Valley PR Blog

Ho ho hold that holiday thought

By Linda VandeVrede on November 17th, 2009 In Hype!

Thanksgiving is around the corner, which means one thing:   pretty soon my mailbox will be bombarded with holiday greeting cards, many from agencies I barely know or recognize, with handwritten signatures from all the agency folks.   I picture them sitting in a conference room, griping about having to sign hundreds of missives to go out in the mail.  Or maybe they enjoy it, and are drinking wine happily as they pen their names with a grand flourish.

It’s a recession.   Skip the marketing platitude that says you have to have top of mindshare, and take the money you would have used on cards and stamps, and send the staff (or yourself) to the movies.   Or buy them Dunkin Donuts.   Or let them leave early every Friday between now and Christmas or Hanukkah.    Or donate to charity (but don’t send me a card telling me that you did).   Just do it.

If you MUST send out something, be humorous.  (There’s a reason so many of us like “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”).  Be authentic.  Is the card or gift reflective of your brand, your voice?  Be unusual.  Send something unexpected.  Be social – I would love to receive a YouTube holiday card this year.  

And now, I need to download my copy of “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”

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