How a Vancouver Floral Brand Just Won a Global Entertainment Marketing Award
Art Installation by Blooming Flowers & Art
When most people think of film marketing, they picture trailers, social ads, and billboards. Karen Marshall and Tina Barkley think in flowers.
The Vancouver co-founders behind Fleurs de Villes have spent over a decade building something genuinely hard to categorize: a luxury experiential brand that brings stories to life through large-scale floral installations, partnering with some of the world's biggest entertainment and retail names along the way. Last week, that work got recognized on the global stage. Fleurs de Villes was named the 2026 Global Winner in Best Integrated Partnership – Cinema at the Global Entertainment Awards, for their campaign built around Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale in partnership with Focus Features and Allied Global Marketing.
The win is notable not just for what it represents creatively, but for who it came from. A Canadian independent, built from Vancouver, competing against global entertainment marketing firms and taking home the top prize.
Stepping Into the World of Downton Abbey
The campaign was ambitious by any measure. Spanning ten cities across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K., the series featured more than 170 bespoke fresh floral installations, over 150 local designers, and venues ranging from Hudson Yards in New York to Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in London to Highclere Castle, the real-life setting of Downton Abbey itself. It generated more than 3 million social content views across its run.
For Karen, what made it work was the depth of the immersion.
"Most entertainment marketing campaigns live on screens — trailers, social media, digital ads — but what we create is something people can actually walk through and experience," she says. "With Downton Abbey, the world of the film translated beautifully into florals: the fashion, the characters, the elegance of the era. Visitors weren't just seeing marketing for the film — they were stepping into the world of Downton Abbey."
The partnership grew from early conversations about how to bring the spirit of the film into the real world. Once the concept took shape, it became clear that a Fleurs de Villes exhibition could offer something traditional film promotion simply couldn't. A multi-city experience where audiences could encounter the film in unexpected places, through large-scale floral artistry, over an extended campaign window.
"It's storytelling in three dimensions," Karen says.
Local Talent, Global Standard
One of the most distinctive things about how Fleurs de Villes operates is its commitment to working with local floral designers in every city it visits, rather than sending a centralized team on the road. It's both a creative philosophy and a practical one.
"Every city has an incredible community of floral artists, and by working with them we ensure each show feels authentic to its location while still delivering a consistent global standard of creativity," Karen explains. "Designers aren't just installing a display — they're interpreting the theme in their own voice. That's why no two Fleurs de Villes shows are ever exactly the same."
It also means the brand is actively supporting small creative businesses in every market it enters, which has become just as much a part of the Fleurs de Villes identity as the scale of the work itself.
A Canadian Independent on the World Stage
Art Installation by V.V Flowers
For Karen and Tina, this award carries a particular kind of weight.
"We built Fleurs de Villes from Vancouver with the belief that creativity and originality could compete on a global stage," Karen says. "Winning against much larger agencies is a reminder that scale isn't everything. Sometimes a focused vision and a unique idea can travel just as far."
It's a message she'd pass along to any Canadian creative company eyeing international opportunities. "Lean into what makes you different and play the long game. Canadian companies often underestimate how distinctive their ideas are. When you build something with authenticity and quality at the centre, it travels surprisingly well."
She's also proud of what the win represents beyond the trophy. "We are proud to be a company run by women, supporting thousands of other small businesses globally through our commitment to local floral artistry."
What's Next
With more than 18 shows planned across the U.S. and Canada in 2026, Fleurs de Villes is not slowing down. The ambition is to keep growing into a global cultural and lifestyle brand, deepening partnerships with entertainment and luxury brands while continuing to elevate the artistry at the centre of everything they do.
"We are just at the tip of our floral iceberg," Karen says.
At its core, though, the goal stays rooted in what the brand has always been about. "Creating beautiful public experiences that celebrate floral artistry and bring people together. If we can keep surprising audiences and inspiring the next generation of floral designers along the way, we'll be very happy."
For Canadian marketers watching from the sidelines, the Fleurs de Villes story is worth paying attention to. It's a reminder that experiential marketing done with genuine craft and cultural specificity doesn't just complement a campaign. It can become the campaign. And that a great idea, built with enough conviction, doesn't need to stay in one city or one country to make an impact.
Fleurs de Villes will present more than 18 shows across the United States and Canada in 2026. For more information visit fleursdevilles.com.
