Dear Teleflora. Fuck you.

If you’re watching the Super Bowl, you saw this utter shitcake of a commercial from Teleflora mocking women who read romance novels.

Ok, Teleflora. Eat a dick. You need flowers? Let me tell you: I’ve never had anything but wonderful results from ProFlowers.com. Click the radio icon in the corner and you can often get a free vase. The flowers have lasted a long ass time, and to my knowledge, ProFlowers has never mocked my love of romance novels.

ETA 2/3/09: Folks who complained via email to Teleflora are receiving apologetic email with a $15 coupon good toward a future purchase. Looks like complaining yields some results.

Categorized:

Ranty McRant

Comments are Closed

  1. Lisa #2 says:

    Holy shit!  I can’t believe I was so surprised at that commercial. Fuckwads!  I didn’t expect to see your post quite so soon. I’ll have to order some flowers from proflowers now.

  2. Rosie says:

    Holy cow patties! Do they know their target audience?????

  3. Angela James says:

    Heh. I was wondering who would post this first. Katiebabs beat you to it.

  4. Judi says:

    Tele-who? Sorry, it’s not computing. Guess I’ll never call them…

    Idiots.

  5. Elyssa Papa says:

    Yup, I thought this commercial sucked, too. Big time. Major personal foul on Teleflora. They’re never getting my business. Mocking romance novels and being misogynistic in one breath? No, thanks. I’ll get my flowers somewhere else.

  6. Pat says:

    You folks are fast! And yeah. ProFlowers. And just in time for Valentine’s!

  7. Whoa.  That’s BAD.  Now, I don’t use Teleflora, because ProFlowers is totally awesome, but if I had been thinking about it that would turn me completely off.

  8. Lisa #2 says:

    I sent an email to teleflora re: their massive FAIL!  Wonder if I’ll get a response?

  9. Whitney says:

    Thank you for posting about this! My jaw literally dropped when I saw this commercial. I’m still trying to think how anyone thought it would be a good idea to air this travesty.

  10. rebyj says:

    My ugly mug and fat stinky pussy will pass teleflora up for sure.  Teleflora isn’t just against romance novels it’s obviously got a poor opinion about women overall.

  11. Flag on the play!  15 yard penalty, personal foul, unnecessary lameness, etc.

    Go Cardinals.

  12. Wolf says:

    I agree, that’s bullshit.  I’ve gotten a gorgeous vase and Gerbera daisies from Proflowers before. They lasted 2+ weeks.

  13. Rinda says:

    Mocking romance novels right before Valentine’s Day? Smart.

  14. katiebabs says:

    And don’t forget they mocked cat owners also.

  15. Jennifer C says:

    I was so furious I screamed and threw stuff at the TV.  My boyfriend, bless his heart, didn’t even blink at my outburst.  He went on to say that they were jerks.  *grins*

    Stupid stupid people to make an ad like that.

  16. vickiso says:

    This ad makes no sense. It doesn’t sell the company or the flowers or even the idea of sending flowers. I’ve forgotten what the company is already.

    And anyhow, men should know that if they really want to impress, they should send an attractive naked man in a chocolate G-string.

  17. Karen says:

    DH and I were also surprised at this commercial.  Yeah, Valentine’s is coming up…and yeah, he knows not to use Teleflora.

  18. theo says:

    All I can say is, if there were any women involved in thinking up this commercial to begin with, they ought to be drawn and quartered!  And shame on the actresses too!

    neanderthals…

  19. Fiamme says:

    Oh I dunno—the target market is clearly the blokes who BUY the flowers, not the women who receive them. This is going to pander to a few prejudices quite nicely.

    Agree with the summation of it being a pathetic ad. Up there with the annoying one in my local movie theatre that berates men (!! because y’know, men pay for the ticket if you are on a date) for being cheap asses for not buying their date a GOLD CLASS ticket!

    Please. Your target market is clearly NOT the people like me in the cheap seats (who, may I point out, has a joint account so not really interested in husband Proving His Love by spending OUR money).

    When will people learn NOT to insult their customers, either directly or by proxy? It really doesn’t make us want to buy their products.

  20. West says:

    Wow, that was insulting on so many levels, not to mention just plain obnoxious. And that’s why I have a “No-business-with-fucktards” rule.

