It has been an incredible week for the greeting card industry on the PR front with millions seeing ITV News’ extensive coverage on the sector last Friday (May 15) and the new ‘Send a card, deliver a smile’ film going viral across all social media channels.
As PG Buzz reported last Friday fingers were crossed that as many ITV regional stations (outside London) as possible would be able to include footage that shined the light on our industry (https://www.pgbuzz.net/greeting-cards-set-to-hit-itvs-evening-news-tonight/).
“What actually happened was beyond our wildest dreams,” said an ecstatic Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA who worked with the ITV journalist Lauren Hall on the filming and ideas for the programme. “As far as we can tell every ITV region outside London featured a tremendously positive piece incorporating regionally-relevant elements.”
The key message of the news item was to show the important role card sending is playing during the Corvid 19 lockdown, and how the sending of cards is helping to raise morale among the general public. The programme championed how there has been a strong wave of card sending as the nation has turned to cards to say thank you to our everyday heroes, assure the vulnerable that we are thinking of them as well as tell our loved ones that cannot see in person right now that we care by writing it in a card.
Reporter Lauren Hall reflected on the positive impact card sending has played during wartime leading to greeting cards being declared “essential to the war effort” during WW2 and escaping rationing.
An interview with a postman in week 8 of lockdown talked about the increases the Royal Mail are seeing in social mail post, a care home manager spoke about the joy for residents of opening cards, particularly at a time when they were feeling so isolated while many consumers were also featured sharing their joy in receiving cards during lockdown.
Lauren also visited greeting card printer Windles, which is manufacturing PPE alongside greeting cards during this lockdown period. https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-05-15/letters-from-lockdown-postal-workers-report-surge-in-people-writing-to-each-other/
Momentum is growing like topsy for the greeting card industry’s own ‘blockbuster’, entitled ‘Send a card, deliver a smile’ that was released a few days ago – achieving well over 1,500 shares in the first few days alone. The film, (directed and produced by Jack Parker and Dominique Miranda, co-owners of card publishing company Lanther Black), stars 30 members of the greeting card community demonstrating the power of sending a greeting card (https://www.pgbuzz.net/lanther-black-makes-greeting-card-blockbuster-starring-30-cardies-2/).
To watch the film click below:
“It is a wonderful film that certainly lifts the spirits and shows our industry as well as the strong camaraderie within our community at its best,” sums up Amanda Fergusson who is now sharing the film with all her media contacts and interested parties. “It has been great that so many in the industry have already shared the film on their social media channels, but the more the merrier – let’s extend its reach further still and spread the love about sending and receiving greeting cards,” she implores.
Top: ITV journalist Lauren Hall relaying the significance of card sending.
