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Hallmark cards go to the Edge Of Motherhood, inverview with writer Tina Neidlein
yes, my boobs do look awesome, thank you for noticing!
Hallmark’s new line of cards, “Edge of Motherhood”, speak to all of us moms…whether you have young kids or teens, as they say “there is a Hallmark card for it”. This new line is funny, edgy, and we had to know what it takes to put it together! Have you always wanted to know what is behind the masterminds of the greeting card business? Here is one of the master”moms”..
We had the opportunity to ask one of the writers, Tina Neidlein a few behind the scenes questions!
How did Hallmark come up with the idea of this “Edge of Motherhood” line of cards?
Well, we’ve heard again and again from moms that they turn to other moms for encouragement and support. So we thought it’d be a natural fit to give them a humorous way to do that, and just like that, Edge of Motherhood was born! Only, it was far less painful than an actual birth. No drugs, either.
These cards draw from life experiences that we all have as moms. Is there one particular experience or stage of motherhood that has inspired you the most?
Wow, you know, it’s funny you ask that: my son is 6 now, and just when I think it’s getting easy, and I’ve got everything under control, I have one of those days…yet again! So as far as my own experiences, I’m still able to draw from what I’m going through now and from my past. I will say, however, that those early (hard!) months of motherhood stand out for me as the first time I realized that I was going to need supportive friends if I wanted to survive! That stage, and those same friends who helped me laugh through the hard times, aren’t ever far from my mind.
We all have good days and bad days. Do these effect the type of card you create?
Bad days? I NEVER have bad days! Yeahhh, right. I’d say, absolutely, that whatever I’m going through can help inspire what I’m writing. You gotta find something funny to laugh at, even during the worst days. And that translates right into what I’m responsible for every day: finding that thing that’s going to help people laugh their way out of a bad day, lest they crumple into a big ol’ mess of tears. Not like, y’know, I’ve ever done that…this week…
I read that you think of a certain person and try to create a card around them…does that person ever figure it out? “Oh that’s about me isn’t it?”
Fortunately, not too often. I try to mask any specifics so it’s general enough to work for lots of people out there…I don’t want to lose any friends! However, my husband is totally onto me. He’s knows which cards are about him and tends to look at me with this little disappointed squint. Sorry, man, you live with me, you’re fair game!
Do you ever have an idea wake you up at night? What is the strangest place/event/person that made you say “I have to make that into a card”.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, now that I’ve finally got my kid sleeping through the night, nothing’s waking me up ever AGAIN! Honestly, though, this will sound so cliché, but it’s true: the shower is where it’s at. I’m getting ready for work, making the transformation from At Home Tina to At Work Tina, and something inevitably will creep in. Happens all the time. As far as strangest place/event/person…that’s a tough one. I really find more interesting material in those everyday moments that happen to all of us—the horrifying embarrassment of something your kid has said, for example…everybody’s got a story like that. I eavesdrop like crazy. I just gotta know what’s going on in everybody’s life, whether I know them or not. Nosy, huh?
Any plans to work with Dads on a similar Dads’ line of cards?
Good question! Dads certainly go through much of the same stuff we moms do—needing to laugh at some of those “challenging” moments of parenthood. We’ve got quite a few cards in the “Edge” line that work well for dads, too. So we’re definitely including them in the mix. As far as an entire new line? I really can’t tell you, I really only write funny words and drink coffee around here. But it’d be a lot of fun to work on! I know some hilarious dads, that’s for sure…
I see you are a fan of Pop Culture? If you could sum up the work environment at Hallmark into a movie, what would the title be?
Breakfast Club
Home Alone
Young Frankenstein
Rocky
None of the above, but here is a movie that says it all….
Dang, now you’ve got me thinking here…hmm. Well, since “Funny People” is already taken, I’ll go with “13 Going on 35.” We have way too much fun to be grown-ups. (Now, wait—I’ll probably come up with something better the next time I shower…)
Great movie and looks like a great place to work!
