Ads that convey messages of happiness and optimism are a long-standing way for brands to foster positive emotional connections with shoppers.
1-800-Flowers, however, faces a different challenge: How to formulate campaigns that reflect sadder, more poignant, and harder-to-discuss feelings that accompany many of the most significant events in life.
“An important area for us, as a floral-and-gift company, is sympathy. How do you advertise in terms of sympathy? It's very difficult,” Jim McCann, founder/executive chairman at 1-800-Flowers, told delegates at the 2018 Techonomy NYC conference.
Given its mission is based on “helping our customers express...