The 2017 branding is unveiled and will be on display at PG Live
The Greeting Card Association (GCA) has revealed the new branding for Thinking of You Week 2017, which will be on display on the GCA stand at PG Live in two weeks. The GCA Thinking of You Week website (www.thinkingofyouweek.cards) will also be updated over the next month or so with the new free branding and POS, posters, handouts and fliers that people can download.
“This is now the fourth Thinking of You Week and it continues to go from strength to strength,” says Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA. “Every year we refresh the branding to keep it looking interesting and relevant. We’re very lucky to have Miki Rose courtesy of the Great British Card Company designing for us and this year I think the branding is stronger than ever.”
The idea behind Thinking of You Week is to create a wave of happiness and caring through sending greeting cards. “All the research shows the positive emotional impact receiving a card can have on a person,” says Sharon. “It is much stronger than any form of digital message.”
Retailers are encouraged to download the branded Thinking of You Week POS material, posters and fliers from the dedicated Thinking of You Week website and use them in-store in displays and promotions. “It’s a great way for retailers to draw people instore, but also get involved in the community, perhaps by running a school competition, working with a charity or a local hospital,” says Sharon. “There’s so much scope and the main thing is that we’re raising the profile of sending cards, which is great.”
Among the retailers to participate in Thinking of You Week last year were Clintons (which had window displays in all its 400+ stores as well as special displays inside), department stores Bentalls and Jarrold as well as many independents. The GCA also took to the streets with a public event for the first time, outside London’s Kings Cross which saw 1,300 cards being given to passers-by to write and send as part of the initiative.
The GCA at PG Live
Anyone visiting PG Live can see the new branding on the GCA exhibit at the entrance to the lunch hall as well as voting in the GCA Tagline Challenge. The GCA put the call out for ideas for a new tagline that could be used across the industry – by retailers, designers and publishers – something short and sweet that sums up the importance of the emotional connection that greeting cards make. The GCA has received 152 suggestions from 55 publishers, retailers and specialist suppliers, via email and Facebook and this has been whittled down to a shortlist. Now visitors to PG Live can cast their vote in a secret ballot and the GCA stand.
Representatives from the GCA will also be on hand to help answer any queries which may arise from exhibiting members as well as to encourage more retailers to join the association.
Sharon Little said: “Our retailer membership is growing in leaps and bounds. Membership is incredibly reasonable for retailers – only £10+VAT and there are lots of benefits of membership. Having more retailers as members means we really can speak for the whole industry and be better placed to promote and protect greeting card sending to the public.”
