I blame it on the Royal Mail. They said they’d be on strike. They promised. I bet BA stick to theirs this Christmas. But the CWU have gone and changed their minds. So now we’re going to have to go through the ritual all over again: creating The Chemistry Christmas Card.
Capital letters matter when you’re talking about issues of SUCH importance.
Adam Crozier, boss of the Royal Mail, has already forecast a reduction of c.40% in the volume of mail over the next three or four years. He’s also warned that, because of the strikes, this could be the
year people finally decide to stop sending Christmas cards. Well, we’re not having any of it. Nope we’re steaming ahead. Unfortunately.
Agency Christmas Cards can be hard work. They belong to everybody and nobody. Everyone has a view. And they are all things to all men: branding devices; an expression of the agency’s values; a competitive creative department placeholder; a sincere message to clients and a stay-in-touch mechanism for prospects and all our other friends; and a possible ‘Top 10 Best Christmas Cards’ prizewinning better-than-everybody-else’s mention in the press. Or, of even greater importance, in Campaign. Or Marketing. Or Marketing Week. In no particular order, as they say on X Factor.
If this is sounding a bit cynical let me apologise: it’s not meant to. I’m just marvelling at the work that goes on behind the scenes to get the card in the post. Just consider some of it:
- an annual ritual labour, The Christmas Card must be briefed in; this means a budget, a planner, some hard thinking and some hard (printing and postage) as well as soft (labour) costs; who knows: there may even be a PowerPoint constructed for it
- next, do we want everybody’s two pennies’ worth — thus risking offending something like 170 people when the winning idea is chosen? or just pressing ahead with a nominated creative duo whose idea will then be poo-poohed by 168 other people who weren’t asked to participate in this most democratic of seasonal activities
- it means bringing everybody’s lists up to date — well of course mine are are fab already, but everybody else’s…?
- it also means considering how ‘the idea’ will be realised — printed and online…? recyclable stocks…? the right sort of ink…?
- and when they’re ready (in printed, movable, ready-to-be-signed piles) the appropriately inscribed message, the manner of addressing the envelopes, the mail out date decision to ensure the drop date will be not late autumn nor mid World Cup 2010…the logistics are immense.
This is tough stuff. And we’ve not even mentioned the ‘idea’ or the ‘design’ or (lordy, lordy) ‘the message‘, yet. Memorable, naturally. But classic or irreverent? Serious or witty? Sensible or iconoclastic?
And what about feedback? We want to get talked about, don’t we? I mean, we’re not just doing this for the purposes of goodwill and peace to all mankind, are we.
For a charity we once worked for, I was invited to the residential care home where a volunteer showed me around. Seated at one of the refectory dining tables was an elderly couple waiting for their lunch. “If they like the food,” said my guide, “they’ll talk about it all afternoon. But if they don’t like it, they’ll talk about it all next week.”
Let’s hope we get The Christmas Card right. We don’t want it talked about all next year. Apart from the one person /client whom Sod’s Law says we’ll miss off the list.
Send me your name if you’d like to be added to our list.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
we’re opting for an e-card this year, and I think we’ll be applauded by clients who have always found it strange that a digital agency should send out cards in the post..