April 11, 2008, Alexandria, Va. -
In the U.S., the Society of American Florists (SAF) is working to make
funeral directors aware of the role of flowers in the bereavement
process and asking them to remove the "in lieu of flowers" phrase from
obituaries.
Building on last year's public relations outreach to funeral trade publications, SAF is launching an advertising campaign in the National Funeral Directors Association's magazine, The Director. SAF's full-page color advertorial will run in the May, August and November 2008 issues of the magazine and reach potentially 13,500 funeral service professionals.
The ad is an open letter from the floral industry to funeral directors, titled: "Can We Bury 'In Lieu of Flowers'?" It cites Harvard University and Rutgers University research that proves the emotional benefits of flowers. "In light of these findings, it is difficult to imagine a funeral or memorial service without flowers sent from family and friends to express condolences, but the increasing use of the 'in lieu of flowers' phrase runs the risk of just that," the ad reads. "Please consider removing this phrase from the death notices you write."
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