Festive Friday is the last Friday in November – this year 27th November, and the day every year that the greeting card industry send their Christmas cards!
Carolyn Verderame of Caroline Gardner (pictured) was part a movement across the country to send out Christmas Cards at the end of November. The industry tradition called Festive Friday was started by the GCA, and this year it achieved unprecedented momentum.
There was lots of activity and engagement on social media (search for #FestiveFriday), and plenty of media coverage too. Lockdown restrictions were in place on the last Friday in November 2020, the traditional day for Festive Friday, which meant our members were not writing them in offices with mince pies and mulled wine as usual. But that didn’t stop us, as you can see in this PGBuzz report.
Media Coverage of Festive Friday
Amanda Fergusson, GCA CEO, has also been speaking to journalist about Christmas card sending, generating some valuable PR for the industry and reminding consumers to buy and send their cards.
“Representing the greeting card industry to the media is a key activity of the GCA. We work hard to ensure that greeting cards remain viewed as a positive form of communication by the British consumer, and remind people to send them!” said Amanda.
“In the last month alone we have spoken to journalists from the Economist, Sunday Times, Sunday Express, Mail on Sunday, ITV Meridian, BBC, Health and Living and Woman’s Weekly, sometimes it’s rebutting a negative ‘people don’t send cards anymore’ question that means a downbeat article doesn’t get into print, other times it’s a one-line comment like the Sunday Times (25th October) serving to remind people to buy their Christmas cards. Often it’s joining in a discussion on Christmas on Radio 4’s You and Yours (27th October) and BBC Wales, BBC Scotland and BBC Radio Essex, all on 1st December 2020”.
Take a look at some of the newspaper coverage extracts below.
BBC Radio 4 – You & Yours
Released on 27th October 2020
Available until 27th October 2021
Listen from 21m 26s
BBC Radio Wales with Claire Summers
Released on 1st December 2020
Available until 28th December 2020
Listen from 53m 57s
BBC Radio Scotland Lunchtime Live
Released on 1st December 2020
Available until 29th December 2020
Listen from 17m 30s
Festive Friday on Social Media
Festive Friday fever took hold on Social Media too. Here’s a small selection of tweets and Instagram posts carrying the #FestiveFriday hashtag.
A big thank you to everyone who took part in Festive Friday this year!
