In the world of greeting cards, art attracts.
Words sell.
So, this morning, whether you opened a quirky card from your teenage daughter or a crayon-signed card of cartoon bears, two dozen writers atAmerican Greetings articulated those sentiments specifically for you.
For Mother's Day, they wrote romance for wives and humor for new moms, traditional rhyming verses and keyboard emoticons, words for stepmothers and daughters and nanas and friends.
"Thirty years ago, we didn't do 'From cat' and 'From dog,'" said Mark Stringer, a senior editing manager at American Greetings. "We do now... We don't want people to settle at the rack; we want them to find that perfect message."
About 139 million cards are exchanged today, on Americans' third biggest card holiday. And as the world's second-largest greeting card company, the Brooklyn-based American Greetings Corp. creates thousands of different designs to celebrate, tailored for exclusive arrays at individual stores.
Writers began crafting next year's Mother's Day cards three weeks ago, starting with what sells well this year.
The company's marketing team researches what's trending, and editors direct writers to compose specific types of cards, for example, for aunts.
Then writers write.
In a workspace dotted with displays of mock-ups and crisp finished products, the writers are divided into three group: humor, kids or conventional cards. (Writers for two American Greetings lines, Papyrus and Recycled Paper Greetings, work offsite.)
Writers may casually brainstorm with editors and designers, browse books and photos in the company's library or curl up on a sofa in the Memphis Caf , all in pursuit of the perfect turn of phrase.
Editors cull the best ideas, balancing the offerings to include a variety of messages, speaking to as many people as possible.
The company then tests their work with focus groups, asking people to electronically respond to how the words make them feel. The testing allows writers to take more risks, Stringer said.
"One person's cheesy might be someone's genuine heartfelt feeling," he said. "We've got to make sure we've got something for everyone."
Sometimes artwork comes first, and writers must come up with words to match a photograph. Photos, by the way, are usually shot specifically for cards, sometimes inside the American Greetings offices.
Usually, though, designers create art around the words, collaborating with writers on font choices.
From year to year, there are best-selling cards, but no Mother's Day cards are reissued, Stringer said. The words or designs are updated.
One of Stringer's favorites this year is a fresh take on what he calls the classic "children- do-not-realize formula." He reads from a sparkly lime-green card, tied with a pink ribbon.
"Mom," the card says, "It never occurred to me that when you said, 'I believe in you,' you were teaching me how to dream."
"This covers a lot of ground in a very short way," he said, after finishing. "Every time I read it to people, I get a strong reaction."
Stringer, of Brecksville, has two teenage daughters, both of whom know to buy their mom a card stamped with a American Greetings' trademark rose, Stringer said
A journalism major at Bowling Green University, Stringer started at the company nearly 30 years ago, writing sales training manuals. Eventually, he joined the creative team.
The anonymity of his job never bothered Stringer, he said. Rather, he feels satisfied knowing he's helping people communicate.
Since his start in 1981, he said, the tone of Mother's Day cards has become a little more playful. Cards for specific relationships have multiplied.
There are still traditional cards, with "Mother" written in formal script.
But there are also messages that hearken to memories, and ones that focus on the future. There are giant pop-up cards, cards that display digital photos and cards written by teen ballad queen Taylor Swift, who has her own parking space in the visitor lot.
Each card is meant to express a customer's exact feelings.
"The key," Stringer said, "is that she finds that perfect card with the perfect message."
Words sell.
So, this morning, whether you opened a quirky card from your teenage daughter or a crayon-signed card of cartoon bears, two dozen writers atAmerican Greetings articulated those sentiments specifically for you.
For Mother's Day, they wrote romance for wives and humor for new moms, traditional rhyming verses and keyboard emoticons, words for stepmothers and daughters and nanas and friends.
"Thirty years ago, we didn't do 'From cat' and 'From dog,'" said Mark Stringer, a senior editing manager at American Greetings. "We do now... We don't want people to settle at the rack; we want them to find that perfect message."
About 139 million cards are exchanged today, on Americans' third biggest card holiday. And as the world's second-largest greeting card company, the Brooklyn-based American Greetings Corp. creates thousands of different designs to celebrate, tailored for exclusive arrays at individual stores.
Writers began crafting next year's Mother's Day cards three weeks ago, starting with what sells well this year.
The company's marketing team researches what's trending, and editors direct writers to compose specific types of cards, for example, for aunts.
Then writers write.
In a workspace dotted with displays of mock-ups and crisp finished products, the writers are divided into three group: humor, kids or conventional cards. (Writers for two American Greetings lines, Papyrus and Recycled Paper Greetings, work offsite.)
Writers may casually brainstorm with editors and designers, browse books and photos in the company's library or curl up on a sofa in the Memphis Caf , all in pursuit of the perfect turn of phrase.
Editors cull the best ideas, balancing the offerings to include a variety of messages, speaking to as many people as possible.
The company then tests their work with focus groups, asking people to electronically respond to how the words make them feel. The testing allows writers to take more risks, Stringer said.
"One person's cheesy might be someone's genuine heartfelt feeling," he said. "We've got to make sure we've got something for everyone."
Sometimes artwork comes first, and writers must come up with words to match a photograph. Photos, by the way, are usually shot specifically for cards, sometimes inside the American Greetings offices.
Usually, though, designers create art around the words, collaborating with writers on font choices.
From year to year, there are best-selling cards, but no Mother's Day cards are reissued, Stringer said. The words or designs are updated.
One of Stringer's favorites this year is a fresh take on what he calls the classic "children- do-not-realize formula." He reads from a sparkly lime-green card, tied with a pink ribbon.
"Mom," the card says, "It never occurred to me that when you said, 'I believe in you,' you were teaching me how to dream."
"This covers a lot of ground in a very short way," he said, after finishing. "Every time I read it to people, I get a strong reaction."
Stringer, of Brecksville, has two teenage daughters, both of whom know to buy their mom a card stamped with a American Greetings' trademark rose, Stringer said
A journalism major at Bowling Green University, Stringer started at the company nearly 30 years ago, writing sales training manuals. Eventually, he joined the creative team.
Since his start in 1981, he said, the tone of Mother's Day cards has become a little more playful. Cards for specific relationships have multiplied.
There are still traditional cards, with "Mother" written in formal script.
But there are also messages that hearken to memories, and ones that focus on the future. There are giant pop-up cards, cards that display digital photos and cards written by teen ballad queen Taylor Swift, who has her own parking space in the visitor lot.
Each card is meant to express a customer's exact feelings.
"The key," Stringer said, "is that she finds that perfect card with the perfect message."
