A Case StudyPresented by Hallmark and Fleishman-Hillard

October 24, 2004

The Business ProblemSlow growth of greeting card sales Almost 90 percent of U.S. households

already use them

Consumer understands their value, she just forgets

Minimal voice in the marketplace for the category

The marketing solution: card-based advertising campaign

The Public Relations Problem

PR could help But cards are not “news” Typical card news (e.g., holidays) offers

some exposure opportunities, but is season-based, not ongoing

For this challenge, needed a different, creative idea!

The Public Relations Solution Hallmark Writers

on Tour A public relations program to help grow the greeting card category

An opportunity to express to consumers directly and through news stories the emotional benefit of greeting cards

One of the most comprehensive, multifaceted, and rewarding PR programs any of us have completed

Public Relations Objectives Remind consumers, directly and through

news media, of the emotional benefit of greeting cards

Reinforce to consumers and internal audiences that Hallmark best delivers these benefits

Use the assets developed through the program to feed other publicity efforts

PR Strategy Elicit consumer testimonials to express

the emotional benefit of greeting cards with activities that: – Personalize Hallmark– Engage consumers directly– Generate news in themselves– Feed stories that can generate more news

Tactical Plan Take writers on the road Solicit consumer memories through events,

media relations Add ongoing touchpoints (Hallmark Visitors

Center, Hallmark.com) Leverage consumer stories for additional

news Bring consumers’ experiences back to

Hallmark to inspire employees

Making It Happen: The Markets

Markets were selected by:– Media receptivity– Propensity of local consumers to buy lots of

Hallmark cards – Connection between the writers and the

market– Location of Fleishman-Hillard offices or

community organizers

How did we generate attendance?

Invitations to Hallmark Gold Crown members

Advance media relations Fliers in Hallmark Gold Crown stores Fliers at event venues Affinity group outreach

Where Did We Go? Pilot events

– Lawrence, Kan.– Leavenworth, Kan.– Leawood, Kan.– Topeka, Kan.– Kansas City, Mo.

Official tour stops– Kansas City– San Diego– South Florida– Cincinnati– Des Moines– Philadelphia– Omaha– Phoenix– St. Louis– Nashville– Minneapolis/St. Paul– Baltimore/Washington, D.C.– Salt Lake City– Las Vegas

Making It Happen: The Venues

Sought smaller, casual venues with engaged proprietors

Not Hallmark stores — to be seen as less commercial

Allowed audience to feel comfortable enough to tell very touching personal stories in public– Coffeehouses– Tea shops – Day spas– Libraries – Bookstores– Community centers – Cafés

The Schedule Three days, two nights in market Media interviews, especially during

drive time Four-five event appearances Retailer interaction and store visits

Event Format Host + two writers Introductory video Writer presentations

– Background– Sources of inspiration

Question/answer session Story sharing Informational packets

– Card samples, story forms, bookmarks, gift cards

Introductory video here

Event Format Host + two writers Introductory video Writer presentations

– Background– Sources of inspiration

Question/answer session Story sharing Informational packets

– Card samples, story forms, bookmarks, gift cards

The External Picture We made 77 appearances in 15 markets over

19 months We were interviewed for radio, TV, print, and

online stories We laughed, we cried, and sometimes we

scratched our heads … but mostly we marveled at the way greeting cards touch people in strange and wonderful ways

We traveled by plane, taxi, shuttle bus, van, and town car

We got up early and stayed up late, drinking lots of coffee along the way

We were “Introverts on Parade”

Engaging Employees

Employee Communication Tools

Writer profiles, consumer stories in employee newsletter

Solicited employee stories (including the CEO’s!) Intranet site, closed-circuit TV Weekly e-mail to writing staff and internal partners

to play back stories, maintain enthusiasm, and subtly market results to senior management

Presentation to writers and editors to celebrate success and recruit additional writers, hosts

All-employee meeting recapping the program and its success

Internal Partners Required cross-functional participation and

support Greetings marketing group Creative division, writing managers Writers themselves! Hallmark.com CRM group Hallmark Visitors Center Internal communications group

Results Writers talked face-to-face with more than

2,500 employees and members of the public

Collected approximately 500 written consumer stories from events, Visitors Center, Web site, by mail

Hallmark.com/meaningfulmoments had more than 24,000 visitors since its launch

Results Media helped tell the story More than 131 million media impressions

– Major print and online clips included The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Kansas City Star, Cincinnati Inquirer, to name a few; articles in Salt Lake City and Nashville were syndicated

– 21 radio interviews reaching 5.5 million• Radio media tour hit 10 stations and networks nationwide

– 17 television interviews reaching 8 million

Writers on Tour messages fed other campaigns yielding an additional 143 million impressions

Val Day VNR here

Results Best of all, 90 percent of the media

stories carried our key message:

This tour is not only about sharing how we work at Hallmark, but also about listening to real people talk about how cards have made a difference in their lives.

Results Consumer stories, media-trained writers

have fed other initiatives — Valentine’s Day, Shoebox

Sixty-second interstitials derived from shared stories airing on the Hallmark Channel, reaching additional audiences, generating more consumer stories

Major groups (AARP, IAAP) heard about it and invited us to bring the program to them!

Interstitital video here

Results Consumer stories, media-trained writers

have fed other initiatives — Valentine’s Day, Shoebox

Sixty-second interstitials derived from shared stories airing on the Hallmark Channel, reaching additional audiences, generating more consumer stories

Major groups (AARP, IAAP) heard about it and invited us to bring the program to them!

Results Attendees loved it and learned! Of those surveyed after the events

– 83.5 percent strongly agreed the presentation helped them realize how important cards are to people

– 95 percent strongly agreed they have increased respect for what goes into the creation of a greeting card

– 88 percent now think about Hallmark or greeting cards differently than they did before the event

– 50 percent purchased or used more greeting cards than normal in the week following the event

Why Was It Successful? The campaign was built around our DNA

– Did not portray us as something other than what we are– As a result, audiences had no problem embracing the

concept– Reinforced our brand promise

Every campaign element focused on delivering our primary message– Media outreach and coverage– Invitations, other attendance-generating activities– Events themselves

Timing

Why Was It Successful? Internal audiences embraced the

campaign; it became a part of corporate culture– Card-planning teams ask for relevant

consumer stories when assigning new projects to writers

– Chairman referred to the program in his annual Thanksgiving letter to employees

– Writers and hosts volunteered for year two

Why Was It Successful? Corporate culture embraced the campaign

– Stories were shared throughout Hallmark, reinforcing the importance of each job and improving morale

– WOT was highlighted at a retail creative summit

– WOT videos shared at board of director meetings

– Members of Hall family’s fourth generation were briefed on the campaign’s success

Why Was It Successful? Strong first year, and successful “selling” of results

led to second-year funding– Momentum continued into year two and led to even

greater media placements in national outlets and media inquiries

– Stories filtered to the advertising agency who shared stories with larger audiences via Hallmark Channel

Integrated into other Hallmark campaigns – Writers on Tour became the underpinning of other

Hallmark campaigns– Media training writers was an asset to all future PR efforts– Valentine’s Day outreach focused on a shared story– Shoebox campaign focused on humor writers

Don Hall video here

A Case StudyPresented by Hallmark and Fleishman-

Hillard