National online flower business, LVLY, is leading the way with a thoughtful marketing movement designed to put customers first by allowing them to opt-out from potentially sensitive marketing messages around big calendar events.
In the run-up to Mother’s Day on Sunday 9 May, LVLY has broken all the usual ‘opt-in’ marketing rules by offering customers the option not to hear from them until Mother’s Day is over. The business is also encouraging other brands to consider the potentially damaging effects of sending out “Don’t forget mum” style messages to people who may have lost a mother or child.
“It breaks all the usual marketing rules, but it feels like the right thing to do – the human thing to do. It’s what our values of ‘being a goodie’ and ‘making someone’s day’ are all about,” said Hannah Spilva, co-founder and CEO of LVLY.
“As a customer-centric company, we’ve always cared deeply about making our customers happy. We constantly push ourselves harder to think about what we can do to be more supportive and thoughtful.”
LVLY saw phenomenal growth over COVID with a sales uplift of 500 per cent.
“At a time when people were isolated and struggling, we were able to help keep loved ones connected with a physical delivery that was like a virtual hug,” said Spilva.
And it’s not the first time empathy has driven innovation at LVLY. During one of the strictest lockdowns in 2020, the brand extended its same day delivery service to 7 days a week in response to growing customer demand.
“People don’t stop having birthdays or bad days because it’s the weekend, it was pretty clear that our customers needed an always-on service and we responded to that,” added Spilva.
Since launching its ‘opt-out for Mother’s Day’ campaign, the response from LVLY’s customers has been unexpectedly huge.
“Our customer service team has been inundated with emails of thanks and support for us taking the step to protect our customers from an event that is really difficult for some. It’s a small step for LVLY but a big step-change for the marketing playbook,” said Spilva.
The thoughtful marketing movement was pioneered by Bloom & Wild in the UK in 2019. Since then, over 170 leading brands in the UK have signed up to the movement and pledged a more sensitive approach to marketing.
