Taste, American Style
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 2/1/2001
Today, there is a good deal of debate as to whether the American public is splintering into small niche markets, each with its own taste in entertainment and style. Surprisingly, this issue was also on our minds nearly 40 years ago. In an editorial from 1962, we defended the American consumer from accusations of bad taste. The article concluded that Americans couldn't have bad taste, because there was no such thing as a single "American taste"; rather, consumers' choices in greeting cards and other merchandise were as varied as they were.
Some people say that the tastes of the American public are atrociously bad. Proponents of the bad taste view say it's definitely so, and for proof they point to various horrors among some items of merchandise that the public shells out hard cash for, time and time again.
But for every example of the consumer's bad taste, there is certainly more than one indication of the public's good taste. This, for example, is evident in some of the highly imaginative artwork being turned out by the new breed of artists working for American greeting card manufacturers. This past Christmas, out of 11 billion pieces of mail, three billion were Christmas cards. Some 50,000 designs were involved.
Greeting cards, which reflect public taste and public demand, originate with consumer demand. The retailer is the source of new product uses. And the competitive situation is believed to have been responsible for the marked increase in artistic quality observed in the last eight to ten years. Realism in design is stated to be a big sales factor.
Today, the multimillion-dollar greeting card industry is supported by women. Their purchases total nearly 80 percent of the total retail volume. With this in mind, more and more manufacturers are realizing that greeting cards are a reflection of the sender's personality.
Where those critics of American taste go astray is in assuming that there is such a thing as a single taste for the entire U.S. public, or even a majority of that public. We can't buy that thesis, and we can look to today's greeting cards to support us. Gone are the days when loads of lace and flowers on the outside and a gushy saying inside would fill the greeting card bill for everyone.
We used to be known as a melting pot of different nations. Now we're a melting pot of different outlooks: some still sentimental, some sophisticated, some downright cynical. Realizing this, greeting card firms have tailored their products to this multiplicity of outlooks, this diversity of tastes. This industry was built on diversity. If there's such a thing as an American taste, it's extremely diverse and we're not about to knock it!
Gifts & Dec (then called The Gift and Art Buyer ), February 1962
