Royal Mail has got behind Festive Friday this year and is promoting the GCA initiative to kickstart Christmas card sending with widespread support activity across all of its social media channels. This forms part of Royal Mail’s activity to encourage the UK public to ‘post early for Christmas’ – both of their Christmas cards and their festive parcels.
Festive Friday, which this year takes place on this coming Friday (27 November), is a special day spearheaded by the GCA for several years. Festive Friday’s mission, as summed up by Amanda Fergusson, ceo of the GCA is: “to create a great first wave of beautiful cards arriving in early December to get keep everyone in touch with loved ones – and generate a Christmas card-sending mood.”
The GCA website hosts a complete Festive Friday Toolkit (https://www.gca.cards/festive-friday-2020/) featuring this year’s attractive branding that was created by Woodmansterne. The website also provides inspiration for publishers, retailers, trade suppliers, schools and consumers to get creative and organise Christmas card-sending events on Friday.
“Admittedly this year, due to Covid measures, many of the Festive Friday events have not been able to go ahead as planned. However, as the receiving of Christmas cards will be even more cherished this year than ever before, as tangible conveyors of sentiment and communication at a time when we cannot see one another, it would be great if we in the industry can start sending our festive cheer to those we care about this Friday, to arrive just as all our retailers reopen in England,” urged Amanda.
Amanda also asks that anyone undertaking Festive Friday activity to take pics and send them to her at hello@gca.cards, post them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and use the tag #sendacarddeliverasmile and tag us @GCAUK
Post Early for Christmas
Royal Mail is encouraging customers to post their festive greeting cards and gifts well in advance this year, to help its postmen and women deliver the bumper festive mailbag.
UK latest recommended posting dates for Christmas 2020 are:
- Friday 18 December for 2nd Class Mail
- Monday 21 December for 1st Class Mail
- Wednesday 23 December for Special Delivery
Further information is available at www.royalmail.com/greetings
