Love Me, Sender - Hallmark's Valentines' Day campaign - Brief Article

Brandweek, Jan 1, 2001 by Kenneth Hein

Hallmark Keeps Cupid, Dumps Promos

Gearing up for one of its biggest holidays of the year, Hallmark will kick off an integrated Valentine's Day marketing effort with Hershey's Kisses and Wal-Mart as it tilts away from scattered trade promotions toward focused events and links with entertainment partners.

The greeting card giant kicks off a TV campaign Jan. 22 in heavy network rotation, via Leo Burnett, Chicago, promoting a Kiss-Kiss Bear offer, before a Mother's Day partnership with NBC and another with Disney for fall leading up to a Winter Olympic Games push in 2002.

Creative features two men vying for the attention of one woman with one holding a giant stuffed bear, while the other clutches one of Hallmark's smaller Kiss Kiss Bears. The suitor with the giant bear thinks he has his competitor beat, until a second Kiss Kiss Bear is revealed. When the small bears are put together, they kiss thanks to the magnets on their noses.

The spot is expected to reach 80% of Hallmark's target --women with kids under age 12--who should see the ad 4.6 times during the promo period, which wraps up Feb. 4. Radio ads and in-store efforts also support.

Consumers receive a free Kiss Kiss Bear when they buy one for $2.95 with a Hallmark card at participating stores. Hallmark is also releasing its "Kisses" book with photos, quotes and anecdotes for $4.95.

Hallmark would not divulge media spending, though its budget will remain even with last year when it spent $15.4 million in the first quarter. It spent a total of $98.3 million in 1999.

This is only Hallmark's second fully integrated marketing campaign following a Peanuts holiday campaign last year, said Greg Field, vp-integrated marketing at the Kansas City, Mo. company. "In 1999 we had 250 trade promotions. This year, we'll have four."

Future efforts will include a tie-in with NBC'S Today Show for Mother's Day, the partnership with Disney in the fall and sponsorship of the Winter Olympics to coincide with next year's Valentine's Day efforts and the launch of Hallmark Flowers.

Per the current campaign, Hallmark will give consumers who buy three 8-oz. bags of Hershey's Kisses $1 off the purchase or a free Hallmark card worth up to $2.50. Support: FSI's to 54 million homes from Jan. 21 to Feb. 4.

If a consumer buys three cards in select Wal-Mart stores, Hallmark will mail them for free over a three-day period, via mail outposts pitched at stores. At groceries, greeters will hand out flyers touting the offer. Also, the Hershey's "Kissmobile" will stop at Hallmark units.

Gold Crown affinity members, Hallmark's loyalty club users, will get details of a special votive offer and Hallmark's "Swipe Stakes" contest, running Jan. 15 Feb. 14, where winners can get a free trip to Paris.

"Hallmark is trying to more effectively reach moms with kids," said Field. "We're taking promotional programs at seasonal time frames and blowing them up and putting them across all channels, giving them massive ad support and making them bigger, bolder and better."