Stationery Icons, a 304-page illustrated hardback by Christopher Leonard-Morgan, has launched its first Christmas campaign. The book is being positioned as a distinctive gift for stationery enthusiasts, collectors and design lovers, with the promotional push set to run through Christmas. At 304 pages, the illustrated hardback is presented as a substantial gift object as well as a guide to the brands it covers.
The campaign combines advertising on StationeryNews.net and PGBuzz.net with promotional activity on Instagram and LinkedIn. Its subject is the brands, personalities and stories that the publisher says make stationery an enduring source of interest. Rather than presenting the book only as a reference work, the campaign places it in a gifting context. The mix is intended to reach readers across specialist news sites and social platforms.
Sales at two London events
The festive push follows two London events: Open House at Stationers’ Hall on 20 September and the London Pen Show in Hammersmith on 10–11 October. The publisher says both events highlighted the book’s appeal as a present, with customers buying copies for friends, family members and fellow stationery enthusiasts.
Christopher Leonard-Morgan, the book’s author, said the response was particularly encouraging because so many buyers saw it as a gift for someone else. He observed that most people know someone who has a favourite fountain pen, treasures a particular notebook or finds it difficult to resist a stationery shop. Stationery Icons, he said, brings together the stories behind the brands those readers love in a book they can enjoy and return to over time.
Brands invited to take part
The Christmas campaign invites the 100 brands featured in the book to celebrate their inclusion through their own social-media channels and customer communications. The aim is to extend awareness of the book among stationery enthusiasts around the world. This approach gives featured companies a direct reason to discuss the project with their own audiences while the publisher runs the wider campaign.
Richard Webb, publisher at Narrative Media, said stationery inspires a remarkable degree of affection and loyalty. He argued that the book is special for the breadth of stories it brings together, spanning six centuries of ingenuity, entrepreneurship and design. Webb added that the publisher is pleased to give featured brands an opportunity to share their own stories with customers and followers, building on the interest generated by the campaign.
First edition details
The first edition has an initial print run of 1,000 copies. It is priced at £80 and available to order directly from the book’s website. The campaign is due to continue until Christmas.