NobleWorks Gets Noticed in the Press and Other Places

Diane Falvey – April 29, 2015

When Ron Kanfi came to the United States as a tourist and began working at an alternative greeting card company called NobleWorks, little did he know that in 2015, he'd be running the company and celebrating its 35th anniversary.

"When I joined the company in 1983, I was making $10 an hour drawing squiggles," Kanfi said. The company's first line of cards had typed sentiments, such as "I love you" repeated on the face of the card in black and white, and color squiggle designs as an overlay. "We started out as an artsy company," he continued. "We were an alternative greeting card company, which back then, there weren't many." NobleWorks was founded in 1980 by friends and artists, Chris Noble and Jay Purvis.

At around the same time he joined the company, NobleWorks began to change its "attitude." The company launched its first humorous greeting cards with its Ten Best Jokes collection. "They were more reader cards than greeting cards," Kanfi said. Each card had a theme with 10 questions on the cover and 10 answers inside. The jokes covered a wide variety of topics, from cute to quite politically incorrect. "We did what we thought was cool and fun," he noted.

In 1989, the company hired cartoonist John Callahan, and NobleWorks humor went even further to the "dark" side, Kanfi said. Callahan was a quadriplegic with a "dark yet hilarious" sense of humor, with illustrations such as a masseuse with hook hands, for example. At the time they met, Callahan's agent was testing his designs with Hallmark. "They [Hallmark] weren't going to carry his cards," Kanfi continued. Three weeks before the National Stationery Show that year, NobleWorks agreed to publish 36 postcards to debut at the show and was awarded the Callahan license. "That was a turning point for NobleWorks," Kanfi said. Callahan is still with the company today, and other cartoonists have been added as well. "We've stepped on a few toes [with our sense of humor]," Kanfi said. "But we've sold millions of cards."

In the 1990s, as business changed and suburban malls became more popular shopping destinations and uprooted some of the local independent retailers, the company had to morph once again to stay afloat. "We decided on a three-prong strategy," Kanfi said. "We looked at ourselves as a content company."

The company kept marketing to its core customers, but also added a licensing division to offer its unique brand of humor to other product categories, such as calendars, books and other greeting cards. This allowed NobleWorks to gain entry into other retail markets without taking away from its core customer. The third prong was an online retail store, Kanfi said, noting that NobleWorks was one of the first companies of its size to do that. "It became apparent that the online shop did not attract the same consumer as the brick and mortar, so these channels complemented each other, rather than replacing each other."

Noble and Kanfi had bought out Purvis's share of the business early on, and were partners until Noble passed away in 2001. After Noble passed, Kanfi found himself with debt and cash flow issues. Several years later, the company restructured under Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. However, instead of viewing this as the end of the road, Kanfi saw the reshuffling as an opportunity to reinvent NobleWorks yet again.

In 2010, the company closed its warehouse and converted to an on demand business model. While per unit costs were more expensive for the company with this model, overall, on-demand printing proved more cost-effective. "When you have to print 12, 16 or 20 cards on a form, thousands of units each, you've printed far more than you will need. Then there are costs for storage, pick and pack...If you are 100 percent stocked, you are overstocked," Kanfi said.

He added that while the change to an on-demand business was forced by the circumstances and the upside wasn't apparent at first, for NobleWorks, on-demand has been far more effective than offset printing. Customers have been pleased with the process as well. They can order one or a dozen cards of one type, and the order is shipped complete within 24 hours. "The profitability has changed drastically. It [on demand printing] has allowed us to stay in business," Kanfi said. "I don't throw out what I thought would sell for Christmas."

In 35 years, NobleWorks has had its ups and downs, and has made many changes along the way. For Kanfi, though, it has all been worth it. "The most important part is that we are actually having fun doing it," he said. "Otherwise, why bother."

