Card publishers, multiple and independent retailers, trade suppliers and the Royal Mail are among those to have helped to spread the love of Thinking of You Week over the last five days – and the official Week doesn’t end until Sunday!
Today (September 25) saw Sainsbury’s take to Instagram to promote Thinking of You Week to its millions of customers, in something of a grand finale to the grocer’s support of the card sending event. While the official ‘Week’ this year is 21-27 September, Sainsbury’s has been embracing the concept since last month, when it installed dedicated FSDUs of a special selection of Thinking of You cards, from several publishers, into 200 of its top stores.
Among the independent retailers who have got behind the campaign this year is Michael Apter, owner of the two Paper Tiger card and stationery stores in Edinburgh prominently displaying a Thinking of You Week poster in their windows as well as branded PoS instore, downloaded from the website.
As Michael told PG Buzz: “The current climate has definitely seen people buy and send more cards, recognising the importance of ‘keeping it real’ and expressing how much they miss seeing friends and family. Thinking of You Week fits in perfectly with this sentiment and need.”
Royal Mail has also ramped up its TOYW activity, hosting the GCA’s special video that relays the importance of card sending on the home page of its website (https://www.royalmail.com/) as well as links to the Thinking of You Week site.
Meanwhile, Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA has been on hand to talk to the media about this special week as well as greeting cards in general.
Click on this link (GCA – BBC Radio Shropshire – 230920 – 0926) to hear a clip from an interview on BBC Radio Shropshire.
Commenting, Amanda said: “I really do get a sense that not only the industry has pulled closer together for this year’s Thinking of You Week, but thanks to all the activity on social media as well as the instore PoS in so many different card retailers, the consumer is also more aware of the campaign and has hopefully seen them send more cards to stay in touch with those they care about.”
Online card operator Thortful has dovetailed its own Send a Smile initiative into Thinking of You Week. Its activity includes promoting a whole suite of card designs that encourage people to send cards to their work colleagues they might not have seen in the flesh for some time,
“With many people still working from home, we want to encourage people to stay connected to their colleagues by sending a card. The pandemic has really highlighted how important connection and community are for our happiness, and sending a card shows you’re thinking of someone,” commented Bex Fairbrother, Thortful’s PR expert.
www.thortful.com/cards/sendasmile
