Hallmark Offers Holiday Gifts with Meaning
Innovative products meet consumers’ need for holiday gifts that have a personal touch
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Nov. 13, 2009) — Hallmark consumer research reveals that this holiday season, shoppers will be looking for gifts that offer a personal touch and create meaningful connections.
“The must-have items on consumers’ shopping list this year are gifts with emotional relevance – those that help them make connections and create memories,” says Frank DeLeo, Hallmark vice president for retail product development and merchandising. “Especially in our current difficult economy, people want to spend their hard-earned money on gifts that have meaning.”
In response to this need, Hallmark Gold Crown® stores are introducing several new gift ideas.
DVD Greetings
Hallmark DVD Greetings help bring the year’s stories to life and create a meaningful gift for family and friends. DVD Greetings include a card and a blank DVD designed to match the card. Using an access code included with the card, the card sender goes to a specified web site and uploads his or her digital photos to a template to create an animated movie set to music. The sender then burns the finished product to the included DVD and sends it to the recipient. The recipient can play the DVD on any DVD player, including a TV or computer. DVD Greetings are sold individually or in boxed sets of four. Each DVD Greeting holds up to 24 photos. In addition to holiday designs, DVD Greetings for everyday occasions also are available.
Recordable Storybook
The new holiday Recordable Storybook, The Night Before Christmas, enables the gift giver to record his or her voice reading the classic story. As recipients turn the pages of the book, they will automatically hear the voice of the sender/storyteller. Recordable Storybooks enable the people who record the books to be with the children they love even when they are far away – providing a legacy that can be loved for years to come. In addition to the holiday storybook, two everyday titles – All the Ways I Love You and Bright & Beautiful – also are available.
Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments
A favorite collectible among consumers, Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments help people relive special moments as they place them on their tree each year. This year the line features several ways to personalize an ornament. Recordable ornaments enable consumers to record a special message or memory and replay it over and over. Personalize It designs provide space to write a name, date or sentiment. Photo holders offer space to add a favorite photo. Any ornament can be hung from new metal ornament tags inscribed with “Mom,” “Dad,” “Daughter,” “Son,” “2009” or blank.
About Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Kansas City-based Hallmark has been helping people communicate, celebrate and connect for nearly 100 years. Hallmark greeting cards and other products can be found in more than 41,500 places in the U.S. alone, with the network of Hallmark Gold Crown® stores providing the very best selection. The Hallmark brand also reaches consumers online at Hallmark.com and on television through Hallmark Hall of Fame original movies and the top-rated Hallmark Channel. In addition, Hallmark publishes products in more than 30 languages and distributes them in 100 countries across the globe. The company’s Crayola subsidiary provides fun and imaginative ways for children to colorfully express themselves. In 2008, privately held Hallmark reported consolidated net revenues of $4.3 billion. For more information about the company, visit http://corporate.hallmark.com.