| by Sarah Mahoney, Friday, Aug 3, 2007 5:00 AM ET |
| THE BATTERED MUSIC INDUSTRY IS getting a boost from an unlikely source: Greeting cards. Cards with sound have evolved from a few lousy bars of "Happy Birthday" to a new level of sophistication. Hallmark recently unveiled about 100 variations, bringing its total to more than 250--covering all genres of music as well as sound clips from favorite movies and TV shows. As part of its summer promotion for the expanded line, Hallmark is giving away a free iTunes download worth 99¢ with each card it sells; most cost around $4.99. The promotion continues until Sept. 9 and is timed to coincide with Hallmark's "Use Music Summer Tour" featuring country singer Tim McGraw. (And, yes, three of his songs are included in the Hallmark collection.) "People love them," says a Hallmark spokeswoman. "It's just fun to watch how they react to the different types of music when they look through the cards. They smile; they dance a little bit." And while the artists run from Barenaked Ladies to Tina Turner, George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone," "The Chicken Dance" and "Napoleon Dynamite" are among the bestsellers, she says. Marketers are finding ways to get into the act, too. Aflac recently introduced a Hallmark card--with the duck screaming his trademark phrase. The licensing fee for the birthday card, along with the sale of plush Aflac Ducks and annual Aflac Holiday Ducks, "has helped Aflac raise more than $2 million for pediatric hospitals nationwide," says an Aflac spokeswoman. Hallmark already has a track record in the music biz: Six seasonal CDs by artists such as James Taylor, Michael Buble, George Strait and Martina McBride have been certified Gold (500,000 sold) or Platinum(1,000,000 sold). The seven-city music tour also includes opportunities for concertgoers to check out the cards and enter a "Summer Sing-off" contest. Hallmark launched Cards with Sound in 2006. American Greetings, based in Cleveland, also sells musical cards. |
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Hallmark Expands Cards With Sounds, Gives Away Music
Friday, July 20, 2007
Hallmark Launches Summer Music Tour
The seven-city tour begins July 21 with Tim McGraw’s concert in Atlanta and concludes Sept. 9 in Las Vegas. Other stops include the Navy Pier in Chicago, Musikfest in Bethlehem PA, the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, MO, and the Taste of Colorado in Denver.
During the event, Hallmark will set up an interactive area where visitors can check out hundreds of Cards with Sound at a listening station, take pictures with an Entertainment Weekly magazine cover and play “Guitar Hero” an interactive music game.
Visitors can also participate in the Summer Sing-Off challenge during the tour. Entrants perform on a sound stage near the Hallmark tent. The winner’s performance from each event will be posted to Hallmark.com. Finalists’ videos will be up on the site on Sept. 11 when consumers can vote for their favorite through Sept. 18.
The concert series is designed to promote Hallmark’s more than 100 Cards with Sound sold in Hallmark Gold Crown stores. Each card features original music by artists including McGraw and the Barenaked Ladies.
To drive sales, the company is offering a free song download from iTunes with every Card with Sound purchases July 23 through Sept. 9.