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It’s never too early to prepare for the holidays and coming off this year’s holiday season, there is no better time than now to reflect while it’s still fresh in our minds. As I looked at 2022 Holiday marketing and advertising campaigns, I noted elements that made certain campaigns stand out more than others. So, what makes any holiday ad stand out from the crowd? What produces positive feedback, draws consumers in, and ultimately generates conversions? Here are a few key components I believe make for successful holiday marketing that all businesses and brands can incorporate next year!
Whit and Quirk
Humor boosts retention! I found that if a holiday marketing campaign made me laugh or was clever, it stood out in my mind and made me reflect on that brand as well as the product. It is scientifically proven that humor activates the brain’s dopamine reward system, which stimulates goal-oriented motivation and long-term memory and ensures that consumers are more likely to develop a relationship with your brand. Consider incorporating puns, jokes, wordplay, and other humorous elements to add a light-hearted and memorable element to your marketing.
A 2022 Holiday Ad that incorporates this aspect perfectly is the Spotify Wrapped Print Campaign, #SpotifyWrapped. These print ads, shared both digitally on social media and on billboards and signs, share people’s listening personalities through jokes and puns catered to their music preferences.
Cultural Relevance
Get in sync with your audience by incorporating pop-culture references! This gives your brand a feeling of relevance and a sense that you are in touch with a continually evolving culture. This also draws a vaster audience to your brand and its products, allowing you to further connections with consumers to build longer-lasting relationships through relatability and common interests. A great holiday marketing example of this is Old Navy’s 2022 Holiday Commercial featuring Jennifer Coolidge, an actress on one of the year’s most popular shows, The White Lotus. Besides featuring a pop-culture staple, the tagline of this ad campaign reads- “This #ad was #inspired by the #internet.” Enough said!
Have some fun with this in your marketing! The incorporation of trends and pop-culture references, even in a small way, will make a big impact on your brand, while increasing brand recognition and shareability.
Get Creative
With so much holiday-themed marketing being pushed out to consumers, it’s essential to stand out. It’s easier said than done but take some time to research and look for repetitive elements in other holiday marketing campaigns and try to drift from those elements. If you find something that resonates with you, try to remix it to make it personalized to your brand (modernize, incorporate your products, branding, etc.).
Of course, creativity is fundamental in all advertising and marketing, but don’t be afraid to go beyond thinking outside of the box. The more original you are in your holiday marketing tactics the more memorable they will be to consumers. In turn, your brand recognition will grow – consumers will form a deeper connection with you and will be more likely to purchase your products.
A fabulous example of this is McDonald’s 2022 holiday print ad series. These print ads showcase McDonald’s products in the shape of different holiday memorabilia, creating the perfect blend of creativity and differentiation that cannot be duplicated because it is so personal to the brand.
Relatability
Relatable marketing speaks directly to the consumer. You want people to be able to picture themselves using your product and incorporating your brand into their lifestyle.
So, what does this entail? Be inclusive and diverse in your holiday marketing. This could mean representing not only Christmas but the other many holidays and cultures celebrated during the holiday season. It’s also essential to include people of all backgrounds, genders, abilities, etc.
A great example of this is Target’s 2022 Holiday campaign, Finding Joy.
Relatability makes your brand significant to a broader audience that you can form lasting relationships with. After all, the holidays are a time for peace, love, and joy, so incorporate that by celebrating all people and communities alike!
With a little touch of holiday marketing magic, your brand can reflect an increasingly successful and memorable holiday marketing campaign next season that is guaranteed to stand out from the rest.
For more help with all things marketing, give AG Marketing Solutions a call at 610-337-8484.
