Stylish greetings with color, from card creators - Ambassador Cards - column

Discount Store News, August 22, 1988 by Laura Liebeck

Stylish Greetings with Color, from Card Creators

In May, Ambassador Cards began a nationwide rollout of a revamped greeting card program specifically geared to the mass market that is so visually exciting and thoughtful that I felt compelled to write about it in this column.

Basically, there are two main features of the program: color blocking everyday greeting cards in categories, and three new card lines specifically geared to today's changing lifestyles.

Already, more than 7,000 retail outlets have the program, and by the end of this year 2,000 stores will be using the new fixtures designed to showcase the cards.

Color blocking is probably the more important of the two additions at Ambassador and the first element of the new program that caught my eye. Of course, Ambassador did not invent color blocking--several other greeting card companies employ the merchandising technique in specialty card areas--but Ambassador extended and embellished upon it.

What is important about color blocking greeting cards is that the color adds visual excitement to the display as well as a sense of organization--and may even hold customers' attention for longer than they had intended. This can be particularly important in a department that keeps customers within its bounds for an average of only about two minutes. And in that time, shoppers supposedly look through nine to 11 cards.

At Ambassador, the color blocking program is called Colorscan and it groups cards into eight color-coded categories arranged in vertical color bands. Each card pocket has a color cue identifier and photographic strips top the display to help guide customers to the card section they want.

Also, brand new card fixtures were developed specifically for Colorscan featuring two major changes from the old display: 60 percent of each card's surface is exposed to consumers rather than 40 percent, and the storage compartment is now located inside the display rather than in drawers at at the botton. The storage area is accessed by pulling out the botton three rows of the display. The fixtures are still made in 4-foot sections with eight to 10 rows and fit in the same amount of floor space as the old models.

Colorscan now divides the cards as follows: children's cards in orange; general and humorous birthday in turquoise; feminine birthday in pink; new baby in mint green; get well, care and concern and sympathy in yellow; and thank you, friendship and miscellaneous in peach.

The point of Colorscan, said Donald H. Fletcher, division vice president of product development, is "to make customers feel comfortable and create an emotional experience." Ambassador wanted to create an "ambience."

Color-coordinated gift wrapping and accessories, called Color Plan Plus, are also available.

The other great new addition to the Ambassador card line is a new series of cards reflecting today's special circumtances and lifestyles.

Ambassador just introduced "Kids Cards," nonoccasion cards that adults give to children to show caring and positive reinforcement for a child's behavior and self-image. Already, the line includes 130 different cards for all occasions. These cards were created specifically for working parents and "blended" families. One card I particularly liked has an alligator-type animal wearing sneakers and holding an ice cream cone. The card says, "Isn't it NEAT that there's no one like YOU? No other person can do what YOU do. Does that make you HAPPY? Then, say it real LOUD. I'm one of a kind! I'M ME and I'M PROUD."

Another new category of cards Ambassador has introduced is called "Care and Concern." This 62-CARD LINE FEATURES CARS FOR SITUATIONS WHERE A SYMPATHY card is not appropriate. The category is divided into four parts. "Thinking of You," "Care," "Encouragement" and "Difficult Times." One "Care and Concern" card reads, "Because I care ... I thought you coud use a little extra love."

Ambassador also decided to roll out "Young At Heart," a 26-card line of greeting cards geared to the tastes of people over 55 years of age. "Young At Heart" debuted as a promotion last year. These cards are not broken out from the card department like "Care and Concern" and "Kids Cards." Instead they are integrated into the entire card department. These cards feature cover designs and sentiments reflecting long-standing relationships and photographs of mature couples.