Published 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, January 29, 2013

By Nathan Johnson

Let me give you a little insight on the life and works of Ron Kanfi. He operates NobleWorks Cards, which is a humorous greeting cards business. Ron has been creating and publishing humorous greeting cards for over 30 years now. Ron has also battled Multiple Sclerosis, since 1990, now that is impressive!

Ron has a book on Amazon titled: "Saint Misbehavin': Modern-Day Saints You've Never Heard Of" - it has an overall rating of 4.9 out of 5 with 36 customer reviews, which is a very good rating.

I must say that the cover of the book shows what looks like a saints clothing with a cartoon image head of "the dude." You know the Jeff Bridges character from the movie "The Big Lebowski." He's also holding a big bong and a bottle. This can rub some people the wrong way, especially some Catholics, but there are some important things to consider.

The first thing is that it is a joke. I don't think Ron means any ill will at all by it; he just wants to cheer people up and make them laugh. I mentioned before that Ron has had MS, since 1990. That has to be a very difficult thing to deal with and what Ron has done to help himself cope is to use humor and bring some humor into the lives of countless other people through his humorous cards and books.

I think that his greeting cards are hilarious. His humorous birthday cards get me going pretty good. He also has anniversary, holiday, get well soon and wedding cards. Back to his book, I think that the cover is absolutely brilliant, but of course I love "the dude."

The cover of the book comes from one of his best selling greeting cards. This book has gotten reviews like these:
"This book is more than just a witty read." - Tim Whyatt
"I found myself laughing out loud with every page." - Matthew Kressel
"If you need a good laugh buy this book and send a copy to all your friends." - Lisa H. Knapp

I want to also mention that Ron may rustle a few feathers with some of his humor, but it does a lot of great things that don't get the mention that they deserve. Ron not only brings joy and humor to people all over the world with his books and greeting cards, he has another great act going on behind the scenes.

Ron should be commended for founding Live Without Limits in 2010. The concept here is a fundraising event to help people who are suffering from MS. He does something more interesting than most MS fundraisers, that is that he caters towards helping MS sufferers overcoming their limits and especially their physical limitations, which is very important to people who suffer from this terrible disease.

Remember how good of a person that Ron Kanfi is before you judge him for coming up with Saint Dude - "Patron Saint of The Lost Brain Cells." Which, I think is hilarious, but some people take it the wrong way. Please don't take it the wrong way and realize how funny and how good of a person Ron Kanfi is. I give his blog spotlight, 5 out of 5 stars!

By Darren Garnick - 07/30/12 08:18 PM ET

Whether it's for a few months or the next eight years, Mitt Romney is about to hit the birthday party circuit. He won't be doing magic tricks or twisting balloons into the shapes of animals, but as the Republican presidential nominee, he's earned a starring role on greeting cards.

"Another birthday, and you still look like a million bucks," Romney says, basking in the glow of a candlelit inferno in his Hallmark Cards debut. "Trust me. I know what a million bucks looks like."

From a mainstream-marketing perspective, the class-warfare joke is a political bull's-eye. It's cute and disarming enough to get a smirk out of wealthy Republicans, while for the Occupy Wall Street crowd it could channel sarcasm.

Romney's other Hallmark cameo this summer: he and President Obama, facing each other on the debate stage, the mood jovial. "Finally!" the caption blares. "Something Democrats and Republicans can agree on!"

Inside, the political rivals give each other an affectionate fist-bump. "You're getting pretty damn old," goes the punch line.

"It's always pretty fun to see how the election year is going to shape up," says Julie McFarland, Hallmark's creative director in charge of humor themes. "Figuring out who was going to be the Republican candidate was interesting this year. We had a few side-bets going in the office. Rick Santorum's sweater-vests would have been fun to draw—and we would have had a lot of fun with Newt's name."

According to the Greeting Card Association, the trade group accounting for 95 percent of the industry, there are more than 3,000 U.S. greeting card publishers, ranging from individual studios to multinational corporations. Brands owned by Hallmark (Shoebox) and American Greetings (Carlton Cards/Recycled Paper Greetings) dominate retail shelf space.

