Hallmark moves traditional holiday commercials online, away from TV

Washington

SHORTLY before Hallmark would have traditionally launched its seasonal commercial heart-warmers, the greeting-card giant made a surprising confession: This year, for the first time ever, it would spend nothing on holiday TV ads.

Instead, the struggling keepsakery will go all-digital, spending on cheeky YouTube ads and partnering bloggers to sing the brand's praises. It is also paying the photo-sharing app Snapchat to plaster Hallmark's logo onto family pictures taken beneath America's big downtown Christmas trees.