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star powerFlowers and Hollywood have created a powerful collaboration. Take a look at some of thebig events Colombian flowers graced this year. by Kelsey E. Smith The stars, the sounds, thefashions—perhaps no experienceis quite like going to a movie,unless, of course, that movie ispart of a major Hollywoodpremiere event. The stars dress tothe nines, but the fashions gobeyond designer gowns andjewels to include stylish floralarrangements that bring their ownstar power to the events.
setting the stage Asocolflores (theAssociation of ColombianFlower Exporters) has promptedmuch exposure for freshColombian flowers viarelationships with several majorHollywood film studios including
Heartshaped wreaths covered in roses were incorporated into the promotionaldécor for the premiere of Valentine’s Day. Collage Floral Design and Events inLos Angeles created approximately 25 wreaths—each covered with about 15dozen roses—for the stepandrepeat banner of the redcarpet event. Photo courtesy of Ethical Trade
Summit Entertainment and WarnerBros. Ernesto Vélez, who passedaway last March and was chairman ofthe association’s board of directors,initiated the idea along with RichardGriffiths, country branding advisor anddirector of Ethical Trade, based inBogotá. Following a trip to New YorkCity for a promotion of Colombianflowers in 2008, the two met with thepresident of Warner Bros. to discussbuilding a relationship betweenHollywood and Colombian flowers aswell as flowers in general.
“Ernesto believed in consumptionas the key to getting younger people tosee the significance of flowers,” Mr.Griffiths relates. “My task was todevelop a program for Colombianflowers and Hollywood. Historically,there are so many films in whichflowers became an integral part, andit’s nice to remind consumers of thesekey moments and how flowers are
Vases of ‘Pink Intuition’ roses graced the Academy Awards celebrationthrown by actress Jodie Foster for Kathryn Bigelow, who was namedBest Director for her work on The Hurt Locker. Eyecatching signageidentified the rose variety and included the logo of Benchmark Growers. Photo courtesy of Ethical Trade
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important in films.”
With the support of Asocolflores, Mr.Griffiths has carried out this goal onseveral projects this year—mostnotably, the premieres of Warner Bros.movies Valentine’s Day and Sex andthe City 2 and Summit Entertainment’sRemember Me, starring RobertPattinson of Twilight movie fame. Inaddition, ‘Pink Intuition’ roses, fromBenchmark Growers/The Queen’sFlowers, were used for the AcademyAwards celebration of Kathryn Bigelow,who received the Oscar for BestDirector for her work on The HurtLocker.
“The arrangement with the studioswas simple,” Mr. Griffiths says. “Wewould supply fresh Colombian roses fortheir productions and premieres, andthey would give flowers the neededpush for their marketing machine. Nowwe’re seeing studios looking at howthey can incorporate more flowers intothe scripts and requesting Colombianflowers, and a lot of other flower groupsare getting involved with theentertainment industry as well.”
Jairo Cadavid, director ofpromotion and communication forAsocolflores, believes having moreflowers in movies will increaseconsumption and lead to a heightenedawareness of flowers in consumers’everyday lives.
“Conductive models that promotethe film industry can be an importantway to encourage Americans to takehome more flowers,” Mr. Cadavid says.“If we get the writers to include in theirscripts scenes related to the purchaseand proper treatment [of flowers], theColombian growers have taken a stepin the right direction.” He adds thatthe initiative includes not only a pushfor Colombian flowers in U.S. moviereleases but also involvement with theColombia Film Commission at fairs aswell as promotion of visits to Colombiaby producers and script writers.
Grand arrangements of Colombian roses created elegant backdrops forphotos, including this one of leading lady Sarah Jessica Parker, at theSex and the City 2 premiere. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
Celebrity guest Barbara Eden holds a ‘Pink Intuition’ rose upon arrivingat the premiere of Valentine’s Day. Photo courtesy of Ethical Trade
... To read more look to the September 2010 issue of Florists' Review.
Contact Kelsey Smith at [email protected] or (800) 3674708.
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