The Challenge
For seven years Hallmark Canada looked to Polaris Public Relations to deliver outstanding external communications. Our goal was to increase buyer intent and ensure that Hallmark remained top-of-mind for those special holidays. As well, we were charged with containing issues such as customer complaints, facility closings and, when the Canadian dollar gained parity with the American dollar, with mitigating coverage about Hallmark’s dual priced products.
Polaris PR Strategy
To help increase buyer intent, the main focus of our influencer outreach revolved around the key card-giving occasions. We developed relationships with key media and influential bloggers to consistently secure Hallmark coverage (ultimately media came to us when preparing stories about Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas).
The work done with media and bloggers also helped Hallmark deal with controversial pricing issues. When the Canadian dollar hit parity with the US greenback, coverage regarding the price differential of consumer products in the two countries escalated. Polaris developed and executed a successful strategy that minimized mentions of Hallmark’s products to a small share of voice.
Watch this video of CFTO anchors talking about Hallmark’s new Valentine’s Day cards:
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