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cardsharp
No Stamp Of Approval Royal Mail is integral to the UK greeting card industry, reflects Cardsharp. Without being able to send a greeting card to the recipient easily, affordably and punctually to arrive on that special day, the industry’s very reason for its existence is significantly negated. At a time when the GCA is fighting the industry’s corner to safeguard the six day a week postal delivery service, Cardsharp examines the historic intertwined relationship with Royal Mail. Although the Royal Mail courier service predates greeting cards and goes back to the reign of Henry VIII in 1516, it is fair to say that the Royal Mail and the greeting card industry have historically enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with benefits enjoyed by both parties, as they should in any good relationship. Indeed, Sir Henry Cole - the pioneer of the first commercial Christmas card (and namesake of The Henries greeting card awards), assisted Sir Roland Hill, in the introduction of the Penny Post in 1840 and the famous Penny Black stamp - realised that without a cheap and efficient postal system, greeting card sending would never take off. And ever since then, the two sides have been almost joined at the hip. This success meant that a similar model took off all around the world and as we were the first in on the act, Britain is the only country that does not bear the name of the country on its stamps. As well as being heavily involved in the greeting card industry for over 30 years, Cardsharp has his own very personal relationship with Royal Mail. As a child he was a keen philatelist aka a stamp collector and has rediscovered this nerdish hobby with a passion in the last five years. In fact,
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PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
Cardsharp could bore (over a beer or two) all about the history of British Empire stamps of the George VI era. Historically the Royal Mail and the Post Office have been very supportive of the greeting card industry, understanding the mutual dependency. In the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s it invested in advertising campaigns to promote greeting card sending, most notably to promote Spring Seasons. This was for selfinterest, recognising it made the thud of bills and promotional mail that landed on the doormat much more interesting and acceptable to members of the public. After all, what is more thrilling to receive a good wish from someone that cares among all the statements telling you how much you owe them?! In those days, as in Sir Henry Cole’s and indeed Henry Eighth’s time, Royal Mail was nationalised as part of the Post Office. Although industrial relations were often troublesome (there was a strike causing a two-month suspension of service in 1971 and another national strike by Post Office workers
Above: Royal Mail and the greeting card industry have enjoyed a symbiotic relationship for years…but the romance needs rekindling. Below: What we need is Postman Pat and his black and white cat to work some magic. Below left: Sir Henry Cole was the assistant to Rowland Hill on the Penny Post’s inbtroduction.
in 1988), there was generally a good service as well as a sense of duty and pride among employees. It was not called Royal Mail for nothing. First Class post generally meant next day delivery. The cost of a stamp, especially compared with the cost of a greeting card, was generally cheap. This all helped the greeting card industry grow rapidly in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. In the early 1990s, the Conservative government, under PM John Major, moved towards privatisation, only to back down due to opposition from its own MPs. Various changes did take place though. In 2001, an ill-considered name change from Royal Mail to Consignia was soon
