When someone passes away, they leave an immense void in the lives of others. The absence of a loved one weighs most heavily at the important moments in your life. Wouldn't it be extraordinary if we could enable people to still be there at those special moments? Letters for Later is a service that helps you to write letters to your loved ones for them to open on specific moments after you've passed away. "When you have your first kiss", "When you turn 18", "On your wedding day", "When you become a father". The Letters for Later box contains blank letters, seals, envelopes, inspiration and practical information to help people write these letters of love. In the campaign, we use true stories (mini-documentaries) about people who have experienced receiving letters from a loved one who had passed away. These stories are intended to inspire others to leave a similar legacy.

In the creative execution of Letters for Later, our aim was to find the best and most respectful way of helping people write letters for after they are gone. We considered designing this as a digital service, but felt that this weakened the personal character. Moreover, it raised practical limitations with respect to managing, saving and activating such a system. Inspired by the idea of a shoebox with letters and personal memories, we decided to introduce Letters for Later as a physical box, containing blank letters, seals, envelopes and inspiration. Together with Hallmark's designers, we developed a high-quality, yet modest design that gives the letters extra value and allows room for people to personalise their legacy. Because writing doesn't come easily to everyone, we developed a booklet with inspiration, examples and helpful tips. During the campaign people could ask special Hallmark writing coaches to help them to express their emotions.

The campaign was picked up by a broad selection of media, among which the biggest newspapers and several primetime television shows. The response was overwhelming. People were moved and thanked Hallmark for enabling them to leave a legacy of letters with such great personal and emotional value. The mini-documentaries were just the motivation they needed to start writing. Going beyond the traditional greeting cards, this idea helps increase the relevance of the Hallmark brand for people. By inspiring people to write letters to their loved ones for when they are gone, Hallmark plays a genuine role in helping people to connect, even after death. Although the box initially was a 'branded service' as part of our campaign, the success prompted Hallmark to add Letters for Later to their permanent collection, enabling even more people to write letters for their loved ones to read after they are gone.