Hallmark Spreads Seasons Greetings Early to Bloggers
Consumers in the market for a greeting card will flip through card after card after card on the racks, looking for the one with just the right sentiment.
Hallmark went through pretty much the same process when it came to compiling a list of mommy bloggers to connect with at the recent BlogHer ‘10 conference in New York.
The retailer threw an early Christmas themed party at an off-site penthouse that was invitation only. For Hallmark, said Deidre Mize, national campaign manager, it was a chance to engage with bloggers and get to know them personally.
“We put out a call on Twitter,” she said. “Some of the bloggers we had worked with before, while others were identified by looking at not just their traffic levels but their content and tone—while snarky is fun, it might not work with Hallmark’s brand.”
On a very warm August evening, Hallmark invited about 115 BlogHer attendees to decorate Christmas cookies, have their photos taken with a “sexy” Santa by the tree and get a peek at the company’s latest holiday offerings, like children’s storybooks gift givers can record their voices in and new ornaments featuring characters like Animal from “The Muppet Show” and the company’s own Hoops & Yoyo.
Moms are the number one priority when it comes to who Hallmark wants to reach in social media. The company has presences on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, and regularly monitors the blogosphere to connect with writers who might be interested in sharing product news with their readers.
“We’re still working on determining the social media metrics,” Mize admitted. “It’s about engagement and the quality of the conversation—we reach a smaller audience on a blog versus a television show, but the target is more refined.”
And while moms are at the front of the queue, collectors are also on the company’s blog radar. This summer, Hallmark has exhibited at both Comic Con in San Diego and the Star Wars Celebration V event in Orlando, offering exclusives like Boba Fett and Yoda and a superhero-themed ornament marking DC Comic’s 75th anniversary.
“Someone might not collect ornaments per se, but they might collect Star Wars or another niche category,” said Mize. “So we’re connecting with them.”
The vampire trend hasn’t escaped Hallmark either. A “Twilight” ornament featuring Edward and Bella debuted last month, and to spread the word the company asked one popular Twilight blogger if she’d like to give a few away to readers. That one post resulted in a 44% spike in online chatter about the product.
