Sappy holidays: season's greetings sent from clients--and total strangers.

VIRGINIA Baca has been at the same job at Parsons for three years, but this month her predecessor can be counted on to make an appearance: on the envelope of the holiday cards coming into the office.

"They're not reviewing the mailing list very well," said Baca, a senior corporate relations specialist at the Pasadena-based engineering and construction firm. She figures about half the cards that come in are addressed to people no longer with the company.

At 411 Publishing in Los Angeles, Publisher Kevin Davis gets cards from people and companies he doesn't even know. "They're typically from people who want our business," he groused.

It's that time of year, when handsomely embossed holiday cards--whether traditional, modern or occasionally wacky--flood the mailrooms of businesses large and small. Many will be handwritten and studded with good tidings --often among the only personalized pieces of mail an employee will receive all year.

There's only one problem: They're not exactly personal, what with indecipherable scribbles of people you've never met, companies you've never heard of, and best wishes to people who have long since moved on.

"The thing about communicating personally to build a relationship is, if you get it wrong, it has the opportunity of undermining the very goal you have of building customer relationships and loyalty," said Scott Robinette, president of Hallmark Loyalty, a division of Hallmark Cards Inc., that provides business-to-business marketing services. "If you spell a name wrong or send it to a person who doesn't exist, it can be a negative experience, instead of a positive one."

An estimated 1.9 billion cards will be sent this holiday season, according to Hallmark, a good many of them to clients, customers, vendors and suppliers. Subtle or not, there's usually an agenda lurking.

"It's a real advertising ploy," said Debby Sibert, owner of Design Crafters, an Oak Hill, Va.-based company that specializes in holiday greeting cards. She points to the addition of company logos to traditional cards, as well as the inclusion of a Web address, phone and fax number on calendar cards.

Chance to say hello

In Baca's department, most of the cards come from current vendors or those seeking to do business with Parsons, such as public relations firms or printing companies. She doesn't remember a card ever serving as a catalyst for a working relationship.

Adding or retaining clients because of a card is likely the exception rather than the rule, said Gloria Starr, an image and etiquette consultant in Charlotte, N.C. "If the only contact you have with your client is one holiday Christmas card, you've wasted your money," she said. "You're not going to increase your credibility or believability factor by sending one holiday card once a year."

Still, the annual mass-mailing provides an opportunity to say hello, even if it's not the most personal connection. Only 4 percent to 5 percent of the mail people receive is personal in appearance, and therefore more likely to be opened first, particularly when the envelope is handwritten.

"It's good for marketing," said Lydia Ramsey, a Savannah, Ga., business etiquette expert and author of "Manners that Sell." "The benefits are to enhance relationships with your clients, maybe to remind some of your old clients that you're still around, and stir up some new business," she said.

Some do's and don'ts from the experts: Avoid electronic cards or cards with pre-printed signatures. Use paper ("There's visual appeal, plus the feel of the paper in your hand," said Starr). Stick with non-denominational themes. Keep up to date on mailing lists. Make sure to spell the person's name correctly. And don't send two cards to the same person.

At Omnicom Group Inc. agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, Executive Creative Director Rob Schwartz said the goal is to make a lasting impression and, occasionally, to take a swipe at other agencies.

"There's an implied competition," Schwartz said. "The most popular one Chiat\Day ever did was just a card that said, 'ingle bells, ingle bells,' and when you opened it up, it said, 'We don't do jingles.'"

Card-sending strategies

Some companies take other approaches to stand out.

At 1st Class Cards Inc. in Palatine, Ill., Vice President Paul Seitz said sales of Thanksgiving cards increased 40 percent this year compared to a year ago. "Businesses want to find a way to send holiday cards without offending anybody and Thanksgiving is more of an American holiday in general," he said.

Cards with generic messages such as "Season's Greetings" and "Happy Holidays" still prevail. Of 1st Class Cards' most popular offerings, the Top 12 all contain messages such as the aforementioned and "Peace on Earth."

Starr likened sending a genetic holiday card with a preprinted signature to a man trying to woo a woman with flowers. "A man will send a dozen red roses, but in reality, that's a no-thought gift," she said. "If he knew anything about a woman, he'd send three roses, or a dozen of another color, or an orchid or a lily."

Companies with creative capabilities in-house, like advertising agencies, often design their own cards in the hopes that their personalities will come across better than the standard "Season's Greetings" message.

In a cynical nod to clients Jack in the Box Inc. and Activision Inc., Secret Weapon Marketing made a card last year that contained the newspaper headline, "Teen obesity rate doubles," and a picture of an overweight kid playing a video game.

"Overall, you'll find more humor in cards from ad agencies than your standard insurance companies," said Patrick Adams, managing director of the firm, who noted that those receiving the cards take the humor in stride. "We're not using this as a prospecting tool, so we're not sending it out blindly. We're sending it out to people who know us, so they take the joke in context. My mom sure thought it was funny."

For some companies, a simple card isn't enough. This year, TBWA\Chiat\Day plans to send about 30 harmonicas with sheet music and a note telling recipients that a small donation was made to a school music and art charity in their name.

"We try to do a good one every year," Schwartz said. "We're a creative company, our product is creativity. If we're going to make some contact with clients or prospective clients, it's got to be as creative as the product we sell them."