I'm Keeping Busy, and so is Hallmark.

I haven't been around for a while. But i finally got a break in my busy schedule, so, I thought I would give you an update on what I've been up to. Not that it would normally be interesting enough to mention, but i have had my hand in pretty much everything that has come out in the last few months.

1: DVD Cards - Wouldn't it be cool if you could have a customized movie with pictures of you, your family and/or your friends that can be played on your home's DVD player? Say no more. Hallmark's done it. Takes 10 minutes. Packaged conveniently into a card so you can send it out to your loved ones. Imagine Grandma's surprise when she sees that gem. It will blow her mind. Available at your local Hallmark Gold Crown.

2. Augmented Reality - The world has come one step closer to Holodecks with this innovation. Basically, when you buy specially marked Hallmark Cards (available at Walmart and Gold Crown this Valentine's Day) you get an "Online Surprise". It's a 3D, virtual reality movie, that moves around in your own world when you hold the card up to at webcam. Don't understand a lick of what i am saying? Go try out a free demo here or let Hoops and Yo-yo try and explain it! GO. QUICK!

3. Kids Encouragement - This may not seem terribly innovative, but in reality it is. Hallmark has found that kids need to be spoken to in a certain way. And that parents are starving for a way to talk to there kids. So Hallmark Gold Crown is currently (or will be very soon, depending on the store) sporting a brand new wall display featuring dozens of new products that help encourage kids in their everyday life. And not just cards, but TOYS, BOOKS, and GAMES!

The others are so top secret i can't talk about them. But i will. Oh, i will.

I know this is all pretty boring without many pictures, but maybe you will just have to go out to Hallmark and take a look. ;)
Seriously though, there has been a lot of hard work put into these cards and we'd love to know what you think when you see them!

Love, Josh

EXCLUSIVE: Brand New from Hallmark

As Hallmarkers savvy to this new-fangled interwebz dealy, I find it kind of our duty to promote the coolest new innovations we offer to the e-viewer. Well today, I come to you with an exclusive. You can't find news about this anywhere else on the net.

On November 7th the movie Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa cames out in theaters, but right now in Walmart and Hallmark Gold Crown you can purchase a card with a very special attachment on it: a USB Card/Drive (Jump Drive, Flash Drive) shaped like your favorite Madagascar characters. Here is the corresponding website.

On the Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa USB drive:
- exclusive Flash games featuring your favorite Madagascar characters.
- MP3s of the hit songs from Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.
- customizable coloring pages to print
- desktop wallpapers and more!
- a desktop buddy of Moto-Moto (EVERYONE is going nuts over this guy)

As if that weren't enough, you can take everything off of the card, and use the store 1 Gig your files in a fun character verses a boring ol' grey stick... sweet!

Do I sound like an ad? Call me marketing! ;)

It's important that if you think this is something ultra-cool and new that Hallmark should continue to do, that go out and buy it. I can't stress this enough. Spend your hard earned cash on this fun new product and you will see more. Buy it for your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandsons and daughters, maybe that nice kid down the street?

Spread the word!

-Josh

PS. Has anyone seen the movie? What did you think?

The Collaboratory

This is a photo of some of our phenomenally talented writers in one of their many locations throughout headquarters.


This particular location is called The Collaboratory, and it's purpose is to facilitate creative brainstorming from a writer's viewpoint. Whether you need a name for a new collection of products, need copy for a niche product category, or just need some new ideas and thoughts, The Collaboratory is an excellent place to converse with poets, playwrights, musicians, improvisers, and more!

Plus, with it's home-like feel (much like my grandmother's living room), it's a place to relax and let the creativity flow (and, if you're lucky, you might catch one of the writers tinkering on the upright baby grand piano... love it).

Product of the Month

Way fun! Hallmark's new adhesive gift wrap is featured as a "Product of the Month" in the July issue of Real Simple Magazine. From the article: "The entire back side [of the wrap] is sticky, so there's no need for tape. The adhesive peels of boxes or fabrics without leaving a mark, and unlike tape, it doesn't stick to itself." Pretty handy if you keep misplacing your Scotch tape, or if you are wrapping on-the-go! The wrap is available at all Hallmark Gold Crown Stores for approximately $5 per roll.

Father's Day is this weekend!

Check out these videos from a recent Hallmark video contest. In honor of our silly, crazy and goofy dads, the Daddy of All Dance-Offs was a competition held by Hallmark to find the nation's best dancing dad! Dads from all around the U.S. could submit a video of their fly dance moves in one of two ways: 1) at a contest location (complete with a stage and state of the art sound system) in one of several cities, or 2) online. Below are two of the winning videos. The first dad showed up to the Portland, OR stage location to show off his hip-hop skills, and the second had his kids film him jivin' in the kitchen of the family's home in St. Joseph, MO. Check out the other winning videos here.

Form or Function?

Or both? Are these forms simply for fun or is there function behind each friendly facade? Take a look and make a guess. Answers below.

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Answers: 1. paper towel holder 2. pepper mill 3. soap dispenser 4. toilet paper holder 5. toothpick holder 6. cheese grater 7. bathtub drain plug 8. vegetable chopper 9. egg cup with salt reserve and spoon 10. dip dish with mini-spreader 11. corkscrew 12. colander 13. salt mill 14. tea bag drainer 15. corkscrew 16. nail brush 17. fruit juicer with cup 18.nut cracker and bowl 19. sugar castor 20. kitchen timer

All products can be found (and purchased) here. I love this site!

Trend Week : Day 3

You know that little thing that Bank of America does called "keep the change?" They transfer the left over some odd cents from each purchase on your debit card into your savings account. Or maybe you are one of the many people who have recently returned to leisurely biking due to the comeback of a simpler bike, a "coasting" bike. Because, let's be honest, not everyone wants to be Lance Armstrong.

Well if so, you are enjoying innovations from a consulting firm called IDEO. Today for Trend Week, Managing Partner and co-Chief Creative Officer of IDEO, Jane Fulton Suri spoke to a packed house.

What I took away most was the importance of empathy in design. Definitely key when designing product for Hallmark, but empathy is vital in the design of anything that needs to connect with a user/consumer/observer/etc. I am now going to once again steal copy, this time from the email sent out about our speaker today:

Jane Fulton Suri places special emphasis on the contribution of human insight, creative practice and design thinking as they relate both to IDEO's work and to client organizations worldwide. Jane has worked on multidisciplinary teams designing web services, electric vehicles, medical products, digital cameras, and environments for specific clients. As one of IDEO's global leaders, Jane plays a prominent role in teaching and adapting methods for use in innovation workshops. She has introduced terms like "empathic connection" - human centered design - and teaches her approach to observational research.

Jane is the author of Thoughtless Acts, a picture book of empathic observations that invites readers to look more closely at interactions in the everyday world - a first step in design thinking.

Check out IDEO's website... there's a wealth of information there about their approach to problem solving and also a boatload of past projects, articles written about them, and a client list that will blow your mind.