Who would have thought? The year 2013 and holiday greeting cards are a thing of the past. Or are they? I believe that sending out holiday greeting cards may be perceived as a blast from the past: I refer to it as retro marketing. I also happen to believe it’s a good thing… on many levels.

We all know that retro  is running with a “1960”s style and design and making it contemporary. I like being thought of as retro.

At the risk of being obvious, retro marketing takes that idea and applies it the the principles of marketing.

Making a way of communicating or reaching out to business partners that is so “60’s, and making it contemporary and hip…again! An old fashioned way of saying” hey remember us….see what we can do”.

For as long as I have been in business, this time of year, I have always looked forward to receiving holiday greeting cards. Those of us in the creative, marketing and advertising fields,  have always gone the extra mile to show how creative we can be.  I always thought that our clients – existing and potential – business partners and contacts enjoyed seeing what we could come up with…. year after year.

A few years ago, we had this great internal debate on whether we should go the digital route, to showcase our digital savvy-ness… Some felt that sending a traditional paper greeting card made us look passé and not keeping up with the times. Others felt that a card went so much further in establishing our relationship with the recipient and showcased our creativity for all to see… There were good points made on both sides.

So what did we do? We did what we do best…we pondered the challenge creatively…. and brainstormed.  Why does this have to be an either or scenario? Why couldn’t we do both? So, we sent out our creative Holiday Greeting card… and added a digital components, which was beautifully designed and executed for people to register  online… and for each registration received, we donated funds to the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation… another retro marketing initiative!

I believe that this time of year is personal… and having a card to open with a personalized message in that card says a great deal to the person on the receiving end. Let’s admit this…most of us get so many emails that sometimes we miss a few… rushing about to get through them all. Business,  in spite of its speed and ever increasing demands, is still very much about the personal. Taking the time of the hectic, and making the time to be personal… is well, retro marketing at it’s best, don’t you think?

Will you  go retro marketing or not this holiday season? Do you dare? Let me know!