Although political-humor cards represent a tiny fraction of new releases each year, Recycled Paper Greetings is now preparing a major promotional push for the genre with a 6-foot-high patriotic "Election 2012" display to showcase up to 18 different cards. RPG is simultaneously courting political cheerleaders and hecklers in both parties. An "I (Heart) Barack" card is on the same rack as a wishful-thinking "1-20-2013 Obama's Last Day" birthday card. The latter is inscribed, "Sending you HAPPY thoughts as you celebrate your big day!"

"We try to be an equal-opportunity offender," explains RPG's Graham Webb, senior director of creative and product management. "A consumer might occasionally respond negatively to an anti-Republican-themed card that he or she happens to read, but may not see that three pockets down there is an equally offensive anti-Democratic card."

Balancing out the "Obama's Last Day" card is one in which Romney tries to dispel the notion he is "out of touch" with the average American. The punch line is that he wishes you "Merry Christmas" on your birthday. The company is also selling retro-style political slogan cards with hokey but supportive messages: "Keep Calm and Vote for Rom" and "Keep Calma and Vote Obama."

Measuring the mood of voters by greeting-card sales is hardly an exact science, but Webb thinks it is more than a coincidence that one of American Greetings's best-selling political cards features "Butt Crack Guy."

A variation of the classic plumber's-crack gag with a patriotic spin, the card depicts a hairy middle-age guy in skimpy star-spangled shorts that reveal a tad too much posterior cleavage. He's standing before the U.S. Capitol Building, which sets up the joke: "Birthdays are like political parties. Neither one is what they're cracked up to be."

Still, while American Greetings might think of itself as an "equal-opportunity offender," staying in Wal-Mart and Target for the long term requires a more restrained level of irreverence. For New Jersey-based NobleWorks Cards, which caters mostly to novelty gift shops and independent bookstores, butt jokes are only the beginning.

"Does the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy Make My Ass Look Fat?" is a popular Hillary Clinton theme, while the "Baracky Horror Picture Show" card has a photo illustration of the president stuffed into a corset, high heels and a garter belt.

Shoebox once made a Halloween-themed card with Bill and Hillary Clinton ringing doorbells for candy, making an oblique reference to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. "Well, that depends on what the meaning of 'treat' is," a grinning Bill says.

That's the kind of subtlety that NobleWorks avoids, according to publisher Ron Kanfi, who sells one card advocating that the official presidential seal be replaced with a condom—along with five metaphors for the government screwing the public.

"With the major retailers, three complaints get your card yanked from the shelves," he says. "Our motto is 'If they can't take a joke, eff them!'"

Indeed, the F-word is the basis for one of the company's major card lines, "F--k Cancer," which shatters the whispering "thinking of you" tone of the Get Well Soon genre.

One of the company's more controversial cards shows Obama starting a speech with an apology: "Sorry I'm late. I couldn't get a cab."

"It's not a racist joke, but it is a joke about racism," Kanfi says. "Obviously, getting a taxi is not an issue for the president, but we're commenting on how this kind of discrimination sadly exists. We have no political agenda. Our only rule is if we think it's funny, print it.

"I would hope that President Obama would think our cards were funny if he ever saw them," he adds. "But I also sometimes wonder if I have an FBI file."

PRWeb – Mon, Apr 2, 2012
NobleWorks' latest wholesale catalog features hundreds of hilarious new and used cards for the holiday season.

Hoboken, NJ (PRWEB) April 02, 2012
We can't keep silent about http://www.NobleWorksCards.com 's outrageously funny new Christmas 2012 Catalog. The just-released 48-page wholesale catalog features a whopping 160 brand-new humorous cards for Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving and New Year's, as well as many customer favorites making a comeback this holiday season. New designs are clearly denoted, as are returning best-sellers (for those who like hanging with the popular crowd). There's even a page showing the "Best of the Worst" ... because NobleWorks will print almost anything!

