IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: hallmark

  • We Love Our Moms (And So Do Advertisers!)

    With just a couple weeks until another one of the biggest card holidays, Mother’s Day, card companies are gearing up their promotions. Last week, American Greetings released their new ad, “The World’s Toughest Job” and with over 14 million views in just one week, it’s safe to say the video has gone viral. This call to action is sure to have you considering whether or not to switch from Hallmark to American Greetings this year.

    Prior to this advertisement, American Greetings ads consisted of mainly cute animals – much like the ones you can find on their actual greeting cards. What these ads were missing were what this recent ad captured – emotion evoking concepts – something competitors such as Hallmark have been relying on and capturing for years. See Hallmark’s “Proud Mom” ad below:

    Yet, it seems that even Hallmark couldn’t capture the raw emotions that the Mullen Agency was able to evoke from the interviewees – simply starting with a job posting and 24 interview candidates. The finished piece was a compilation of honest reactions that left viewer’s hearts melting.

    The American Greetings’ spot isn’t the only ad that has played on the love and appreciation of our mothers this year. Proctor and Gamble’s “Thank You, Mom” series showed the mother as much a part of the Olympics as the athletes themselves. Several other companies including British Airways and General Electric have recently produced ads centered on mothers.

    So what do these “tribute to mom” ads tell us and why do our hearts warm when we watch them? Understanding how advertising works tells us the answer. Ads tell us what is virtuous and what is our ideal world. These “shout out to moms” tell us what we virtue – the compassion mothers have and the love families have for their mother. In the ideal world, that appreciation would be shown by a card everyday, but since this isn’t the ideal world we hope to make it up on Mother’s Day.

    So what do you think about all these ads centered on Mothers? Is it ethical to exploit this relationship that our society holds so valuable? Will you turn to buying an American Greetings card this holiday or stick with Hallmark?

    – Caroline Robinson, Elizabeth Harrington

  • The Greeting Card Industry: An Accessible Form of Corporate Humor

    There are many people in the world who have sent a card at some point in their lives to a friend or relative. It can be for any holiday or special occasion whether it’s Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, or newborns. The list goes on and on. Cards are a testament to the power of print and it continues its existence into the digital age. Cards are symbols of humor from the corporation and cards need that humor to convince consumers to purchase them.
    One of the biggest (and best-selling) greeting card companies is Hallmark Corporation. This company sells a majority of greeting cards in the United States, with Christmas being the hottest season. No two cards are the same and each one has to incorporate some kind of humor in order to amuse the sender and the receiver. The cards use every method at their disposal, such as photos, graphics, puns, jokes, or all of the above. However, the cards can take this humor too far. Several cards that have come out recently have become more crass and sometimes politically incorrect (One example is a card with a photo of a person mooning the reader). There have been a few instances where Hallmark had to recall certain cards because some members of the public saw them as offensive. So, the industry has to rein in some of the humor to avoid potential conflicts.
    Despite its strong sales in print, Hallmark has embraced digital mediums as well. On their website there is a selection of e-cards. These cards have their own quirky charm. You can customize and expect some surprises whenever you click on the graphics. There are some well-known card mascots online. For example, Hoops and Yoyo, Hallmark’s animated duo featured in many of their e-cards. The company has created an entire mini-brand around a pink cat, Hoops, and a green rabbit, Yoyo.
    Hallmark is not the only greeting card industry; American Greetings has a substantial amount of business as well. But each card industry has the same objective: to bring in strong sales based on humor. All of these corporations need employees with a sense of humor so that newer and funnier cards can be put on the shelves. Sometimes humor can overstep its bounds, but humor is something our society needs in some of the more difficult times.

    Sarah McIntosh, Eliza Wadson, Jocelyn Walson, Sean O’Connell