# Recession-Friendly Greeting Cards Hallmark Wants You to Feel Better for Under a Dollar By Vincent Salera | Published 2009-03-29 | Marketing Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/recession-proof-greeting-cards-hallmark-wants-you-to-feel-better-for-under References: [adage](http://adage.com/article?article_id=135625) With the terrible economic downturn affecting us all, we've noticed increased marketing efforts aimed at saving money for everything from cars to computers and fast food. [Hallmark](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gift-card-greetings) is now introducing [99-cent cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/holiday-can-cards) boosted as inexpensive "feel-good" ways to help ease the anxiety of a troubled economy. I wonder if Hallmark employees would receive these same cards if they were to lose their job? **Implications** - Hallmark says that they would still like to remain "relevant" even though people are concerned with trying to save their money. The company explains that by creating cards that are 99 cents they hope to remind consumers that a lot of emotion is attached to [sending and receiving cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/better-letter-card-co). ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.0/10 - Popularity: 2% | Activity: 21% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Marketing](https://www.trendhunter.com/marketing) > [Branding](https://www.trendhunter.com/branding) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Recession-friendly Cards:** Hallmark's 99-cent cards show an opportunity to create other recession-friendly products. - **Emotional Attachments:** Focusing on the emotional attachment of gift giving shows disruptive innovation opportunities for the gift industry. - **Affordable Luxury Items:** Introducing feel-good items that are affordable shows disruptive innovation opportunities for the luxury industry. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Greeting Cards:** The greeting card industry can innovate further on creating affordable yet emotionally impactful products. - **Gifts:** The gift industry can focus on the emotional attachment of gift giving to create unique products for customers. - **Luxury Goods:** Luxury brands can look towards creating affordable products while still maintaining their brand identity. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Phygital Greeting Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gift-card-greetings.md) - [Digital Retailer Gifting Options](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gift-card-greetings1.md) - [Personalized Video Greeting Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/video-greeting-cards.md) - [Inclusive Valentine's Day Gifts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hallmark-valentines-day.md) - [Poetic Greeting Cards](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/poetic-greeting-card.md) - [Accessible Seasonal Celebration Products](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/target-holiday-products.md) - [Greeting Card Kiosks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/greeting-card-kiosk.md) - [Practical Valentine's Candies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/love-in-this-economy.md) - [Quirky eCard Platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/happiepages.md)