Hallmark: Brand Positioning Case Study

In 1910, a high school dropout named Joyce Hall stepped off a train in Kansas City determined to unleash his entrepreneurial spirit.

His big idea? Greeting cards. Hallmark greeting cards to be exact.

After giving birth to a completely new industry, Hallmark has went on to aquire companies like Crayola, launch one of the most successful cable channels in the world, and is now worth billions.

That’s why they’re this week’s brand breakdown.

Let’s get into it…

💼 The Brand: Hallmark

Hallmark is more than a greeting card company. They’re an icon of holiday nostalgia, a massively popular TV network, and even responsible for the invention of Christmas gift wrap.

💛 The Heart (Purpose and Values)

Hallmark states that its purpose is to create “a more emotionally connected world by making a genuine difference in every life, every day.”

👤 The Head (Positioning and Strategy)

Hallmark has positioned itself as a premium brand since its earliest days.

Its founder, Joyce Halle, was intrigued by the word “hallmark” used by goldsmiths as a mark of quality. Mr. Hall liked that it also included his family name.

So, in 1928, the company began marketing its brand by using the Hallmark name on the back of every card. That same year, Hallmark was the first in the greeting card industry to advertise nationally.

And then a few years later, they entered their licensing agreement with none other than Walt Disney. A strategy that they’ve doubled down on to this day.

By positioning themselves alongside other top brands, they’ve been able to elevate their own brand to where it is today.

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✋ The Hands (Tactics)

Here’s a few of the ways Hallmark has been able to spread the heart behind their brand, capitalize on their emotional edge, and nail their positioning: 

Positioned Through Partnerships - Hallmark holds licensing agreements for 7 of the top 10 most popular licensed properties in the world. From Disney to Nickelodeon to Thomas Kinkade, they’ve used this play to their advantage for decades.

Hallmark TV Popularity - While most see cable as dying, the Hallmark Channel is thriving. With an endless supply of cheesy, over the top holiday films that middle aged women love — they recently beat out Fox News in viewership ratings. 

⚡️ Find Your Emotional Edge Like Hallmark

Hallmark’s emotional edge is built around nostalgia, sophistication, and warmth.

This is what makes their recent venture into TV and movies so brilliant.

Greeting cards and brand name gifts are certainly one way to give people the warm fuzzies, but it’s not nearly as powerful as storytelling on the silver screen.

For your own business, consider what other mediums exist to share the same emotions.

If you’ve only ever provided your product or service digitally, consider what it would take to pull off an event in-person…

If you’ve only ever created written content, consider creating video content…

The important part is making people feel something — regardless of the medium.