  21. Amy Redwood says:

    I agree, that was a fricking major FAIL.
    But, well, it’s easy really. Hit them where it hurts. I’ve never bought flowers from them, and now I never will.

  22. Judi says:

    hmm. The blog link gets an error – wonder if someone got a clue?

  23. Barb Ferrer says:

    Oh I dunno—the target market is clearly the blokes who BUY the flowers, not the women who receive them. This is going to pander to a few prejudices quite nicely.

    Yeah, but the Super Bowl is as much a social event as a sporting event and as such, there are probably as many women watching as men and if anything, the women probably pay closer attention to the commercials than the men do, so it was an epic FAIL on a lot of levels.

    Plus, it was stupid.

    I sent them an email too.

  24. rebyj says:

    http://www.teleflora.com/FLOWERBLOG/

    Try that one . No comments there yet.  They seem rather proud of their commercial.

  25. lilacsigil says:

    I believe that the owner of Teleflora is a woman, so EXTRA FAIL for associating your business with “ugly” “rude” and “misogynist”.

  26. Barb Ferrer says:

    You can also vote on ads at hulu.com.

  27. Tina C. says:

    As I sit here on my fat ass, a purring kitten on my lap, a bagful of books—many of which are romances—at my feet, I find myself ASTOUNDED.  Frankly, around here, if I get flowers, he buys them locally and brings them home.  If flowers get sent, such as to the MIL for her birthday or my daughter for Valentine’s Day or just to cheer her up on a bad day, I’m the one doing it.  I doubt that I’m the only one.  So, teleflora may think they were playing to their demographic (guys, watching the game, who have only just realized that V-Day is coming—because women don’t watch football, right?), but they really dropped the ball on this one, didn’t they?

    Schmucks.

    Proflowers and 1-800-flowers will get ALL of my future business and these women-bashing assholes can just bite me.

  28. Amy Redwood says:

    I left them a polite comment, but I guess that the moderator needs to approve it first. My guess is that he/she won’t feel inclined to approve, but we’ll see. Why don’t you all go and write them something nice? I’m sure they appreciate customer feedback. 😉

  29. inez kelley says:

    I tried to comment but it won’t show up. Morons.

  30. Tina C. says:

    I posted a version of what I said here on their blog and it didn’t post.  Whatever.

  31. All I got from that commercial was “blah blah blah we’re a bunch of dick holes.”

  32. thetechdiva says:

    I just sent the lovely asshats at teleflora a professionally written biting email.  I was so embarrassed by this commercial. I have never used their service and now I never will.  The ad will be pulled by tomorrow I am guessing by the feedback I’ve seen in my last google search. Wait till the ladies at Feministing and Shakersville get a hold of them.

    my word was serious78.  Yep, serious as 78 heart attacks!

  33. Judi says:

    From their site:

    “Flowers and romance are as inseparable as two people in love”

    okaaaaayyyy??

  34. Wolf says:

    the main page will get you to the blog post. However, comments are not showing, so I thin k they’re moderated, even though it doesn’t state as such.

    http://www.teleflora.com/FLOWERBLOG

  35. Missy Ann says:

    I knew ya’ll were going to be all over this. And good for you! And all of us.

    And here’s a pro-tip Google the town where you’re sending flowers. Call the local funeral home ask who does the best flowers, call them and don’t pay Teleflora or anyone their shitty Ticketmasteresque markup.

  36. Julie Leto says:

    Hey, Sarah…why don’t you contact Proflowers and see if they’ll give a discount to anyone who writes the word “Bitch” in as the secret word?  Or Smartbitch???

    My jaw dropped at that commercial.  I foresee a lot of women turning to their husbands and honies and saying, “Please don’t buy me flowers from those …(insert expletive here).”

  37. Jill Shalvis says:

    Amen.  I was fuming too, lol, and was about to put it on my blog when I saw it here.

  38. OH says:

    If someone has a youtube account they should post there too- so far people think it’s funny. (Ok, 6 people, but still, that’s too many)

  39. Jean Poole says:

    Wholly Crap! That was a whole smear misogynistic crap! 

    Did anyone else notice who got the “mean flowers”.  Of course the single woman in the grotty cube farm.  The “silent flowers” went to the the peen-earning-power-purchased-upscale-georgian-brick-two-story-dwelling-right-outta-sixteen-candles.  There’s a whole world of subtext right there.

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