Forever Friends celebrates 30 years by helping those to ‘bear’ their souls
As part of its year-long 30th celebrations for Forever Friends, Hallmark has released a new report looking at the changing face of friendship. The research shows that 41% of people questioned said they would prefer to have a few close friendships rather than lots of friends. It has also discovered that while over half of the people (53%) agree that social media makes it easier to stay in touch, it gives a false sense of connectivity, with 1 in 10 admitting to not having any ‘close’ friends.
The publisher has enlisted psychologist and relationship expert Sam Owen to explain how and why friendships have changed: “As a society we have chased technological advancements, often without thinking about their long-term consequences until we notice the repercussions. Given how busy we are in the modern day, we can have this false sense of ‘we’ve connected’ when we use social media or other electronic text communication but we’ve not truly connected with our energetic signature, in that there is no real emotion or energy attached to it. We have gone from personal to impersonal – but we still yearn for that personal touch in a friendship.”
When it comes to keeping in touch, the research shows people think the best way to nurture friendships is through regular get togethers with friends (47%), while phone calls (17%), text messaging (14%) and social media (13%) all trail behind.
Sam says of the findings: “You should aim to remain in frequent contact with your friends and if you can’t see each other in person, you can aim connect in other meaningful ways. For example, sending a handwritten card is more meaningful than sending a message on social media. It takes effort and time to buy, write and send a card and that speaks volumes for how we feel about someone. Writing a card means you also leave a little bit of you on the card, with your handwriting, which in this day of increasing distance, is intimate, warming and powerful.”
Backing up Sam Owen’s analysis, earlier findings from Hallmark as part of their ‘Thinking of You’ research, found that two thirds of Brits say that receiving a card or letter conveys the most thought when it comes to showing we care (66%).
Tamsyn Johnston-Hughes, nationals business partner Hallmark, said: “It’s clear that the way we nurture our friendships has changed a lot since the creation of the Forever Friends brand 30 years ago, but it’s nice to see that the core values of the brand remain significant today, with people placing an importance on having a few close friends.”
As part of the 30th celebrations this year, Hallmark has released a limited edition range of 52 Forever Friends cards with a fresh new contemporary look and style guide, which will all be on display at PG Live. In addition, special Forever Friends artwork will be gracing the PG Live keepsake cloth bags that will be given out at the show.
You’ve got to be in it to win it!
Don’t miss out on the chance to win some fantastic prizes at PG Live. Over the course of the two days any visitors to Hallmark (stand 416) will have the opportunity to pick one of the numbered balls for the chance to win everything on its stand, including the Forever Friends 30th anniversary collection, Itty Bitty FSDU with over 280 Ittys, the exclusive-to-independents Handpicked Kit and 2ft Disney plan. Another prize is for a weekend away for two with Handpicked Holidays, staying at one of its hotels in the UK.