Included in NobleWorks' wholesale Christmas 2012 Catalog are a sleigh-load of humorous holiday cartoons from many of today's top cartoonists. There are numerous new additions to the company's uber-popular "Talk Bubbles" line and an expanded lineup of the recently introduced retro "Rabbit Ears" series. Also new is a collection of Christmas and Halloween cards featuring the work of erotic-art illustrator Michael Broderick. All cards retail for $2.95 and are printed on demand in the U.S. using renewable source and recycled paper.

I Elevate an ordinary birthday to an extraordinary sale.

Decorations are a party staple, but there's nothing like getting a birthday card in the mail or digging through the tissue paper of a gift bag to find just what might be inside. In this age of electronic communication, knowing that someone took the time to put together the complete package adds to the specialness of the day.

As retailers, you have the opportunity to help customers create that complete birthday package for the guest of honor - from the card to the gift wrap - elevating a birthday from "just another day" to something so much more.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

The complete birthday package starts with a card. While birthday cards can often be overlooked in party stores, they're the easiest way to not only share a sentiment, but also increase sales.

"About 60 percent of everyday greeting cards purchased are for birthdays, so this is clearly the most important caption to have depth in the offering," said George White of Up With Paper. "Importantly, birthday cards are a fantastic impulse buy, appealing to a customer at any time and regardless of the nature of the store visit."

Krista Ohlsen of Quotable Cards said that when spending that extra bit for a gift may not be an option for customers, giving a card is an inexpensive solution. Retailers should include a good assortment of different lines.

"So often the retailers carry the big lines without remembering that there are lots of people that may be looking for a line they don't typically see everywhere," Ohlsen said. "If you're carrying the same card lines as the drugstore down the street, you will most certainly benefit by branching out a bit with the greeting card range."

White agreed that consumers who want to shop a giant run of cards by caption are going to a big box store; consumers looking for something unique, fun and memorable will come to a specialty store, and be drawn in by a look before narrowing down to the caption.

"Consumers shopping for greeting cards in specialty stores are by definition looking for something unique, so specialty stores need to provide it," White said. "Hand-made ornamentation, as well as add-ons like sound and light (and pop-ups) continue to grow in importance to greeting card buyers in specialty stores."

Ron Kanfi of NobleWorks said the cards most likely to stand out in a party-store setting are those that feature many of the same bright colors and fun themes as the party-ware sold. And in keeping with the party-store atmosphere, choose cards with fun, short inner verses rather than those with long or overly sentimental messaging. You should also be carrying humorous milestone-birthday cards to complement milestone-birthday merchandise.

"Birthday cards are an excellent opportunity to make add-on sales," Kanfi said. "Make sure they leave with a greeting card by merchandising them near the register and gift-packaging displays. You can even offer a free greeting card with purchase of (wrapping, ribbon, etc.) and place signage throughout the store that reads, 'Did you remember to buy a greeting card with that?'"

Gift Solutions

That card is often placed on top of a gift, and retailers that offer smaller, lower priced items have the chance to fill that need for shoppers. Colin Littler, marketing director for Design Design, Inc., said soft pastels and cupcakes are perfect for middle-aged to younger women, or more importantly, someone buying for that demographic.

"Gift ceramics with bright dots can be very appealing to males in that same age range and 'bling' items will attract women of all ages," Littler said. "Add a candle assortment with humorous quips to appeal to those who value humor or those in an older demographic who appreciate a loving jab at their age."

Littler said that regardless of the specific item, the customer will appreciate any time you can merchandise the gift packaging presentation with the gift itself. They'll love an easy solution where they can look like they really thought the entire gift all the way through. There are many possibilities - a greeting card and gift tote with a stationery pad or a plate and mug set with matching gift wrap and ribbon choices, etc.

