The countdown to Thinking of You Week (falling this year September 25-1 October) has begun with great gusto, with retailers, publishers, Royal Mail, schools, charities and other organisations finalising their plans to gain further momentum and heighten awareness of this significant card sending initiative, instigated by the GCA, to encourage people to create a wave of love, caring and happiness by sending cards.
Waitrose is among the multiple retailers to really be getting behind the initiative, especially as Thinking of You Week is perfectly timed to coincide with its brand new greeting card selection going into all the supermarket’s stores.
“We have secured a full page editorial in our Waitrose Weekend magazine, which has the same circulation as the Daily Telegraph, for the second week in September edition. As well as featuring our new greeting card selection it will also include details all about Thinking of You Week,” confirmed Kirsty Hicks, greeting card, wrap and stationery buyer of Waitrose.
“It is great that multiples, such as Waitrose, are now embracing Thinking of You Week. This special Week provides a wonderful opportunity for greeting cards to really demonstrate their emotional power, to bring joy, happiness and support,” commented Sharon Little, ceo of the GCA who has spearheaded ToYW since its inception four years ago. “We really hope the whole industry (retailers, publishers and suppliers) gets involved this year as well as more schools, community groups and charities. We have ideas galore on the website, but no doubt the UK’s inventive brains will come up with lots of other great ideas too.”
On the indie front, the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP) is using Thinking of You Week to really inspire its 9,500 members as to the power of greeting cards, both emotionally as well as commercially. David Gold, retail consultant, told PG Buzz that “this year, for the first time, seven members will be heavily involved as ‘live case studies’ to demonstrate the opportunities.”
Royal Mail has also given the Week its endorsement by creating a special Thinking of You Week stamp cancellation message to raise awareness, appearing on all stamped mail during the Week – on up to six million items a day!
The free downloadable toolkit of Thinking of You Week PoS assets (featuring the lovely artwork by Miki Rose of GBCC) as well as inspirational ideas of how to engage with the Week are there for all on the dedicated event website (www.thinkingofyouweek.cards), that was generously developed by GCA Council member, Raj Arora, md of Davora.
The GCA’s Sharon Little paid tribute to so many of the greeting card industry’s printers and warehouse fulfilment houses for printing and including ToYW fliers in the card packages that are being despatched to retailers. These include, 2WL, Digital Colour Services, Hello Cards, The Imaging Centre, Johnsons, LB Warehousing, Loxleys, The Sherwood Press and Windles.
The GCA is also looking to really bring the event to life with a Thinking of You Week feature display within the Paperfest area at the imminent Top Drawer exhibition, which takes place September 10-12, showcasing a wealth of designs from exhibiting publishers which would lend themselves to a ToYW send. Top Drawer exhibitors have until a week on Friday (September 1) to submit up to five unwrapped cards which best represent the spirit of Thinking of You Week (ie no birthday cards) to Sharon at the GCA, United House, North Road, London, N7 9DP.
Publishers should include a small label including their company name and stand number in the front bottom right corner on each card.
