Hallmark Named Greeting Card Brand of the Year in 2018 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study

Greetings industry leader, Hallmark Cards, is once again named Greeting Card Brand of the Year in Harris Poll’s 30^th annual EquiTrend Study for the eighth year in a row. The annual report uses consumer responses to determine the top brands in a variety of areas such as media, travel, financial, automotive, entertainment, retail, restaurant, technology, household and non-profit industries.

“People today are actively seeking opportunities to create more personal connections, commit more acts of caring, and achieve more meaningful moments,” said Becky Smith, Hallmark brand management and development manager. “For more than 100 years, Hallmark has been helping our customers live caring and connected lives, and this distinction is an encouraging sign that our mission continues to resonate.”

Hallmark Cards received the highest numerical Equity Score among greeting card brands included in the 2018 study. The results are based on survey responses from more than 77,000 U.S. consumers of more than 3,000 brands. A brand’s Equity is determined by a calculation of familiarity, quality and purchase consideration.

“We are pleased to once again be honored with this designation and we know we can’t do it alone,” said Amy McAnarney, VP and General Manager, Key Accounts and Business Development. “Our retailers are valuable partners in making Hallmark products available to more people – which is imperative to our promise of helping people live a caring and connected life. We will continue to strengthen these partnerships, offer the best products and enhance the shopping experience to ensure every customer feels a strong personal connection with our brands.”

Hallmark produces approximately 10,000 new and redesigned greeting cards annually. Products are sold in more than 40,000 retail outlets nationwide, including drug stores, mass merchandise stores, discount stores and grocery stores. Globally, Hallmark distributes products in more than 30 languages to more than 100 countries. Hallmark holds licensing agreements for seven of the top 10 most popular licensed properties. To learn more about Hallmark Greetings, visit HallmarkGreetings.com.

For more than 100 years, family-owned Hallmark Cards, Inc. has been dedicated to creating a more emotionally connected world. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri and employing more than 30,000 worldwide, the approximately $4 billion company operates a diversified portfolio of businesses. Its global Hallmark Greetings business sells greeting cards and gift wrap in more than 30 languages with distribution in more than 100 countries and 100,000 rooftops. Hallmark Retail operates 2,000 Hallmark Gold Crown stores in five countries and Hallmark Home & Gifts sells a broad array of home décor and gift product throughout the U.S. Crayola® offers a wide range of art materials and toys designed to spark children’s creativity around the globe. Crown Media Family Networks operates three cable channels – Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama – in addition to Hallmark Publishing, the e-books division of the Hallmark channels, and Hallmark Movies Now, a subscription-based streaming service. Crown Center is a real estate development company that manages the 85-acre hotel, office, entertainment and residential campus surrounding Hallmark’s headquarters. For more information, visit Hallmark.com. Connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and YouTube.