Jaquelin Munoz
M. Whittier
Case Studies
Case Study Analysis: Hallmark’s Itty Bitty Dolls
l. Case overview
Client (Hallmark Cards, Inc.)
“Hallmark makes the world a more caring place by helping people laugh, love, heal, say thanks, reach out and make meaningful connections with others ”(hallmark). The Hallmark Company was founded in 1910 in Kansas City by a teenage entrepreneur who had a box of postcards, and the American dream in his heart. Today its products are distributed in over 30,000 retail stores and over 100 countries. In 2014, the company had a total revenue of $3.8 billion. The brand also reaches people through its website Hallmark.com, as well as through cable’s top-rated Hallmark Channels. Their products include greeting cards,…show more content… Today, more than 50 licensors such as Disney, DC Comics, and superheroes are made into Itty Bitty dolls. “Itty Bittys are the perfect collector’s item and can appeal to people of all ages,” said Alison Kildunne, head of brand and marketing for Hallmark. Hallmark experienced the challenge of competing in an already large miniature plush toy market, so they decided to hire FleishmanHillard to make a quick-to-market campaign. Hallmark’s priority for the campaign was to build momentum for their product Itty Bittys. The campaign also focused on increasing awareness and sales of its plush toy products during the holiday season. FleishmanHillard was given less than a week to research, plan, and execute their tactics to meet their deadline and trump the competitive threat in the marketplace according to the PRSA case…show more content… Objectives
Measurable/Business- Achieve Itty Bittys’ sales goal (sales information is proprietary since Hallmark is privately held)
Communication- Reach large-scale awareness in one month through social and traditional media placements and generate at least 250 million impressions (based on previous similar campaigns)
The first objective is clear to the company, but not the reader. Simply said, the objective to achieve itty bittys’ sales goal is measurable in the fact that there is a certain number they are trying to reach. Whether that number can be reached is uncertain. The second objective is much more measurable and plausible. The objective helps create successful programs by identifying areas for prescriptive change and continual improvement (institueforpr). Both objectives compliment each other and drive the campaign forward. 4. Effective Communication
Salient Information- Itty Bitty dolls would be a wonderful gift for children, young adults, and collectors of all ages.
Controlled Media- Media Partnerships with InTouch and Ok! to feature Itty Bittys with celebrities. They also partnered with “Entertainment Tonight” to be included in a Jennifer Garner feature story. A Facebook page was created to reach millennial moms and spread awareness of the Itty Bittys. There was a webpage specifically for the Itty Bittys on