unfold uk

stick to fries, BK

Burger King is licensing it's creepy King character for a line of greeting cards - this from Promo Magazine:

Burger King has signed a licensing agreement with Andrew McMell Publishing to develop a line of branded Burger King greeting cards featuring the company’s icon, the King.

The collection will include six different greeting cards featuring the King’s off beat personality.

The cards will be available at select retailers this summer. Recycled Paper Greetings, Inc., will produce and distribute the cards.

The deal was brokered by Burger King Corp.’s licensing agent, Broad Street Licensing Group.

Does anyone know what a fast food mascot and greeting cards have in common?  Do tell, because I cannot for the life of me think of even one thing. But then I'm a McDonald's girl myself.

invasion of the sprogs

Kids' toys at Kate's?  What?  I so don't get it.  Yes, I do understand diversification, and I guess this is a further extension of the Kate's at Home, but still.

when you care even a just a little

I have no idea how I missed this one, but miss it I did.  Last month I looked at a couple of e-card sites but only recently discovered what is now my favorite - someecards.com.  It certainly isn't because of the wide range of design styles [there is one style, period], but because it's funny as hell. 

Created by two ad agency guys, someecards.com looks as though it's trying to fly under the radar with its low-key, distinctly unflashy site - but they aren't fooling anyone.  Click on the small 'press' link in the bottom right-hand corner and you'll see it's been featured everywhere, and although there is just the tiniest bit of 'we're too cool for school' about it, I do think it's really, really clever.

The site is easy to use - just enter the text and recipient info [screen shot above].  The message as it appears to the recipient is a bit hard to see  [screen shot below] - and I wish the message was rendered directly on the card, as I've seen on some other sites. I guess I'll just have to settle for hysterically funny desert-dry wit in the meantime.

Here are some of my favorites:

all loved out

I used to love Valentine's Day when I was in school; it was just a fun day.  Then I grew up and realized how phony it all was.  That sounds like such a curmudgeonly thing to say and I'm all for love etc. etc. but the holiday just seems so forced.  Lots of people feel the same way about it, yet we bow to the pressure every year.

However, as I'm never one to shy away from a good greeting card, I thought I'd collect a few that are interesting. My friend Heather Perlman, graphic designer extraordinaire, gets to the heart of it [crap pun, I know]:

And here's a damn funny one from Bald Guy Greetings, which gets right to the point:

But I do like the sentimental ones too; I'm not completely without a sense of romance [this one's from Cartesian Graphics]:

My friend Monica has done something really clever in creating a line of cards called Style Diaries.  Basically, she creates cards out of fabric that holds a sentimental value to someone.  The story behind the card is one that lots of us can relate to, and it makes for a really interesting twist. 

Monica made a Valentine's Card out of a dress that Monica's friend Helene donated: 

... and here's the story behind the dress [plagiarized from Remanents' website]:

The diary entry on the back of this outfit is..."I went on many dates in this dress, too many actually. This was the dress I always pulled out when I wanted to impress. I looked good in this dress, maybe too good. My mom always said you have to kiss alot of toads to find the one. I felt like I went through the entire pond. I thought I would get lucky in this dress...funny how things turn out. I am not really sure why I decided not to wear this one with the last guy I dated. He seemed more of a jeans and t-shirt sort of guy. But maybe that is where it's true luck lies because now he's my husband.."

Each card is numbered and 20% of the online sales will be donated to the Global Fund for Women.

For a really pervy twist, you could use a pair of your underwear that has sentimental value... I'm laughing at the thought of Monica receiving a pair of dirty pants in the mail with a note saying 'can you make a greeting card out of this'?  I think I'm going to do just that...she'll never speak to me again. 

Have fun today, no matter what you do or with whom. 

guerilla pr

Ronna Nelsen of It's In The Bag, a product placement marketing company that creates gift bags for celeb events, sent me a list of current opportunities - check them out here.

save a stamp

While the concept of an e-card is anathema to paper lovers everywhere, I do confess to finding them [sometimes] useful.  If you can't send an actual, physical, beautiful card, I guess an e-card is the next best thing.  The most important thing is to let someone know you're thinking of them, no matter how you do it.

E-cards are like regular cards in that there are so many cheesy, schmaltzy and over-the-top designs it's unbelievable.  If I see one more Blue Mountain design I'm going to rip my eyeballs out. 

Personally, I like the notion of designer email stationery rather than an e-card you have to retrieve off of a website.  The only place I've seen this is at iomoi - let me know what other designers are out there.

Iomoi

I remember seeing Iomoi's ecards years ago, and I'm glad to see they're still at it.  They offer a range of designs and their interface is simple and easy to use.  You choose the font and type color and they'll even check your spelling.   They also sell original - paper!- stationery products and address labels.

