It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…and, for many, it’s a welcome relief from the negative political advertising and constant doom and gloom on the news. More channels are placing greater focus on holiday content and brands are also releasing their holiday-themed ads.
Some global brands have created such a buzz around their holiday ads that they often show up on social feeds across the world. What is John Lewis going to do next? What are the Heathrow Bears up to?
There are also the tried-and-true ads that bring a sense of nostalgia as we look forward to seeing the ads every year as a sign that the holidays are here like the Hershey’s Kisses ‘Bells’ and the M&M’s seeing that Santa really does exist.
We could spend the good part of the day listing out our favorite holiday ads, and there in lies the beauty and challenge for today’s marketers. This is a highly competitive time of year to be advertising with so many brands and retailers vying for a share of the consumer’s heart, mind, and, wallet. MasterCard estimated sales on Black Friday hit $23 billion and Adobe Analytics are estimating Cyber Monday sales reached $7.9 billion making it the single largest online shopping day in U.S. history! There is a lot at stake in a short period of time. Tis’ the season!
For every holiday ad that we remember, many more have either been completely forgotten or the brand being advertised has been lost in the shuffle. Either of these unfortunate outcomes allows for competitors to come in and win the holiday season. There is also more to holiday ads than just selling products. We may be inundated with SALE SALE SALE – DOOR BUSTER – CYBER WEEK DEALS messaging, but this is the time of year to build your brand NOT just move product.
While there’s no single, easy answer as to why some ads and campaigns succeed, there are ways to increase your odds of success.
- Stay true to your brand story. Even during the busy holiday season, consumers will have a clear sense of when something seems off or inauthentic.
- Leverage distinctive brand assets. DBA’s are visual or auditory cues that are readily associated with a brand by nearly everyone and are part of the brand’s story and identity. Best in class holiday ads craft artful stories around the season that are inextricably tied to the brand, like the interaction between Santa and the Red & Yellow M&M’s.
- Bring on the holiday cheer. Eliciting feelings of joy, anticipation, and surprise are all powerful methods of driving stronger engagement, and can help shape the way consumers feel about the brand, and help generate future purchase interest.
- Build your brand, don’t just sell the product. With the flurry of deal-focused advertising out there, it’s important that you don’t miss out on highlighting what makes your brand special. We have found that ads that tell a story about the brand or feature unique product benefits paired with promotions are more successful than ads that focus solely on the deal.
These tips are not just true for the holiday season, they can serve as the foundation of effective year-round brand building advertising– so consider bringing some cheer into the new year!
