It was good news indeed for gift retailers looking to the run up to the festive season to give card sending – and their Christmas card sales – a massive boost. Earlier in the week (Monday 2 October), to tie-in with Royal Mail’s first-class stamp price rise to £1.25, and the Greeting Card Association’s (GCA) Cardmitment PR and marketing campaign, BBC Breakfast’s presenter Ben Boulos broadcast live from the Great British Card Company’s (GBCC) Gloucester warehouse and design studio, featuring two segments – lasting over 10 minutes – that highlighted the importance of sending and receiving Christmas cards.
Click here to watch the video.
Ben interviewed GCA ceo Amanda Fergusson, GBCC chief executive David Byk, and the publisher’s head of creative, Lucy Ledger, as well as designer Sophie Thorne.
“We’re always concerned about price increases,” commented David, “but we believe the industry is fairly robust in terms of why people send greeting cards. It’s not just about the price – and there’s always a second class option as well which makes life rather more reasonable for something which has a very great value.”
Responding to Ben’s suggestion that it might be more environmentally-friendly to send digital cards or texts, Amanda highlighted: “It’s not the same though, is it? And, of course, cards are made of paper so they are recyclable. But most people keep cards. They’re really important keepsakes.”
Ben also asked whether dynamic pricing could help, with stamps cheaper for specific times of year and occasions. “I think we’d all love cheaper stamps at Christmas because, of course, Christmas cards are a really key part of our nation’s fabric,” stated Amanda. “We love decorating with them and it’s a really important time to connect with people.”
She endorsed that the #Cardmitment campaign is encouraging everyone to commit to sending more cards. “It’s such a joyous thing to go downstairs and see a handwritten envelope on the mat from somebody you care about,” she pointed out. “So we’d say start writing your Christmas cards now and putting little notes in!”
Continuing the positive message, festive card sending was also promoted on a myriad of BBC radio stations the same day, to include the lunchtime news on Radio 2, Radio Scotland, 6X Music, Three Counties Radio, and Radio 5 Live.
Further coverage of the #Cardmitment campaign has already been featured in national newspapers to include the Sun and Daily Mirror. Click here.
Ironically, it was BBC Breakfast’s Ben’s admission on air last year that he wouldn’t be sending Christmas cards which incensed independent retailer Kaye Thurgood, of Sincerely Yours in Shenfield and Hornchurch, reaffirming her mission to encourage widespread industry action to get people sending more festive greetings this year and to post them early. She contacted Progressive Gifts & Home’s sister magazine, Progressive Greetings, and spoke to editor Jakki Brown about the issue, which was taken up by the GCA council, contributing to the #Cardmitment initiative.
“It is great that we’ve been able to engage with the media, and hopefully this will lead to members of the public buying and sending their Christmas cards earlythis year. However, we need to keep the activity going and call on everyone in the industry to get involved. Securing a slot on BBC Breakfast was a great opportunity to be able to remind consumers that second-class stamp prices haven’t gone up.”
For more information about #Cardmitment click here.
There is also a free retailer pack containing one of three A3 poster designs, a last postage dates tent card, and a flyer explaining the campaign.
A free toolkit can be downloaded here.
Top: The Greeting Card Association’s ceo Amanda Fergusson, along with the Great British Card Company’s (GBCC) chief executive David Byk, (right), were interviewed by BBC Breakfast’s presenter Ben Boulos.
