Christmas card lull - "Prix Carte de Noël" jury takes stock
The Christmas card slump has reached a peak: The jury for evoq’s «Prix Carte de Noël» is receiving fewer creative Christmas cards than ever before. Companies are opting for handwritten cards, while charities are falling short of expectations, according to the jury. No prize will be awarded in 2023; instead, the jury will eat the Three Kings’ Cake themselves.
This year's "Prix Carte de Noël" jury of the Zurich agency evoq recorded an unprecedented decline in Christmas mail compared to previous years. Both the quantity and the creative quality of the Christmas cards and greetings cards received seem to have halved. The question of whether post-corona home office effects or the ubiquitous presence of artificial intelligence are heralding the final farewell to the physical is open to debate.
At a time when offices are deserted, it is impossible not to notice that no one can ask ChatGPT for original holiday sayings and send corresponding Christmas cards without being physically present. The current festive communication seems to be characterized by a certain banality and a lack of creative ideas. Some refer to this positively as the "new sobriety", but whether this represents a forward-looking trend remains questionable.
Despite the noted lack of creativity, there are a few rays of hope, including UMB's initiative, which combines the voluntary work of students for the benefit of biodiversity with Christmas in an original way. Outdoor Publishing impresses with a coherent illustration of a skier in an hourglass, but such original creations with depth of content are a rarity.
Companies that are still expressing themselves at Christmas are increasingly relying on handwritten cards, such as those sent by Tellco or the cantonal banks. The focus here is not so much on the design or the idea, but rather on the authenticity of what is written by heart and hand. Cards from charitable institutions or aid organizations are often used.
Aid organizations, on the other hand, sometimes seem to fall short of expectations with their own festive mail. Either the greeting is clearly interspersed with an appeal for donations, or the card motifs appear uninspired. The jury sees this as a missed opportunity.
The question of whether the Christmas season and its means of communication are still up to date is becoming increasingly urgent in view of the constant corporate communication on various channels throughout the year. The evoq jury encourages companies to consciously join forces, especially at the end of the year, in order to stand out positively with a company and brand-specific idea in the ubiquitous irrelevance.
The meagre yield of creative Christmas cards prompted the evoq jury to decide not to award a "Prix Carte de Noël" for 2023 and to eat the Epiphany cake itself without further ado.