Although you can technically use any wrap for birthday, there is something about a design that really "says birthday" that reels customers in more often then an all occasion design. And even if you are short on retail space, you can still cleverly fit and display gift bags, as when people are in a rush, the gift bag is a quick and easy impulse purchase.

"Cupcakes and sweets are still really popular icons for gifting and unique type treatments that have a retro flair are popular in the market," said Nancy Dickson of The Gift Wrap Co. "I am also seeing a call for gift specific packaging such as bags and boxes sized for technology items like e-readers, iPads - basically i-anything!"

Dickson said that what makes great merchandising is when a retailer shows the same item or design changed ever so slightly to widen the age appeal. For example, changing the ribbons or toppers can take a simple box from the perfect parcel specially wrapped just for Nana to a fantastic gift a tween girl just can't wait to open. This also speaks to budget-conscious shoppers in the market.

Birthday Balloons

Another item that speaks to the budget-conscious birthday shopper and the spirit of celebration are balloons. Betty Vlamis, executive vice president of Pioneer Balloon Co., said that balloons are a form of social expression, and the graphics and messages - on foil balloons especially - can be targeted to capture just the right sentiment for the occasion and for the personality of the recipient.

"People are looking for something that speaks to them and reflects their uniqueness, so retailers should offer balloons that are age-specific or personalized," Vlamis said. "Classic balloon designs retain their popularity because of their universal appeal. These are colorful and have easy-to-read typography and upbeat themes."

She added that cupcakes remain hot for birthday themes, as do other sweets like cake and ice cream, and that dots are always popular, especially when combined with different patterns or designs (like cupcakes).

"Retailers can add a great deal of perceived value when they combine balloons with different products and/or other balloons, enhancing their profitability," Vlamis said. "For example, tie an 18-inch Microfoil into a weighted bow and you have an easy centerpiece or a cash-and-carry offering."

Balloons draw a person's attention to what's being sold within the store, so adding balloons to plush animals or other small gifts makes the gift special, but also enhances the atmosphere in the store.

From displaying cards and gifts to balloons and gift wrap, every bit helps the consumer visualize that complete party package, which can result in complete party profits.

By Abby Heugel
Managing Editor

Originally posted Wednesday, Sep. 21, 2011

PRWeb
Published 4:00 a.m., Sunday, February 27, 2011
New York, NY (PRWEB) February 27, 2011

Showtime Networks Inc., in partnership with CBS Consumer Products, has entered into a licensing agreement with NobleWorks for a line of greeting cards featuring imagery from the Showtime original series "Weeds."

Entering its seventh season this year, "Weeds" is about a pot-selling single mom who dodges disaster but has a special talent for manipulating her friends, her family and the law. NobleWorks has been granted the rights for "Weeds" greeting cards in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia.

"After months of waiting to launch, we excited to roll out this potent card collection," states Ron Kanfi, president of NobleWorks. "We hope these cards will put a smile on people's faces!"

The initial launch of "Weeds" cards will make their debut at the National Stationery Show in NYC in May. They're sure to be a hit!

By Reginald Cunningham III on July 30, 2009

This week, we bring you the most overworked mother in this holy feature on lesser known saints.

For this installment, we present:

Saint Olivia the Overextended
Patron Saint of Working Moms

Saint Olivia worked at an orphanage in the midlands of England in the late 19th century. Due to a sudden outbreak of tuberculosis every other sister that worked with her went out for a picnic one day and died halfway through a game of horseshoes. Olivia was left tending to all 56 children by herself with no foreseeable means of income.

Saint Olivia immediately put the children to work. Older children would help watch the younger children. Those in the middle helped turn the orphanage playground into a garden. Once this was set up the children worked the fields and sold their wares to local blue collar laborers.

One day a child came running to her from the fields, his left hand having been clean chopped off from the thresher he was working. The child started to cry for his lost hand. The distracted Olivia simply held it back in place, spit on it, and the hand was good as new. She then told the child to get back to work which he did gladly.

