When your brand outgrows what you're known for
Imagine spending years building a successful flower delivery business, only to launch a new marketing campaign telling people not to send flowers.
Seems a little counterproductive, doesn't it? Well, that's exactly what Bloom & Wild did in September 2026.
But behind the rather provocative headline is a challenge that plenty of businesses face, particularly as they grow: what happens when the thing you're known for no longer represents everything you do?
This can happen when:
You started out selling one product and now have an entire range
Your business began with a particular service, but you've since expanded into something much bigger
The business has pivoted product and/or service due to market or strategic reasons
You’re trying to shake off inaccurate perceptions of your business
That's when you start to think about brand repositioning, and Bloom & Wild's latest campaign gives us a pretty interesting example of how to approach it.
Bloom & Wild: From flower delivery to gifting
If you’re based in the UK, you might be aware of the brand Bloom & Wild; they’ve been synonymous with flower delivery for a while now. More specifically, beautifully packaged flowers that can be delivered through someone's letterbox.
They have an ingenious product that lets you deliver flowers through a letterbox, so that flowers can be delivered without the recipient necessarily being at home. It's a clever proposition, and one that helped the company stand out in a crowded market.
But the tricky thing is Bloom & Wild doesn't just sell flowers anymore.
Its offering has expanded to include lots of different delivered gifts, from brownies and hampers to pampering gifts and other thoughtful presents. It seems the business wants to become a destination for gifting, rather than somewhere customers only visit when they need a flower bouquet.
The problem is again perception, people think of Bloom & Wild as a flower delivery company - it’s also very closely tied to their name.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's evidence that the company's original positioning really worked and that alone is something to celebrate. But when you're trying to grow into new categories, that strong association can become limiting, unless you find a clever way to shake it off.
So, in September 2026, Bloom & Wild launched its Don't Send Flowers campaign.
The messaging encourages customers to think beyond traditional floral gifts and consider what the recipient might actually want. For example, maybe your friend has a sweet tooth and they’d rather have a brownie box than flowers…actually now that we’ve mentioned it, you’ve just remembered that lilies make them sneeze!
For the brand, it's a shift from selling a specific product to selling the broader idea of thoughtful gifting.
And it's a good example of a business trying to change what customers associate with its name, without starting from scratch (because you don’t always have to!)
The problem with being really good at one thing
Building a recognisable brand is difficult enough, most businesses spend years trying to do that alone. You want people to hear your name and immediately understand what you do.
So when that finally happens, surely that's a good thing? It is! But business growth also means expansion, and you might need to consider strategic changes to your offering to capture either a higher percentage of your current market or perhaps a slice of another market.
Let's say you run a design studio. You started by creating logos for small businesses, and over time, you've expanded into brand strategy, website design and ongoing creative support. But your customers still think of you as the people who make logos.
Or perhaps you're a photographer who's moved into video production, but every enquiry you receive is still about headshots.
Your first steps are normally, updating your website and adding new service pages. Then you might be promoting the changes on content distribution channels like social media until you’re blue in the face.
While it might seem like you’ve been banging on about the changes for months, it can take much longer for your public perception to change.
That's because customers don't follow every development in your company. Most people are busy; they’ve got their own jobs, businesses, families, and likely 400 unread emails.
They remember the thing you were useful for when they first discovered you, and will associate you with that when they need it next.
And unless you give them a reason to update that understanding, they might never realise how much your business has changed.
What is brand repositioning?
Brand repositioning is the process of changing how a business is perceived by its target audience.
That might mean:
Moving into a different market
Appealing to new customers
Communicating a broader offering
Changing the qualities people associate with your brand
Importantly, it doesn't necessarily mean a complete rebrand.
For example, you don't have to change your logo, choose an entirely new colour palette or announce that you're entering an exciting new chapter. It can be a much more subtle redirection (depending on how loud you want to be!).
Sometimes it's simply about changing the story you're telling the world. Bloom & Wild is a useful example because its existing brand already has plenty of value.
People recognise it and they understand its original proposition; associating it with thoughtful gestures and sending something lovely to another person. Rather than abandoning those associations, the company is trying to build on them.
Again, we return to the Bloom & Wild example: flowers are one way to show someone you care. But they're not the only way.
By positioning itself around thoughtful gifting, Bloom & Wild creates space for a much wider range of products while retaining the emotional connection that helped establish the brand. It's a subtle distinction, but an important one.
Changing the message without losing the brand
But, and this is an important but, always remember that people don’t care as much about your brand as you do. You need to promote your repositioning in a way that benefits your customers and isn’t just a PR exercise.
This is where the Don't Send Flowers campaign becomes particularly interesting.
On the surface, the message is almost deliberately contradictory. A flower company telling customers not to send flowers? It's unexpected, which makes it more likely to grab attention than a beautifully photographed image of other gifting bundles.
But the campaign also raises an interesting question about how far brands should go when challenging their existing positioning.
Because there's a difference between encouraging customers to think beyond your original product and making that product sound like a bad choice. Bloom & Wild has also used the phrase Don't just send flowers in its wider messaging.
Personally, I prefer that version. Don't send flowers feels too much like a rejection of the product. While adding the “just” feels like an invitation to explore something more. It’s less bold but not as alienating.
It's only two additional words, but they change the message considerably.
And while the more provocative headline is likely to generate greater curiosity, the softer version arguably does a better job of communicating the company's long-term ambition.
That's not to say the original campaign is wrong. There are good reasons to use unexpected messaging when you're trying to challenge established perceptions. But it demonstrates why copywriting matters so much during a repositioning exercise.
The words you choose don't just describe your products, they influence how people understand your business.
What can smaller businesses learn from Bloom & Wild?
Repositioning isn’t only for big businesses, you might need to do it in year 1, 3 or even 10.
So how do you get started?
Start by understanding what customers currently associate with your brand. Look at the enquiries you receive, the language people use when recommending you, and which products or services generate the most interest.
Then consider what you want people to understand about your business today. Is there a broader idea that connects your original offering with everything you've added since?
For Bloom & Wild, that connection is thoughtful gifting.
For another business, it might be helping homeowners create beautiful spaces, supporting businesses with their digital presence or making everyday life a little easier.
Once you've identified that connection, use it to shape your messaging. And remember, you don't have to abandon the thing that made your business successful.
If anything, that's often the strongest foundation you've got.
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