Hallmark was founded by 18 year old Joyce Clyde Hall in 1910. Hall was a young entrepreneur made a name for himself by selling picture postcards. His brother Rollie joined Hall in the business and after a fire burned down their shop in January 1911, the brothers set up a new shop. With postcard sales rapidly declining, the brothers invested in brand new printing presses and began printing their own greeting cards in 1915.
In 1917, the Hall brothers 'invented' modern gift wrap when they ran out of solid colored paper wrap and were forced to improvise by using decorated envelope linings instead. As a result, sales spiked and the brothers proceeded in printing their own gift wrap.
The company name 'Hallmark' came to be when J.C. Hall became intrigued with the hallmark symbol used by goldsmiths to mark metals. This symbol was understood to be a 'mark of quality'. What made this word all the more intriguing is that it contained Joyce Clyde's family name. In 1928, Hall Brothers greeting card company became the Hallmark company and the name was stamped on the back of every printed greeting card. The same year, the Hallmark company became the first in the industry to advertise nationally.
Hallmarks famous slogan, "When You Care Enough to Send the Very Best," was created in 1944. In terms of brand identity, sales and marketing executive Ed Goodman used the words 'caring, quality, the best.'
In 1951, NBC sponsored the first original opera created for television, Amahl and the Night Visitors with J.C. Hall as a sponsor. The opera aired on Christmas eve and received national acclaim. Viewers were so moved they sent in thousands of cards thanking Hallmark for the presentation.
In 1966, Joyce Clyde's son Donald J. Hall took over as CEO and introduced 'Hallmark international'. In the late 1960s, the Hallmark's Crown Center was expanded into a 85-acre entertainment complex. In the 70s, the company began manufacturing Christmas decorations.
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