we try to create products worth talking about.   We want to have self-esteem.  That's why we do estimable things.

Search engines were created to gauge perception, not manipulate it.  Companies that engage in SERM will always be chasing, always finding themselves behind the 8 ball.  It's incredible what people will do to maintain the status quo.  They've got businesses to run; they don't have time to figure out who dislikes them; why they dislike them; and take the time to engage those people.  Heaven forbid!  The thing is, the more underhanded tactics you engage in to mask your detractors, the more those detractors will dislike you, the louder they will voice that dislike, and the more new detractors you'll have.

Perhaps we're naive, but we think being personable and unique represents a solid foundation, come what may on the search engines -- and come what may in life. 

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/serm.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/serm.html Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:56:58 -0600 Deja vu Update III: Fixed! (I think.)

Update II: While publishing the first update, which stated that I fixed the original formatting problem, the template reverted to the messed-up version.  If any of you are looking for a freelance blog designer, I'm available for an hourly rate.   

Update: I actually managed to remedy the situation described below on my own, without breaking the Internet in the process. 

RE: this snazzy new template that popped up without me doing anything behind the scenes (honest), I'm reposting our very first post, with minor alterations:

So, this is what happens when we decide to make a few minor tweaks to the blog, hours before the Banana Florist website launches. 

While our buddies at WebSpace Atlanta sort out this whitewashed generic-design mess for us, enjoy browsing the floral selections we've set up at our main site.

Check back with our blog soon.  Our designers should soon find a blogging template that even we can't mess up.
]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/deja_vu.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/deja_vu.html Sun, 24 Feb 2008 13:54:45 -0600 "Standing in line" vs. "Having an experience" A couple of years ago, my girlfriend and I shopped at the Levi's flagship store in San Francisco.  Next door at Niketown, a line stretched around the block.  Even the fashionably disinterested Levi's staff paused at the windows, wondering aloud what was going on.  What's everybody waiting for?  (read: What I am missing out on?)

For my day job*, last week I participated in a publicity event that involved people standing in line to get their photographs taken with an inanimate corporate icon.  No free products, no real juice.  I went into it wondering what I'd do to occupy the time.  The line never stopped moving.  People who waited for fifteen minutes got to the head of the line and asked me what they were waiting for.  Passersby stopped and chatted in groups, speculating as to what was going on.  Word spread down the queue from one person to another.  Some people got their photo taken and came back for another with friends.

I walked away thinking, "People will stand in line for anything."  Over the weekend, I realized what a cynical, short-sighted reaction that was.  It's not a matter of people being drones.  Rather, it directly points to how hungry all of us are to have an experience, to truly connect.     

 *Although Banana Florist continues to do well, I'm gonna honor #7 of Hugh MacLeod's How to be Creative for awhile longer.

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/standing_in_line_vs_having_an.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/standing_in_line_vs_having_an.html Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:23:10 -0600 Welcome to Daily Candy readers! Welcome to everyone visiting us via Daily Candy's latest Weekend Guide, which featured the Behemoth.  We'd love to hear your feedback.  Let us know what you think of Banana Florist here in the comments, and by all means shoot us an email if you have questions.

joe at bananaflorist dot com 

]]> http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/welcome_to_daily_candy_readers.html http://bananaflorist.com/blog/2008/02/welcome_to_daily_candy_readers.html Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:19:04 -0600