In the middle of running this business to keep them all eating, Olivia still needed to care for the tasks of running an orphanage. Through many a sleepless night her coffeepot was her only companion. When money for coffee ran out, her pot miraculously always had lukewarm coffee in it, just enough to keep her awake.

Saint Olivia is now known as the Patron Saint of working mothers, child labor, and mediocre coffee.

You can pay homage to Saint Olivia, or any of the forgotten saints, by taking up a mop and acquiring the Saint Misbehavin' guide, lovingly created by NobleWorks.

Published: Thursday, December 20, 2007, 6:46 AM
Updated: Thursday, December 20, 2007, 6:48 AM
By Judy DeHaven

At NobleWorks, a greeting card company in Hoboken, the staff measures its success by the flow of outraged complaint letters.

"If we don't get hate mail in a week or a month, we start to think we're doing something wrong," said Ron Kanfi, the company's president.

Cards from NobleWorks skewer most ethnic, religious and alternative lifestyle groups, as well as some other species. The resulting letters come from all corners; the company has framed an open letter from the Catholic League that singles out NobleWorks as "arguably the worst offender" for greeting cards that obscenely portray Christmas.

But Kanfi, who has been associated with NobleWorks since 1983, is not out to alienate the entire marketplace.

"We have a very specific niche, which is edgy humor, and it's how we survived," said Kanfi, 46, who shares his office with his dog, Sparky, a Bichon Frise. "The real challenge for us is getting through the censorship of the big box stores and reaching the consumer who wants our product."

That's where the company's latest venture, which started in October, comes into play. Through its Web site, www.nobleworkscards.com, shoppers can order and customize dozens of cards from the company's inventory of roughly 1,500 greeting cards.

Certain Noble holiday cards also are available at Barnes & Noble stores, as well as independent card shops.

Kanfi said the business introduces as many as 500 new designs each year, but simultaneously discontinues roughly the same amount. Some of the cartoon cards are done by artists whose work appears regularly in the New Yorker.

A privately held company founded by Christopher Noble, who died in 2001, NobleWorks has branched out into posters, magnets and calendars.

The company does about a third of its business during the Christmas season, but Kanfi said by this time of year, he's already working on designing cards for the 2008 holidays.

The company has secured a licensing deal with Elvis' estate, and cards featuring him will debut next year.

Letters from the King's fans are likely sure to follow.

Meredith Schwartz -- Gifts and Dec, 4/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Gifts & Dec: How was the company first founded?

Ron Kanfi: Christopher Noble, our president, was working for an alternative-market card publisher. He was a victim of downsizing, and took to painting apartments while he figured out what to do next. He came up with the concept for his first line of cards, Moon Blooms, while playing with latex paint. They were basic black-and-white cards treated with a squiggle of shadow-printed latex paint. He worked at home on a $400 investment that he borrowed from his mom. He took Moon Blooms to the 1981 stationery show. They sold well. But the second line-question-and-answer jokes-put us on the map.

Gifts & Dec: When did you join the company?

RK: In 1983, I came from Israel with a backpack and $1,000 for a six-month tour. I quickly realized that it wasn't enough money to get me coast to coast; I had to get a job. I was washing dishes in an East Village cafe. The cook's roommate was Christopher's assistant. My background was in art, so I got hired to paint cards at 2 cents each.

Gifts & Dec: And your responsibilities grew from there?

R.K.: Yes. Christopher later asked me to be his assistant, and then his partner. I took over business and operations, and he assumed the creative directorship even though he has a business degree and I was a painter. It was perfect because we each knew where the other was coming from. Today, Christopher is semi-retired.

Gifts & Dec: How did Nobleworks grow from there?

RK: The next idea, art cards designed by Gene Greiff, bombed. It was ahead of its time. After that were astrology cards. We also did collage cards with talk bubbles, and postcards by John Callahan. That put us on the map for successfully publishing cartoons. In the early '90s, we came out with a successful art collection. We applied the images on craft paper onto frames.

