Coming at a time of great concern, as the UK responds to tightening coronavirus restrictions, the activity surrounding the GCA’s Thinking of You Week (TOYW), is already spreading the love to millions – and it’s only the second day.
With a bedrock of retailer support for this year’s special card sending campaign (which started officially yesterday and runs until Sunday 27), from the likes of Sainsbury’s, Card Factory, Moonpig and Clintons publishers have elevated the awareness of the campaign like never before with various initiatives, promotions, social media posts and altruistic gestures. (https://www.pgbuzz.net/the-art-files-caring-and-sharing-thinking-of-you-week-activities/)
Added to this a consumer PR campaign instigated by the GCA has resulted in engagement across the media, with influential bloggers also keen to get the message out of there of the emotional power of sending cards.
“The social media channels were abuzz yesterday and today, with publishers, retailers and suppliers collectively creating a wave of Thinking of You Week messages,” Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA told PG Buzz. “And with more press enquiries coming in this morning, we look set to keep the momentum going until Sunday.”
With the US GCA having adopted the UK initiative (but with their own livery) and running it simultaneously, the Thinking of You Week activity has stretched both sides of the Atlantic.
Click below to see a snapshot of some of the social media activity yesterday.
Having started its support for Thinking of You Week last month with a retail promotion whereby Carte Blanche Greetings gave away packs of free Thinking of You Week cards to many of its independent customers, to coincide with the start of the Week, the company released a special Me to You animation as well as a dedicated blogpost on the brand’s website.
Click below to see the animation…
The blogpost is based on an interview with the GCA’s Amanda Fergusson which explain more about the origins of TOYW as well the importance of card sending. (https://metoyou.com/blogs/the-patch/the-importance-of-sending-a-card). It concludes with the question: ‘What is the dream outcome from Thinking of You Week?’ to which Amanda responds: “That people will continue to keep in touch with the really important people in their lives through cards. People keep cards, it is lovely to look back at cards you have received from loved ones in the past, and of course they become social history – the next generation will wonder why there were so many cards featuring toilet rolls in March 2020!!”
Rachel Ellen Designs is another publisher who has been very active, running a giveaway on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/rachelellendesigns/and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rachelellencard/ (with the winners receiving a ‘KEEPING IN TOUCH’ bundle, with beautiful uplifting cards, notelets and a writing set) as well as an emailer which an array of its positive and inspiring cards, some special offer card bundles and a short video ‘starring’ several members of the publisher’s team.
Newbie publisher, Say it with Songs has also created a special sizzle which went live yesterday to promote the campaign.
Click below to see it…
Cards for Good Causes, which claims to be the UK’s largest charity Christmas card retailer has launched a dedicated ‘Thinking of You’ area on its website, the sales of which raises funds for 250+ charities. To mark the launch, which coincides with Thinking of You Week, the not-for-profit organisation has instigated a giveaway to win a ‘Thinking of You’ bundle of goodies that can be delivered to someone the winner is thinking of. The campaign is being promoted through social media channels (Facebook and Instagram).
Meanwhile, Belly Button Designs has been ‘thinking’ about its retail customers as wells as the sick and needy. The publisher has donated ‘Thinking of you’ cards to its local hospital: Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital & Wythenshaw Hospital. Plus, this week, all of its independent customers have been offered extended payment terms on their Christmas 2020 orders. Any customer who has received their Christmas order or places their Christmas order for Belly Button Designs and Belly Button Giftware will not have to pay until 14 December 2020.
“We have been ringing our customers on the news, they have been delighted and so pleased of the support in these difficult times,” said Michelle Hindle, sales manager of Belly Button.
