PG is back for real and it feels good! Progressive Greetings’ May/June edition is hot off the press, having plopped onto doormats and desks just as many card retailers are making the final tweaks to their preparations before re-opening next Monday.
What shouts out loud and clear from the pages of the latest edition is the abundant camaraderie and generosity of spirit among the greeting card community which clearly knows no bounds. The uplifting ‘Send a card, deliver a smile’ film, involving a cast of 30 cardies, instigated by the GCA and created (at no cost) by Jack Parker and Dominique Miranda of Lanther Black is a wonderful testament to this (click here).
The PG news section is also packed full of examples of the industry doing itself proud – from the Five Dollar Shakies creating stylish social distancing posters for retailers (irrespective of whether they are customers or not (click here) to Hallmark giving away half a million cards to members of the public to thank everyday heroes (click here).
While greeting cards have certainly enjoyed something of a ‘purple patch’ on the PR front (Captain Tom’s 100th birthday card bonanza and ITV News’ extensive coverage extolling the important role they play in relationships being prime examples), lockdown has not been without its trials and tribulations. Members of the greeting card community revelations in the Viewpoints section make for unforgettable reading – from Postmark’s Mark Janson-Smith letting his wife Leona loose on his locks to Wendy and Steve Jones-Blackett’s cautiously optimistic predictions for Christmas orders. (Click here).
“Thank god for cards and Netflix’ is the title of David Robertson, co-owner of JP Pozzi’s honest and inspirational column for this edition, prompting us all to consider what we will have all learned from lockdown. They do say if you want something done, ask a busy person. This is certainly the case with Mr R, who has been single handedly (paperboys aside) running a busy newsagents, delivering cards and gifts to frontline workers and fronting podcasts to share his learnings and philosophies. (Click here).
Popular PG columnist Cardsharp’s focus is very much focused on rolling up our sleeves and getting back to work – but stresses how there needs to be more joined-up thinking from the Government to get the economy (retail and generally) up and running. Praise where praise is due, Cardsharp gives a shout out for some of the industry’s lockdown heroes – from publishers who have created topical designs to inspiring indies who have come up with inventive ways of supplying their customers. (Click here)
The Innovations section is abundant with stunning ranges to pep up the card racks as retailers can re-open their doors (click here) while a double dose leading indie couples (Chris & Tracey Bryant of Expressions/Cats Whispers/Polka Dot and Paul & Rachel Roberts of Mooch) share what ranges have been going down well with their respective customers during lockdown in What’s Hot (click here). Meanwhile looking broader to the world at large, PG columnist Jeremy Corner, md of Blue Eyed Sun, tapping into the heightened sensibilities on environmental matters shares his tips on becoming more sustainable (click here).
And there’s more…accompanying Progressive Greetings May/June 2020 edition is a dedicatedFocus on Humour publication.
If ever there was a time when we all needed a good laugh, it’s been in the last couple of months, as reflected in the soaring sales of humorous greeting cards from online and those retailers who have been allowed to continue to trade.
From flour shortages to excessive Zoom cocktail parties, from not knowing what day it is to the perils of homeschooling, the ever-witty cavalcade of card publishers have been quick to capture the essence of life and times and distil it to comedic effect onto cards (click to pages 8-9 of the Humour Supplement).
Our penchant for celebrity culture (click to page 12-13), acceptance of the ageing process (click to pages 16-17) and even who gardens in the nude (click to page 3) are all uncovered in this special annual publication.
All this and more in the pages of a lovely glossy magazine and supplement. Wouldn’t you like to hold them in your hands so you can flick through and read them wherever takes your fancy. As Dean Morris shows off in his greenhouse, it really is better in the flesh!
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to read the whole PG May/June 2020 edition online.
To read the Focus on Humour supplement online, you can click here.
