Who: The St. John’s Board of Trade, with Target for strategy, creative and media.

What: “The Stallmark Collection,” a new line of holiday greeting cards intended to get St. John’s residents to shop local this holiday season. The cards tell recipients they’re sorry they haven’t received their gift from an online retailer because it hasn’t arrived in time for the holidays.

When & Where: The cards are available through the St. John’s Board of Trade as well as a participating Hallmark store, with ecards available at DontGetDiepped.ca. The campaign is being supported social video running across Meta and TikTok until Dec. 23.

Why: “The Stallmark Collection” is an extension of the St. John’s Board of Trade’s ongoing shop local campaign “Don’t Get Dieppe’d,” which launched last year. It’s a reference to Dieppe, N.B., the city 1,500 kilometres away that is the final mainland scanning point for any packages destined for St. John’s. It has variously been described by Newfoundlanders as “The Bermuda Triangle,” and “Hotel California” for packages (since they check in, but never leave).

How: Designed by one of several local artists, each Stallmark card features a sentiment about how the recipient’s gift didn’t arrive because it got “Dieppe’d.”  One reads “Merry Christmas,” except the message has been partially covered with tape reading “Happy New Year,” while others read “I wasn’t a wise man this Christmas,” and “I’ve been naughty.”

And we quote: “‘Don’t Get Dieppe’d’ has provided us with a fun, light-hearted, and effective way to talk about why
we should buy from businesses here at home. Local businesses big and small are the backbone of our economy and we encourage everyone to recognize their immense value.” — AnnMarie Boudreau, CEO, St. John’s Board of Trade