STORY BEHIND THE AD: Caruso Florist

This campaign was totally free. To the florist, that is.

Right around Valentine’s Day, while grabbing lunch across the street from our office in DC, my partner and I decided to pop in next door at the florist. The owner told us about how many administrations they’d been here for, how many galas and dinners they’d provided flowers to, and what a fixture they had become in the city. But it was still a small family business.

So we offered do spec ads for them for free if they gave us total creative control and let us run them. The owner shrugged and said “sure.” So we got to work and got the cheapest, most random media placements we could get our hands on — mostly Metro and the free newspapers they hand out in DC.

We leaned into what made them unique, how flexible they are, and what it means to be a florist in Washington, DC. And these are still some of my favorite ads I’ve ever done.

© 2024 Kwame DeRoché