Gifts & Dec: You were no longer working in Christopher's home?

RK: We started in a space in Manhattan's meat packing district, before it was trendy. In 1989, we moved to Hoboken and got twice the space for half the rent. Since then we've had three spaces in a one-block radius. The current one is 15,000 square feet.

Gifts & Dec: What has been Nobleworks' biggest challenge?

RK: Growing the company into the mass-market arena that it needs for volume. The niche retailer is an endangered species. So many of the stores that targeted a specific community are being replaced by the common-denominator chain. Our strength was in that niche market. When it comes to humor we're always a step or two, or ten, ahead of the mainstream. It was a real challenge to fit into a national store without providing mainstream product. We've been walking that line. While we're moving a little to the right in our thinking, the market is moving left. So we've met in the middle. We can now sell cards to mainstream stores that we never dreamed of placing five years ago.

Gifts & Dec: You mean Nobleworks is losing its power to offend?

RK: The day we can't offend people, we might as well go home. We thrive on hate mail.

Gifts & Dec: What's been some of your best hate mail?

RK: We made a card on how to cook a cat. The ASPCA published it in their newsletter inviting subscribers to protest. We have boxes full of protest mail! Another one we're proud of is a Callahan card, which reads: "This is a feminist book store, there is no humor section." Some feminist groups in Oregon got hold of it and were very upset. We would never publish anything that is socially irresponsible, malicious, or promotes violence, but it's nice when you can laugh at yourself. We once published a card with a picture of a nun and an off-color joke. The nun recognized herself and thought it was hysterical. We sent her a box of them.

Gifts & Dec: After 20 years, do you plan to branch out beyond cards?

RK: We've concluded that we're best doing what we know best. Art, regular humor cards, and our leftfield humor line are enough fronts to tackle. That's our direction for the next five years. Beyond that, who knows? We've thought of manufacturing cars.very funny cars.

Background

Starting out with no more than a pencil about 30 years ago, Noble Works Cards is a successful e-commerce cards business. Located in Union City, New Jersey, Noble Works Cards has developed a simple formula that works well for them – creating, publishing, and selling edgy sometimes naughty but always funny greeting cards on nobleworkscards.com.

Challenges

Not only does Noble Works Cards create and print all its greeting cards, but this business prides itself on offering free shipping on each and every card purchased. It was important to continue to be able to advertise this great free shipping promotion as long as the publisher could afford to do so.

Prior to working with DIYSEO, Noble Works had limited familiarity with search engine optimization. The business had plenty of experience working with pay per click programs but wanted to explore other types of online marketing program available beyond PPC. They cited time and resources as a limitation in looking for the right search engine optimization program. Noble Works Cards joined DIYSEO in November 2010 after they found a reference in an SEO newsletter.

Results

"After checking it out and exploring the program, DIYSEO made a lot of sense. The price was right. We went through the steps and started seeing results," said Ron Kanfi, president of Noble Works, Inc.

"DIYSEO has helped us tremendously. When we started, we didn't know much about SEO. We have seen a 30% increase in traffic, as well as an 8 point improvement in average bounce rate. DIYSEO is definitely a large contributor in the success we've seen over the past year," said Kanfi about the positive impact that DIYSEO has had on business.

Kanfi also talked about how DIYSEO has been a direct and easy learning process. He said, "DIYSEO provides a great way for us to easily learn and implement SEO components onto the many pages of the website. It's straightforward and easy to follow. Give me what I need to know, and I can do it on my own...it's a great tool to learn the basics, and if nothing else we realize how much more is out there that can be done to increase sales and traffic."

Regarding where the business sees itself in the future, Kanfi said, "From where we are now, the technical implementation of specific on-site tasks is one area that we will always need to continue to work on. We are always looking to improve to the website because you are never completely finished with SEO. Once you get past the basics, there is still always something more you can be doing."

