Jay-Z’s Roc Nation continues to forge its way into new territories and just announced that the company is getting into the greeting card business. Roc Nation is partnering with American Greetings to release its own line that will include traditional paper cards and digital e-cards featuring personalized messages and custom lyrics from its artists.
“When we were introduced to the leaders at American Greetings and began discussing the idea of customized greetings, both on behalf of Roc Nation and its artists, we felt like it was a natural fit. It is an unexpected category that in many respects, given the breadth and depth of our talent, gave us a [different] way to reach new audiences,” Brett Yormark, Roc Nation’s president of business operations, told Billboard about the mashup.
The partnership will begin with digital cards and eventually expand into physical cards in stores and the plan is for the greeting card company to be able to leverage Roc Nation’s music client roster to create a line of products in what’s being described as a first-of-its-kind partnership with a music company.
While the list of which Roc Nation artists that will be involved in the initial rollout haven’t been revealed, the partnership will be part of American Greetings’ “Celebrity SmashUps” line of digital cards, where customers can get personalized messages and custom lyrics from the likes of Dolly Parton, Michael Bolton, Smokey Robinson, Donny Osmond and Shaquille O’Neal.
“We build relationships with leading global companies and we’re thrilled to add American Greetings as our greeting card licensee. Roc Nation United is focused on creating innovative ways for artists and athletes to connect with their fans, and this new relationship with American Greetings is a great opportunity to do so in a very special and entertaining way,” Tom Caravella, managing director for Roc Nation United, shared with Billboard.
The Roc Nation cards are expected to be released later this year before the Christmas holiday season.
