White House Historical Association

Objective: The White House Historical Association was created in 1961 at the request of Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy to enhance the understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of the White House. In addition to producing educational programs the Association supports the acquisition of art and objects for the White House collection and contributes to the conservation of the public rooms. As a charitable nonprofit institution it relies on private funding and revenue generated from educational merchandise sold.

Solution: In 1981 the Association worked with ChemArt to create the annual Christmas ornament program to produce a revenue stream to support its mission. The Association uses an impressive integrated marketing strategy to sell their ornaments. It is a great example of an organization that recognizes not all of its customers are the same and has developed numerous ways to reach them. Here is a sampling of some of the tactics used by the Association:

Around the 4th of July, the Association emails approximately 45,000 past customers an announcement that the new ornament is available.

Every December since 1981, Willard Scott has shown the newly released ornament on “The Today Show.”

Orders can be placed via an 800 number and their web site.

In September they mail 270,000 gift catalogs of all their merchandise with a post card included in the mailer that highlights the new ornament. A follow-up postcard of the annual ornament is mailed in late October.

All 27 previous ornaments are available allowing customers to build a collection.

Results: In 1981, the first year of the program 20,000 pieces were completed and each year since it has grown considerably. In 2004 they sold more than one million annual ornaments. The White House Historical Association has two museum shops in Washington, D.C. where, on a few occasions they sold nearly 9,000 ornaments at one location in just three hours!

Since the late 1980s many high school booster clubs, churches, civic groups, and other non-profit organizations throughout the country have purchased hundreds to thousands of ornaments to re-sell as a fundraiser.

“This year we are celebrating the 25th annual White House Christmas ornament, and it’s also ChemArt’s 25th year of manufacturing the ornaments. As our most popular product sometimes we sell between 3,000 and 10,000 pieces in a single day during the busy holiday season. Over the years the collectors of these beautiful ornaments have significantly contributed to the educational mission of this Association and helped fund the preservation of the interior of the White House and its fine and decorative arts – something all Americans can be proud to support.”
– Mike Melton, White House Historical Association

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