Christmas Advertising Strategy
Non-traditional Ads May Rise Above the Holiday Clutter
Since the holiday season is the most challenging time of the year for advertisers, it may be a good time for small firms to play contrarians, to drive their advertising against the flow of the crowd.
This is the season most retailers rely on to make most of their money, an opportunity window that opens only once a year. It is the most competitive busines period of the year. Retailers compete in price, inventory, hours of operation and service. They hope they have the season’s hot products.
They must compete for ad positions in newspapers, magazines and billboards, and for ad time in television and radio, usually at higher prices.
Rise Above the Ad Clutter
They are challenged to be seen and/or heard in the greatest advertising clutter of the year. Newspapers, magazines and mail boxes bulge with full-page ads, special sections and inserts featuring Santa, Christmas trees, wreaths, red ribbons, snow scenes and endless traditional greetings. Many ad writers don’t even try to avoid the holiday cliches. It’s questionable whether consumers associate the Christmas icons with any company anymore.
All this creates a wide open field for clever contrarians. Don't play the "bah humbug" or Scrooge card, but look for words, graphics and themes outside the Christmas cliches.
Some Christmas advertisers dislayed early contrarian tendencies:
- The National Football League peddles Christmas stockings with team logos and colors, instead of the traditional red stockings.
- The Salvation Army reverts to black-and-white flood scenes in its quest for Christmas contributions.
- Marks & Spencer, Britian’s largest clothing retailer, features Hollywood movies of the 1940s and performers such as Lizzie Jagger, Antonio Banderas and Twiggy. They don’t mention Bing Crosby or White Christmas.
Social Issues Inspire Traditional and Contrarian Approaches
Social issues create opportunities for both traditional and contrarian Christmas advertising. They include the continuing campaign to "keep Christ in Christmas," a movement sometimes so overwhelmed by Santa Claus that it might be considered contrarian, an ironic twist.
Peace remains a favorite Christmas theme, but now carries political sensitivities. Environmental and forest preservation issues generate Christmas recycling and energy-saving themes, even for Christmas tree lights.
Seize an issue. Give Santa some surprising new role. Run him for president. Volunteer him for an anti-obesity program. Have him report on conditions in the North Pole. Use Rudolph's red nose to save energy. Bring Santa's elves down from the North Pole to help the poor. Volunteer them in Habitat for Humanity.
Going back to the real meaning of Christmas often works, but requires a delicate touch when trying to sell products such as today’s kid clothing and the latest violent video games. Because those games are raising the broadcasting decibel levels to new heights, a bit of soft music might be welcome in commercials. Budweiser has had great success with its Clydesdales and some pleasant Christmas music.
Red and green colors pour out of most ads every Christmas, so try high quality black-and-white photography to attract attention, and save money.
Ebay, YouTube, Greeting Cards Provide Ideas
Some nostalgic, if not contrarian, Christmas advertising ideas can be found on:
- Ebay, which has scores of old Christmas advertising items for sale;
- Christmas card websites and catalogs, which usually come out before media ads do;
- YouTube, which can be counted on to produce some youthful insights.
Small businesses can develop more ad ideas by involving their employees and/or good customers in brainstorming sessions.
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