• What's Good:  super simple, good personalization options
• What's Not:    designs can sometimes be on the cutesy side
• Price:             $ 15/year

SpreadingTheLove

Unlike Iomoi, who offer e-stationery, SpreadingTheLove offers e-cards that the recipient has to view on their site [like Hallmark, American Greetings, etc.]. They play the "green" card by positioning emails as environmentally friendlier than paper greetings, and while they probably have a point, I'll never give up pen and ink. 

I can't quite figure out what their deal is.  Their mailing address is Spain, their phone number is from London and their prices are in dollars.  Go figure.  They offer a lot of designs by many different artists, which I like, but their site design is crap.  I get a headache just looking at it, which is a shame because they have some interesting functionality. 

   

I particularly like the option of scheduling the email for up to a year in the future.  I can see someone who is hyper-organized [not me by a long shot] sitting down one afternoon and creating birthday emails for the next three months.  God love 'em.  The site also allows you to store addresses and offers a reminder service for key dates you don't want to forget. 

I couldn't test it though, because I kept trying to send myself a free card - as advertised on the site - and they kept telling me I had to subscribe first.  Um, I thought free meant... free... silly me. 

What's Good:  good range of clever, and different, designs; clever functionality

What's Not:    everything else

Price:             $ 18/year

I'll highlight others as I come across them. 

but what color is it really?

Thought I'd pass this along, as seen in an email newsletter I get from MediaPost Marketing Daily: 

Blue Iris Is The Color Of The Year

Thursday, Jan 3, 2008 5:00 AM ET

EXPECT TO SEE PLENTY OF Blue Iris this year, in everything from advertising to cosmetics to fashion to home décor, says Pantone Inc.

In naming it as the color of the year, Pantone says the purply-blue is just what an unsettled nation needs to calm down. "Combining the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple, Blue Iris satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement," it says.

"As a reflection of the times, Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspect of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast. Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative, with a touch of magic. Look for it artfully combined with deeper plums, red-browns, yellow-greens, grapes and grays.

--Sarah Mahoney

JMcD

one to watch

It's been a while since I've seen any flat-printed cards that really caught my eye.  Enter John McDonald, a graphic artist who has an interesting - and appealing - style.  His designs prove that a card doesn't have to be handmade to look unique and distinctive. 

John delivers three specific collections; the Gnome Notes [below] are my favorite.  I'm a sucker for the smaller details that make one card different from another, and John pays attention to these things:

• rounded corners
• different colored backs
• printed envelope interior

I rarely see an envelope that has a pattern printed on the inside [right], and I like being surprised.  I know these things might sound stupid - I mean, how clever is a rounded corner really? - but they work. 

 

   

 

John prints some of his cards with a spot gloss that sets off the design, and does it subtly.  They are a great example of inexpensive cards that don't look mass-produced.  Well done!

  

sale mail

Is it just me, or are paper retailers feeling a big squeeze?  It seems like I'm getting a lot of emails lately with discounts on personalized stationery, Christmas cards and gifts.  I don't remember pricing being this aggressive last year.  I get emails from Papyrus two times a week if not more:

... and I hear from Kate's about once a week:

...and I hear from Shutterfly, photoworks, and Kodak all the time.   Am I wrong in thinking there are more discounts this year than last? 

report from the front

Pamela Danzinger's at it again.  Her emails are always quite informative - this one especially.  Don't say I never think of you.

 

Christmas Cards Could Be Solution for Budget-Weary Holiday Shoppers

New study from Unity Marketing examines greeting card market and finds optimism for holiday card sales

Stevens, PA December 7, 2007 --  With gas over $3 per gallon and heating oil prices through the roof, housing values down and consumer confidence falling like a ton of bricks, the Christmas shopping season is looking pretty bleak for many retailers.   

"Despite the extra week shoppers get between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, we don't expect spending on gifts to rise much, if at all, this year," Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing and author of Shopping: Why We Love it and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Consumer Experience.  "This year shoppers are looking for ways to economize.  One way budget-conscious consumers can deliver holiday best wishes without breaking the bank is by sending Christmas cards instead of gifts." 

This year could turn the tables on a recent trend in cutting back on giving Christmas greeting cards, Danziger predicts based upon the findings of a new Unity Marketing survey on the greeting card and stationery markets.  Unity Marketing's research found that in 2006 the market for greeting cards made a big comeback after four years of steadily declining sales, rising over 11 percent from 2004 to 2006 to reach $10 billion.

"For years the market for Christmas cards have been on the decline.  But this year may reverse that trend.  Some 14 percent of greeting card and stationery consumers expect to send more Christmas cards this holiday season.  Many shoppers feeling a financial pinch may well return to the tradition of sending Christmas cards and forego more elaborate presents for some on their lists."  She notes that middle-income consumers, those with incomes $50,000 to $74,000, are the most likely to send more Christmas greetings this year.

Retailers uncertain about the holiday season may want to move their Christmas card displays front and center.  For those consumers nervous about crossing Aunt Esther off their gift list due to budget tightening, a greeting card may be the ideal way to preserve the holiday spirit, Danziger says.

Click here to find out more about the new report.