December 7, 2022 | By Julian Cannon

Ivy Liu

To increase brand recognition and incremental traffic from new customers, FTD LLC, also known as Florists’ Transworld Delivery, will utilize connected and streaming TV throughout the holiday season and into the first quarter of next year.

“We really want to make sure that we’re out there and we’re known as a gifting destination,” said Taryn Rayment, FTD’s chief marketing officer. “We think that’s ever so important even during this time frame.”

Though the brand sees a peak in sales around Valentine’s Day, its holiday ad runs until the end of December. The 30-second ad went live Nov. 30 through connected TV and postures flowers as a gift option for families and friends who don’t know what to buy.

Aside from focusing on streaming and linear TV placements, the ad can be found on the brand’s TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram accounts as they were posted there organically. The chain wants to highlight “how we can make it easier when it comes to those gifting moments,” said Rayment.

FTD worked with creative agency The Woo to create the ad. The ad was developed both with the possibility of CTV as well as a linear option in mind, since the brand saw success with CTV as sales increased by 27% from 2021 to 2022. (The brand did not specify exact figures.) “We think it’s strong as a long form ad, so while we will have cut downs for social, CTV and linear are most appropriate for it,” said Rayment.

It is unclear how much of FTD’s advertising budget is allocated to this campaign as Rayment declined to share budget specifics. The brand spent a little over $2 million so far on advertising in 2022, according to Pathmatics data which showed $393,000 on Facebook, $191,000 on Instagram, and $1.4 million on digital desktop displays. Rayment also said the ad spend for this campaign was more for connected TV than it was for social media.

In addition to FTD, there are a number of other brands boosting their visibility through social media, streaming video, and CTV during the holiday season. A variety of brands are taking advantage of the holiday season, including Sam’s Club, Foot Lockerand Ocean Spray.

Despite the fact that television is still a strong medium for some of these brands, there has been a shift in viewership, and many are streaming programs instead so it is becoming more and more necessary to place ads. The number of advertisers spending on CTV ads increased not only in Q3, but also in the amount that advertisers spent on those ads, as Digiday previously reported.

“FTD is leaning into a desire for ease and convenience that can still bring relief during the craze of the holidays,” said Shauna Griffiths, chief growth officer at the creative agency Hijinx. “The brand is showcasing how accessible gifting with meaning can be and they are showcasing diversity, not only in who they serve, but also across their product offerings.”

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