1-800-FLOWERS.com, WO Join Forces on Sympathy

RADIO ONLINE | Wednesday, September 20, 2017 | 11:30pm CT

1-800-Flowers.com and Westwood One have launched an integrated nationwide initiative to educate, engage and connect individuals around the difficult subject of expressing sympathy. The "Celebrating a Life" campaign, which kicks off this week, is designed to create a platform for thoughtful dialogue during times of loss. Spanning radio, digital, social media and video, the campaign will address emerging and challenging topics surrounding sympathy and grief, including the appropriate use of social media and the workplace.

Westwood One will ask its listeners for feedback and opinions in order to gain insights for additional areas of discussion. A new online destination at www.1800flowers.com/sympathy-articles will provide ongoing resources for all topics discussed during the campaign and provide a forum for those needing advice and guidance in times of loss.

"1-800-Flowers.com has long been a trusted partner in helping those coping with loss and we've witnessed the eternal challenges experienced over what's appropriate to say or do, as well as the evolution in the ways sympathy is being expressed," said 1-800-FLOWERS.com Founder Jim McCann. "Increasingly, the celebration of one's life has become the ritual of choice, rather than the ceremony of mourning one's death. With its extensive national reach and ability to thoughtfully connect with its audience on sensitive topics, Westwood One will help drive and ignite this important conversation about coping with loss in modern times."

"We're proud to collaborate with 1-800-Flowers.com to help facilitate, and be part of this very human conversation," added Mary Berner, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cumulus Media, the parent company of Westwood One. "Radio is an accessible environment for listeners to explore a wide variety of topics, while providing a trusted communication platform to discuss the more challenging topics. Westwood One enables 1-800-Flowers.com to have a 1:1 conversation about coping with loss while reaching almost a quarter billion Americans a week."