Calendar: The girls of PostcardMania

Sexy calendars of employees is nothing new — just look at the Hooters business model — but the latest calendar announcement comes from an unexpected source, and that's the point.

Clearwater-based direct-mail postcard/marketing and woman-owned company PostcardMania is holding an art contest for its female employees to appear in a 2010 Girls of PostcardMania calendar, a holiday gift it plans to send out to clients and others.

The calendar, which is described as more tastefully sexy or lighthearted rather than provocative, is designed to highlight the fun side of PostcardMania, while at the same creating a constant reminder of the business to potential clients. Last year, the company held a similar calendar contest, for PostcardMania customers, prospects and staff, and the company says the feedback it received was very positive.

“It's joked about constantly here 'When are you going to do a pinup calendar?' which this is not, because there are so many good looking women that work here,” says Joy Gendusa, PostcardMania's founder and chief executive
officer. “We just saw this as an interesting way to tie it into our marketing. There were a ton of people submitting art [for our last calendar], but it was very conservative. I came away feeling like this doesn't look like PostcardMania.”

This year the calendar will have a different flavor and will feature PostcardMania's female employees posed doing work activities, like running the printing presses, driving the forklift or loading the addressing machine.

PostcardMania is working with photographer Brad Kugler, makeup artist Melissa Nicole Gervasi and hair stylists Brittain Magness and La Bella Hair Studio owner Nicole Festa.

The calendar is also cost effective. Many of the professionals working on it are friends of the owner and are working for trade. Gendusa estimates her biggest expense is renting the lights for the photo shoot.

“It's all in fun, and we really don't expect any negative feedback,” she says. “We're a business that likes to have fun and don't take ourselves too seriously.”