I bet when you read the word “poppy” you think “red.”
Perfectly normal. Millions of red poppies growing in French fields after World War I came to symbolize the horrific bloodshed of those battles.
A poem called “In Flanders Fields” memorialized the poppy fields about when the American Legion adopted the red poppy as part of a national program to memorialize the soldiers who fought and died in WWI.
But did you know poppies come in all colors?
I discovered this perusing a Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog. The photos of poppies captivated me. They inspired me.
I planted poppies in my garden this year. None of them are red. They are striking shades of purple, pink, and white. I chose them deliberately for their colors — which aren’t red.
I post the photos on my Instagram feed (@jmatthewsabo) and get comments like, “I thought all poppies are red!”
Two things:
1) Kudos to the American Legion for amazing branding and marketing.
2) Be different. Don’t plant red poppies.
Remember that the next time you’re writing something according to some formula, or the way it’s always been done, or to “sound professional/sound like a consultant/sound like a writer/sound intelligent/sound like a CEO” or whatever.
God bless the American Legion and all the great work they’ve done. And red poppies are fabulous.
But people want something more. Something different.
Something that surprises them. Something that makes them go out, buy seeds, and plant all different colors of poppies in their garden.