When a coworker, friend or family member has cancer, it's hard to know what to say or what kind of card to give him or her. That's why NobleWorks Cards came up with its "F Cancer" line of cards. It felt those were the only works that correctly expressed the frustration felt of anyone diagnosed with cancer.

The cards came about when the president of NobleWorks, Ron Kanfi, had friends diagnosed with cancer, but no cards to send. He knew his line of funny cards weren't appropriate for the situation, and no other cards out there articulated how he felt.

"It is strong, clear, shocking and at the same time supportive as in, 'I am with you one this one,'" Kanfi said about his cancer cards.

After making the cards, Kanfi felt he finally had cards that expressed the right sentiment. Not only to does the line address various diagnoses of cancers with various ribbon colors that represent those diagnoses, but NobleWorks Cards also donates a portion of its profits from its cards to cancer research.

"We set to donate 50 percent of the proceeds to two reputable cancer foundations," Kanfi said.

Read more: https://www.nobleworkscards.com/fuck-cancer.html

The perfect, witty birthday cards for women

NobleWorks Cards has added new cards to its hilarious Ephemera line of cards directed towards women. The cards are smart, sassy, and the perfect card to stand out from all the other cards. With its tongue-in-cheek humor, NobleWorks mixes retro pictures and modern themes and sayings with hilarious results.

Girly Birthday Cards

This latest introduction comes on the high heels of the 20-plus designs we added in May to our already extensive Ephemera collection - making NobleWorks the best, biggest and longest (but not hardest) publisher offering this customer-favorite card line. Size does matter!

NobleWorks Cards has done it again with its delightful collection of hilarious birthday cards for the whole family. The only thing better than a birthday card with money is a funny birthday card with money. And just like everyone says, it is the thought that counts. So, why don't you think about stocking up on some seriously funny cards so you're always prepared for last-minute parties?

NobleWorks Inc. Type Private
Industry Greeting card publisher
Genre Humor Publisher
Founded 1980
Founder(s) Jay Purvis and Christopher Noble
Headquarters Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
Key people Ron Kanfi - President
Products Greeting cards, stationery, electronic greetings, calendars
Owner(s) Ron Kanfi
Employees 8
Website www.NobleWorksCards.com
References: Even single cards ship free

NobleWorks Inc. is a publisher of humorous greeting cards. The company is located in Hoboken, New Jersey and publishes and sells paper greeting cards, cards with detachable magnets, lapel-button cards, gift cards, free on-line electronic greeting cards, magnetic memo pads, and note pads.

NobleWorks develops several lines and licenses properties to other greeting card companies, publishers, and manufacturers. NobleWorks also licenses artwork from various cartoonists and designers who are based in the United States, as well as in other countries.

NobleWorks Inc. is the originator of the Talk Bubbles. NobleWorks features cards by over thirty cartoonists, many of whom are featured in the magazines The New Yorker, Playboy, Hustler, Penthouse (magazine), National Lampoon, and MAD Magazine. NobleWorks also publishes cards featuring licenses from over twenty artists and designers.

NobleWorks Inc. has been publishing humorous greeting cards since 1980. Its fun designs include hilarious cartoons, outrageous photos, laugh-out-loud messages and more - ranging from somewhat silly to seriously naughty!

Use this collection of free cards to send a few smiles to your friends. Also take advantage of this SPECIAL OFFER for pingg users: 50% off purchase of NobleWorks print cards. Visit nobleworkscards.com and use coupon code: PINGGWORKS for your purchase. (Minimum 2 card purchase for this offer)

Birthday Calling...

Ephemera collection greeting card is one of 17 humorous designs recently added to the Talk Bubbles line. Inside message reads: "Another birthday is calling. Happy Birthday." Also available blank inside. Printed in U.S.A. on recycled paper. $3.75. Nobleworks Inc., Hoboken, NJ. 855.267.3163.