Tomorrow is Mother's Day! I've been thinking a lot about my mother lately. Every day of the year is really Mother's Day, isn't it? But, we still go to stores and take our our wallets to buy a card. Most of the time, we pay Hallmark, the card company.
I had no clue that Mother's Day actually got it's start around the time of our (U.S.) Civil War. Before President Woodrow Wilson made it a holiday, a mother who wanted to speak out against wars tried to unite mothers against sending their sons off to war. I always thought Hallmark was somehow behind Mother's Day. Tells you how clueless I can be ...
Speaking of Hallmark, did you know that - at any given time - they have almost 50,000 products? And, yet, everybody knows what Hallmark is all about. Imagine if a technology company carried 50,000 products. Wait. We do have such a company ... Microsoft. And, we also know what they're all about.
Regardless of what you think about them, the Hallmark brand and strength of identity is pretty remarkable. Given what they make and market, their continued success is even more remarkable.
My mom doesn't use a computer. But, even if she did, I think she'll always prefer a personal, handwritten card from her son. E-cards have no chance to compete with Hallmark on Mother's Day. That's what I call knowing your customers intimately, understanding consumer psyche, and delivering quality time and time again.
- John
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