Leading greeting card specialist multiple retailer, Cardzone has committed to really getting behind the GCA’s Thinking of You Week for the first time ever, recognising that the card sending initiative event (21-27 September 2020) is on course to resonate with the general public like never before.
Paul Taylor, managing director of Cardzone, which comprises 135+ stores, confirmed that the greeting card retail business is underway with its plans to back Thinking of You Week this September, feeling that one of the upsides of Covid-19 lockdown has been a greater appreciation of those in our lives as reflected in the healthy level of greeting card sending over the last 14 weeks.
“We have contacted our card publisher suppliers asking them to send us samples of their Thinking of You or similarly captioned designs in order that we can create a display of relevant cards,” Paul told PG Buzz.
Cardzone is among several other multiples who have signalled that they will be supporting Thinking Of You Week this year with many indies also likely to get involved too.
The GCA, which launched Thinking Of You Week several years ago as a special week to harnesses the emotional power of sending greeting cards to create a wave of love, caring and happiness, has taken on a new life over the last few months.
“When we built the new Thinking Of You Week website, which went live right at the start of lockdown, we purposefully gave it a broad reach – relevant to the consumer, as well as those in our trade, in education and the press,” explained Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA.
“The website (https://www.thinkingofyouweek.cards/), which we quickly changed to be relevant to the lockdown situation and to encourage the sending of Thinking of You cards, has really come into its own. We have seen great readership of the wonderful feelgood stories of how greeting cards have come to the fore during lockdown as well as high level engagement of the Gallery section, which now showcases over 230 different greeting card designs which meet today’s needs,” she adds.
These card designs, which now fill 12 pages in the Gallery section (and growing by the day), link through to the websites of the publishers or retailers who submitted them.
The free downloadable toolkit which comprises PoS, social media graphics and a PR template, to support Thinking of You Week activities has just been updated and is now hosted on the website.
Anyone wishing to have a design included in the Gallery or is planning to get involved in Thinking Of You Week should contact Amanda on amanda@gca.cards.
“We have a real opportunity this year, like never before, to push out the message about Thinking Of You Week into the community at large and in the press. Greeting card sending has really come into its own during lockdown, staving off the feelings of isolation through connecting with friends and family with a handwritten message.”
Top: There is likely to be a flurry of activity around Thinking Of You Week this year.
