Taking Pride In Cards

troupe hand out 10,000 cards on annual London march

The greeting card industry went all out loud and proud at the Pride In London parade - with 10,000 free greeting cards handed out to members of the public to spread the positive message of diversity and inclusivity.

“The whole day was incredible, we had the best time,” Mark Callaby, md of Ohh Deer and GCA council member who heads up the D&I sub-committee told PG. Mark spearheaded the organisation of the industry association’s first official participation in the annual Pride event in the capital on Saturday,1 July, with publishers, retailers and trade suppliers joining the march, proudly sporting the special GCA Send A Card With Pride tshirts and banners.

Mark added: “Our entire group were laughing and soaking it all in. It was a joy. And seeing people receive our cards with delighted faces made it even more special.

“We actually ran out of cards about a quarter of the way round - madness considering we had 10k! It was literally the best time ever. Even Jamie [Mark’s partner in business and life] said to me ‘that might have been one of the best days of my life’!”

It was a day of big numbers with more than 30,000 participants from 600 organisations taking part in the parade, and well over a million people took to the streets to watch and enjoy the performances across five music stages in central London, with Rita Ora performing in Trafalgar Square alongside the event’s headliner and Queen star Adam Lambert. People from across the greeting card industry were among the GCA’s 50 marchers, and Dean Morris, who worked on organising the event with Mark and David Rice-Nicholls from Ricicle Cards, added: “Amazing day marching with the Greeting Card Association at Pride In London. There was so much love from the crowd. I felt very proud to be part of the greeting card industry.”

Left: Mark Callaby with one of the placards.

TV phenomenon The Repair Shop has fixed it for a great new range of products from Cardology as the publisher is one of the first companies to be granted a licence to use the IP from the hugely popular show. The range is set to launch at Autumn Fair after working with licensing agent The Point.1888

Seeking to make the most of the appeal of the runaway hit show about repairing cherished items that the public take to the experts in the barn at the Weald & Downland Museum near Chichester, The Repair Shop brought in the licensing agent, The Point.1888 to develop new products based on the brand, including toys, make it yourself, homewares, repair, DIY kits and 3D cards!

An important goal in the brand licensing strategy is that every new product has a purpose, adding value to the user’s life in some way. Without revealing Cardology’s product plans, David Falkner, md said: “As a card publisher, just occasionally a stand-out property comes along that speaks directly to intergenerational connection. The Repair Shop adds further themes of consistency and belonging during times of change, and the application of time, love and thought, all of which we know our customers respond strongly to when selecting Cardology products.” These developments come hot on the heels of The Repair Shop’s recognition by BAFTA for Best Daytime Series and a RTS nomination for The Repair Shop: A Royal Visit. As well as Cardology, there’s an ongoing health and beauty, stationery and gifting partnership with licensee Sting In The Tail, while board games developer Rachel Lowe is working on a new game and puzzle.

Left: The Repair Shop experts are a hit with TV viewers.

Retailers Postmark and Medici are among those who were game on for creating window displays to mark Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world.

Foregoing the traditional strawberries and cream the two London-based greeting card retailers have pulled off different master strokes to mark the tournamentPostmark opting for a giant Jellycat tennis ball and Medici Gallery getting Peter Rabbit out on court!

Above: Postmark’s Wimbledon store partnered with Jellycat for its special tennis window.

Below: Medici Gallery nailed the tennis theme with a detailed display.

Paddington Bear has taken up residence at Henry & Co stores as the royal favourite is celebrating his 65th birthday.

“We’re currently celebrating the 65th birthday of Paddington across our stores,” Henry & Co retail operations director Sharon Green told PG.

As an extra incentive to fanfare Britain’s fave bear, leading Paddington licensee Rainbow Designs is running a best-in-class window display competition, with Henry & Co’s Heswall store pulling out all the stops with its entry.

In addition to the window displays, Henry & Co has also instigated several retail activations. “We have blank birthday cards for our customers to design their own personal happy birthday message and post to Paddington in our very own red postbox. The winning design will get to give Paddington a home!”

Above: Paddington in Henry & Co.