How Hallmark built a holiday media empire, complete with cruises

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The holiday season is Hallmark’s Super Bowl.This year alone, Hallmark has 80 hours of original holiday-themed programming, including two unscripted series, two scripted series, a holiday special and 24 movies with titles such as “The Snow Must Go On” and “Christmas at the Catnip Cafe” that run from mid-October to Christmas.The company also has branched out into the experiences business with a Hallmark Christmas Cruise and the Hallmark Christmas Experience festival in Kansas City, Mo., where the company is based.“I think that’s one of the most brilliant business decisions they’ve made, and they’re expanding there because they have to,” Anjali Bal, associate professor of marketing at Babson College, said of Hallmark’s experiences business.“It allows a connection between the consumer and the brand on a direct level in a way a movie can’t provide.”It may seem like a far cry from Hallmark’s roots as a greeting card purveyor, but company executives say the holiday feelings evoked by its cards, ornaments and gift wrap translate into the type of content they produce.

Hollywood Inc.Your kids’ favorite shows may be the ones you grew up with as they dig deep into TV libraries.And that plethora of content has turned Hallmark into a Christmas juggernaut, fueling competitors such as Lifetime and Netflix, which also produce holiday romantic comedies in the vein of Hallmark movies.

But Darren Abbott, Hallmark’s chief brand officer, doesn’t seem overly concerned.“There’s a reason everyone else is trying to do this, and it’s because consumers are looking for this,” he said.Hallmark’s legacy is rooted in celebrating holidays and Christmas, he said, “and no other business or brand has that.”Founded in 1910 by an 18-year-old entrepreneur hawking postcards, Hallmark built its brand over the years through cards, holiday ornaments and retail stores.The ...