I buy a lot of greeting cards, and my preference has always been towards ones that are blank inside. I mean, I don’t need someone else to write a “pithy” message for me, do I? On the other hand, if I can find a card with an image or message that I wouldn’t have come up with myself, then they’re just helping me out and that’s all good! Problem is, most card shops — which is just about every store nowadays — have insipid and banal cards.
Enter Hallmark’s edgy Connections by Hallmark. How edgy? Well, let’s start with the Connections display at my local Walmart:
The entire concept is completely different from the norm: BuzzWorthy cards only have a shelf life of a few weeks and then vanish. So if you see a card you’re dying to share with someone, you’ll need to buy it when you’re at the store. I think this is way superior to the more usual cards that sit on the shelf forever and ever. ((yawn)) Know what I mean?
Not only that, but the line also includes photos from fans who won a Hallmark contest, which is some great social media marketing if you ask me! Check it out:
Fortunately, I have a friend’s birthday coming up so the timing was splendid. I can’t reveal any names here, just in case they read this, but I can at least share what I pulled together, and it’s soooo the world I live in as a resident of Boulder, Colorado.
First off, the card from the Connections by Hallmark line is tied to the faddish zeal to avoid gluten, something particularly pronounced with my friends and colleagues, and what would you include with a card like this? I picked up a few loaves of bread — of course! — to add as a present:
A totally perfect pairing, even if I had a slightly less edgy inscription than I original anticipated:
It might be a bit snarky about being gluten free because, yes, there are some small subset of people who do better without gluten, but really, isn’t it wayyyy overdone at this point? For one thing, I’m sure the recipient of this sarcastic present and card will love it, and you have to admit, it’s a great pairing and who doesn’t like a loaf or two of bread?
Make sure you check out Connections from Hallmark to sign up for Hallmark Rewards, and to see great content from other bloggers, and join in the #TrendyCards conversation on Twitter too.
#CollectiveBias
I’ll have to check out this product line, but you’re right — today’s greeting cards are just south of awful. There’s a glaring need for fresh content in this realm.