I read this headline on the ABC News website this morning,
“Hallmark Offering Line of Job-Loss Greeting Cards”
Actually, that headline that ABC News ran is not entirely correct. I spoke to a representative at Hallmark this morning and Jackie shared with me that, “Hallmark has been producing a few of these cards for the past two years in the encouragement and shoebox line of cards. We saw the need and fulfilled it.”
There is always a need to create a new niche in the greeting card industry. As families became broken and mended in differing shapes, Hallmark was the first to recognize stepmothers, stepfathers, stepchildren, even the “other mother” versions.
Now, we find ourselves facing an entire population of unemployed people and Hallmark is again the first to recognize that these folks could use a bit of encouragement. Enter: the Job-Loss Greeting Card. You can read the ABC news article here.
I think it is a wonderful idea. You already know that I admire receiving snail mail and I believe there is value is holding something between your fingers that you know another human being touched and picked out especially for you. It means that someone is thinking of you, praying for you and coming alongside of you to say, “This is hard. This too shall pass.”
I know that Hallmark has been a tradition in the greeting card industry for more than 100 years. They are in the business of capturing feelings in words and putting them in print for us. I once had a friend who shared with me that receiving a Hallmark Card meant more than the actual gift.
The best part is that the company has remained family-owned, privately-held and is in the third generation of leadership for Hallmark. How many companies can speak to that?
As for me and my house, when we choose to send the very best, we’re choosing Hallmark.
Sources:
http://corporate.hallmark.com/Company
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2011/09/hallmark-offering-line-of-job-loss-greeting-cards/