From social expressions to social connections.

As social media continues to change how we consume and engage with brands, Hallmark needed to transform their social media practice to maintain relevance with their consumers. These widely connected social channels are key to how Hallmark can shift brand perceptions, target a new consumer and increase awareness of products in a more impactful way.

As content leader for Hallmark’s main brand social accounts, I was responsible for shaping strategic and creative direction to deliver on-brand content across multiple social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest). It was an exciting, but challenging, opportunity to create a POV that elevated an established brand’s relevance in an ever-evolving space.

In this role, I worked with creators and subject matter experts to develop content that was rooted in insights, trends and consumer needs that helped shift Hallmark’s perception from purveyors of cards to stewards of caring. This resulted in reaching new consumers, growing Hallmark’s audience and building retailers’ confidence in the brand’s relevance. Learnings from high performing content provided the business with new insights that influenced new product development and brand marketing opportunities.

Consumer-focused

Building consumers’ relationships with an established brand begins with a deep understanding of their flow of life, relationships, emotional connections and what they are looking to the brand for in social spaces. All content development began with these insights, which were then translated into meaningful creative content that made consumers feel more connected with Hallmark.

Relationships Matter

Consumers look to Hallmark for help with the right words to say to the people who mean the most to them. Hallmark’s understanding of emotional connections and meaningful moments are why consumers seek their greeting cards, products and movies. For social, this translated into participation in popular relationship hashtag holidays such as Grandparent’s Day, #NationalBestFriendsDay, #NationalSiblingsDay, etc.

Hallmark doesn’t have a card for all the smallidays, but there was almost always a social post to celebrate all your favorite people on Instagram.

#CareEnough

In 2016, Hallmark launched a new brand campaign to shift the brand perception from cards to caring. It promoted the idea of doing small random acts of kindness to change the world.

Later in the year, controversial elections and the rising frequency of mass tragedies were changing social conversations. Translating the campaign into content in brand social shifted to focusing on the power of caring and kindness rather than small transactional acts. Learning from the successes of past mantra-like content, a series of shareable #CareEnough mantras were developed specifically for the brand’s social accounts.

These mantras proved to be higher performing content (organically, when that existed!) and ultimately influenced new product development and brand marketing.

Inclusivity

Hallmark needed to figure out how to participate in conversations around diversity and inclusion as consumers continue to demand brands to make meaningful change.

Hallmark offers products that celebrate culturally specific holidays, but it wasn’t reflected in their social channels. To maintain relevance, Hallmark shifted to be more inclusive with content that acknowledged how different cultures celebrate and showed support when certain communities were affected by current events.

Empathetic

Promoting the power of caring meant supporting both the good times and the tough times. Whether it was Bullying Prevention Month, Suicide Prevention Day, or Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Hallmark offered messages of care and support that understood the range of emotions consumers might be experiencing.

Women’s Empowerment

The majority of Hallmark’s consumers identify as female. With the continued rise of the women’s empowerment, Hallmark began to particpate in these social conversations. Hallmark celebrated International Women’s Day, Women’s Equality Day, and even Galentine’s Day, with shareable, inspiring content.

*Award-winning content.

#SelfCare Affirmations

Hallmark is often associated with idealistic, picture-perfect lives (as depicted in their movies) but that isn’t always reality. With the rise of self-care and wellness trends, it was an opportunity for Hallmark to explore what emotional and relationship wellness meant to consumers.

Since Hallmark consumers are often other-focused, Hallmark developed self-care affirmations that reminded consumers to take care of themselves, so they could take of the ones they love.

Shifting Category Perceptions

As social expression etiquette evolves, Hallmark continues to promote the value of card-sending. To maintain relevance, Hallmark highlights greeting cards that support caring needs beyond birthdays and holidays to promote everyday card sending.

In a time when social platforms and texting are the most common form of connecting, there was an opportunity for Hallmark to reach a new generation of card senders with content that showed how snail mail can be fun, easy and meaningful in the simplest ways.