Graco: employees who are parents connect with consumers
Graco noticed lots of parents chatting it up online and realized this was an opportunity to engage with their consumers and future consumers. I wanted to know how a large company like Graco decides to enter the social media space and if they have been able to measure the success of their blogging and tweeting efforts. Luckily, I had already become Twitter friends with one of the Graco bloggers, Karen Hartzell, and she was happy to share her experience.
How did the Graco parents start blogging? Did one of you suggest it? Or, who knew that it was a good way to tap into moms?
We started first by “listening” to the space knowing that expectant moms often get their information from experienced moms. We
also knew a lot of that conversation was happening online. We wanted to know, more specifically, what the parenting community was talking about. We used an agency to do conversation mining for us for 9 months (funny how we tend to work in trimesters over here J) before we really “jumped in.”
Have any of you blogged on your own?
Not yet but I would like to! (once I get settled)
What blogs do you rea
d (if any) on a regular basis?
I read so many different ones that it’s almost hard to keep track. My favorite part about the blogosphere is actually discovering new blogs, whether it’s parents of special needs children or grandparents or daddy blogs, or
adoptive parents, etc, so I wouldn’t say I read too many on a regular basis though there are a few I subscribe to.
What do you enjoy most about blogging?
It allows me to take the time to appreciate the small things that are happening in my life. It helps me to take notice of things that might go unnoticed so I can share it with my readers.
Has Graco been able to measure the impact of having bloggers who interact with the mom blogging community?
I wouldn’t say we’ve been able to come up with a strict “measurement” of the impact parenting community has had on our business but we’re pretty sure they haven’t “hurt” our business J Social media is definitely difficult to measure but we’re certainly seeing a higher engagement with our consumers and we’ve also had some great success with servicing our customers through this space.
What about Twitter? Love it? Hate it?
Love it. I became addicted over maternity leave because it’s short & quick & I could do it between newborn stuff. I still find it to be a helpful way to connect with parents for just about anything.
Has Twitter had any measurable effect?
I would say we’ve seen a measurable effect with our customer service but it’s honestly hard to tell- we’re really using social media to connect with the parenting community, first as parents, then as company representatives. Twitter is more a connection point for a longer relationship then an end point to hit a “goal.”
When they decided to start the blog and enter the world of Twitter what was the original goal? Was it for customer service? To spread the word on the brand?
Again, we wanted to build a relationship with the parenting community and social platforms give us, as a company, the ability to do that. We wanted to hear first-hand what experiences, what concerns, what issues parents were having. If we get to know our consumers as deeply as we can, we can create products that serve them best. And… we can service them [after purchase] through these platforms as well thus rounding out their positive experience with Graco. If we did all of that, wouldn’t you tell your friends? We hope so.
How does Graco promote the blog?
I wouldn’t say we “promote” the blog as much as I’d much as I’d say we “share” it. We talk about it on Twitter, we add posts to Facebook, we participate in the blogging community by commenting on others’ posts which is a way to say “Hey, come check us out too” and we host Get-Togethers with regional blogger groups as well. We don’t “advertise” the blog in the traditional sense but word spreads which is what social media is all about.
What are the Graco baby moms real jobs at Graco when they aren’t blogging?
The parents featured on the blogs are from different areas of the organization. For instance, I am in the Supply Chain (Senior Demand Planner) and others are in the marketing department, product development, channel marketing, sales, human resources, and fashion. We try to give a well-rounded representation of our company.
Does Graco work with other bloggers to promote products through reviews or giveaways?
Sometimes. I really wish we could more often because we know how important good reviews are. Unfortunately for us it’s a little difficult to give products to review and/or giveaway for two reasons. 1. because they are expensive and we don’t have a huge budget for samples (boy I wish we did!) 2. because our business isn’t a “loyalty/repeat” business- once someone purchases our products, they don’t usually purchase those same items again. (70% of baby gear purchases are made by a first-time expectant mom and those products are typically used again for a second, third, etc. child).
Janine is a mother of twins by day and a Mamarazzi by night. She writes about raising her twins, her neuroses, and reviews on TwoferMom.com.
