CATEGORY LEADERSHIP AWARDS GREETING CARDS

Whetherit’s staying in touch, cheering someone up by letting them know you’re thinking of them or sending a thank you, greeting cards have staying power. A practice that is ingrained in many, sitting down and writing a sincere and heartfelt note to wish congratulations, to offer condolences or to acknowledge a gift is still in effect. Consumers that are Boomers down to Gen Z still recognize the value and impact sending a card has and the lasting impression it can make personally and professionally.

“Designer Greetings celebrates our 41st year in business, and we’ve seen a lot of fads over the years; however, the social expression category remains strong,” said CEO Josh Kirschbaum. “The tradition of sending a greeting card has remained a constant over the years. Designer Greetings introduced a new series of handmade pop-up cards this past year, Designer Pop! The trend toward embellished cards with attachments, foils, glitter and pop-up seems to be where the greeting card industry is trending.”

“Designer Greetings has a variety of programs tailored to the grocery industry growth,” he continued. “With our coast-to-coast merchandising team, we offer the first in class service to properly maintain our card displays.”

“Hallmark knows it’s imperative that we evolve to meet the diverse needs of today's consumers,” said Amy McAnarney, VP and GM, Strategic Accounts and Business Development. “We aim to create cards that get to the heart of what shoppers want to say, while authentically reflecting their lives and relationships. We have been proactively developing new creative strategies to meet the needs of multicultural and multi-generational consumers. Multicultural relevance includes themes around the importance of faith, family and home. Timely/topical content is an expectation, especially for African-American and Hispanic-American shoppers who see themselves as an early adopter of trends. Younger generations are looking for messages that reflect their own values—kindness, generosity, inclusiveness, importance of making a difference and putting good out into the world. Younger generations are often pop culture enthusiasts and appreciate Hallmark's extensive portfolio of licensed properties, which they grew up with or have grown to love. Hallmark is leaning into cards and collections that help people connect based on characters, stories, interests and identities they have in common through pop culture. We’re incorporating trending characters and shows, like Schitt’s Creek and Ted Lasso. We are also building off of popular 'new, -stalgic' licenses that are seeing a resurgence, like Friends, The Office and Golden Girls. Humor is a popular style that connects across generations.”

“One of the fastest growing segments of the greeting card category continues to be cards that lend themselves to becoming a keepsake, such as Hallmark’s highly designed, premium cards and the three-dimensional pop-up paper craft cards that feature intricate designs and details—Hallmark Paper Wonder and Signature Paper Wonder,” McAnarney explained. “Hallmark continues to build on the popularity of these two card lines by innovating with new materials and formats across the collections. We are demonstrating category and brand leadership in the growing papercraft market by offering a range of impactful, unique and displayable three-dimensional papercraft cards. Each intricately crafted card unfolds, pops, and expands to reveal a distinctive surprise.”

“Celebrating moments big and small is at the heart of what we do at Hallmark,” she continued. “And making the most of birthdays, holidays and everyday celebrations will be easier than ever with the launch of Hallmark’s new party essentials and decor collection, Hallmark Celebrate!”

“For more than 100 years, family-owned Hallmark Cards, Inc. has been dedicated to creating a more emotionally connected world. Our promise to help people live caring, connected lives, full of meaningful moments,” McAnarney said of the company’s approach to category leadership. “We are here to help people care for each other, connect more deeply and celebrate life together. Our creative expertise shapes our understanding of consumers, drives innovation, differentiates us in the marketplace, and gives Hallmark and our partners an unparalleled advantage.”