As a 32-year old male with over 9 years of experience in advertising, my naturally cynical nature goes to 11 when it comes to holiday time. Holiday puns and co-opted carols become the norm. Children and animals are trotted out at a furious pace. Heart strings are tugged, spirits are high, and luxury vehicles are adorned with bows you can see from space. It\u2019s enough to make this ad man a little less than jolly.<\/p>\n
But! There are some classics in this space. The Coke polar bears are a perfect example of holiday advertising that is fun, emotional, and best of all, original. Though I was a mere lad at the time, I still remember the Folger\u2019s \u201cPeter Comes Home for Christmas\u201d spot, wherein college-student Peter wakes his family with a freshly brewed pot of Folger\u2019s. Norelco\u2019s Santa ad is a classic, as is Budweiser\u2019s original Clydesdales ad.<\/p>\n
A more recent example of fantastic holiday advertising would be Apple\u2019s \u201cMisunderstood\u201d spot. This spot showed a teenager on his iPhone, seemingly missing out on all the family holiday fun because he\u2019s glued to his screen. That is, until it\u2019s revealed that he\u2019s been using his Apple device to create a holiday family movie. Yet again, this is a great way to showcase a product and its capabilities without clinging to tired holiday tropes or overselling the product.<\/p>\n
There are ways to create great holiday advertising that stands out. You just need to remember a few key items.<\/p>\n
If you want to see me go full Grinch, play me a commercial that features nothing but people changing the lyrics to a well-known carol. This is such a tired clich\u00e9 that Congress should place a moratorium on it for the next 70 years, enough time for us to forget how bad these spots are. Aside from being derivative, these ads do nothing to differentiate you within the space. Countless brands are going to use the same songs to the same ends. Why will a customer suddenly remember yours?<\/p>\n
Actually, I do remember one major retailer that used a parody carol in its ad. The only reason I remember it is because the song was about receiving great deals, yet the spot didn\u2019t include a single deal. If you have a specific message to get across, focus on that, don\u2019t work so hard to make it a \u201choliday\u201d ad. Remember, if it\u2019s airing in December, it\u2019s already a holiday ad. You don\u2019t have to sacrifice your message for the season.<\/p>\n
You spend all year to build a brand, only to get away from your tone and voice simply because it\u2019s holiday time. Why? It\u2019s jarring to watch a brand like Honda suddenly create ads with Michael Bolton in them (which I guess could be said of most brands). How does that fit?<\/p>\n
A short Google search of \u201cbest holiday ad campaigns\u201d highlighted the connection between all of those classic holiday ads: contextual relevance, both with the brand and the season. Apple\u2019s ad showcased its products capabilities in an easy-to-envision scenario. Folger\u2019s connected that morning wake up with a son coming home for the holidays. These ads marry the season and the brand in a perfectly genuine way.
\nIf you\u2019re a tool company, showing Dad hanging the lights using his tools to delight his family is a natural holiday play. If you\u2019re a cleaning company, showing a cleaner helping someone finish the dishes faster so they can rejoin the family party is natural. Find your natural.<\/p>\n
Some of the best recent campaigns have included hashtags or charitable components. In one instance, Expedia showed Santa flying around the world to earn Expedia+ points, which could then be given to St. Jude\u2019s for cancer research. Viewers were then asked to do the same. This is a perfect way for a brand like Expedia to drive charity in a way that\u2019s still relevant to the brand.
\nOn the hashtag front, TD Bank created #MakeTodayMatter, which gave everyday people in 24 cities $30,000 to help their communities. Not only does this incorporate the idea of giving, it also incorporates community. Boots UK created #SpecialBecause, asking people to not only send gifts, but communicate why the recipient is special to them. This simple idea furthers the idea of gift giving as not an act of necessity but one of thoughtfulness.<\/p>\n
There are countless others creating their own holiday hashtags, which makes it all the more important for brands to create unique digital experiences. Simply expecting people to participate because it\u2019s a hashtag is asking for trouble. Instead, take a relatable avenue of the season and give it further meaning. The above two examples took the idea of giving and added a new layer of emotion.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying this because I\u2019m cynical, I\u2019m saying this because it will help you avoid obvious ploys that are unnatural to your brand. If your aim is to create an emotional experience, consider how many of these exist in the market. Is yours better? Is it natural? Are you simply aiming for an emotional angle because it\u2019s somewhat easy? Remember, consumers are bombarded with messages hoping to produce tears of joy. By lumping yourself in with an emotional message that falls flat, your marketing will look like a cheap ploy aimed at low hanging fruit.
\nGreat holiday advertising is a challenge, and it\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of caroling parodies and family reunions, but if you dig deep to find your brand\u2019s true relevance to the season, you will experience success that can last far behind December 25th.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Avoid that Lump of Coal in Your Marketing this Holiday Season As a 32-year old male with over 9 years of experience in advertising, my…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4846,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","post-grid"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/responseblog.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/HolidayAdverising_newblog.jpg","yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n