Many of us talk for our dog, but for Kate Smith, voicing the thoughts of her French Bulldog Frank became the essence of her wildly popular From Frank range of greeting cards and gifts.
She introduced it in 2012, and very quickly, she had 11 licensing partnerships, including one with Recycled Greetings, who placed some cards in Target’s vaunted card aisles, as well as a book deal.
But Kate would learn that marrying your corporate brand to a living breathing creature can be difficult. So she reinvented From Frank into Kate Smith Co., yet the tagline “Making Humans Smile” still informs every upbeat release. Dogs are simply one path to joy.
As her brand completely transitioned, so too did Kate’s lifestyle: She and her husband Ryan dramatically downsized their lives to fit comfortably into an Airstream. If you order a card from her, it will be packaged from a bin she keeps under her couch. Especially compelling is Kate’s take on the inherent power of the deceptively simple greeting card — and how she uses it to remind us that happiness is all around us.
Music Credits: “Your Treasure is Your Self”; written and performed by Sharon Glassman; Courtesy of Sharon Glassman/Smile Songs. smilesongs.com
