FEATURE / FEMALE CARDS
What women want
To all intents and purposes the UK card industry is
almost completely female-focused. Women buy and
send more cards than anyone else and are the bedrock
of the business: So just what constitutes a female card?
GT investigates.
Ace cartoonist, Tony
by fast-moving lifestyle and fashion trends
Husband, has mined
means everything has to be far more
a rich seam of
humour for Paper- imaginative and innovative to offer women
house’s (now The
Great British Card
a far wider choice than ever before.
Company) and his
“Women have always wanted to convey
all-seeing eye has
even managed to how special someone is to them and what
pick out a few com-
edy moments for
they mean to them,” says Quiney’s creative
female buyers that
director, Alison Butterworth. “But with
are just spot on.
the changing face of the family, the fast
pace of life and stressful life
Alison Butterworth
experiences, women also want
to support family and friends.
“Sentiment has become less
formal and more meaningful.
There is a trend towards prose
as opposed to gushing, rhyming
verse, as we write the words
in a more conversational style,
using today’s language and
Dean Morris Tony Husband -Paperhouse simple words, helping us to
say the things we don’t know how to say or
don’t have time to say. In our popular Sister
Sentiment has become less formal caption, the sentiment focuses on friendship
and there is a trend towards a more
and times shared. Our Mum captions remind
conversational style
Mum how special she is, how much we love
and appreciate her, and thank her for her
Alison Butterworth - Nigel Quiney
support.
“Our designs are more contemporary
with looser illustrative styles than fi ve or 10
Bev Cunningham Whereas most men need a good reason
years ago. They are more sophisticated and
or occasion to send a card (if they send one
elegant and many of the type styles we use
at all) women, thankfully, are quite happy to
are of a handwritten nature.
send out cards on the merest whim or for the
most spurious reasons. Funny girls
So with the vast majority of the card on One of the key developments in recent years
retailer’s racks being automatically female- in the female send is humour, which like its
focused it’s probably easier to determine male counterpart has also developed into
what isn’t a female card. something altogether more risqué.
“Cards are female,” states Bev “It’s the whole Sex and the City (S&TC)
.co.uk Cunningham, creative head at Abacus thing,” says Bev Cunningham. “It’s in
Abacus
NotNot only is the only is the
Cards. “It’s much easier to cater for women response to women being bolder and more
‘Ladies who Lunch’
he female send is a power-
design from Abacus generically – most women like fl owers for openly sexual and laughing at themselves.
T
it’s 4th best seller
ful force in the greetings
but has also proven
instance – so it’s easier to cover a much We fi nd in female humour that a lot of the
card business. In fact most
to be quite adapt-
wider range of ages for women with similar time the send is an in-joke and something
able with an ad-
retailers and publish-
ditional caption for design themes. And of course because both parties can enjoy.”
eetingstoday
grandmothers that
ers are quite clear that
underlines why the
women consume so many cards they need Alcohol and drinking are also subjects
.
gr
without women buying and sending cards
older generation
far more blank and open occasions.” that have become much less taboo in
are not too old to
for women there wouldn’t be much of an
enjoy the joke. Over at Nigel Quiney the changing recent years and we are seeing this theme
www
industry at all.
nature of female-to-female cards fuelled coming through more and more in cards.
22
www.greetingstoday.co.uk
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