Christmas has come and gone, and now that we are well into the New Year, we finally have time to look at all those holiday campaigns with new eyes. These end-of-year almost always set the tone for the year ahead in marketing and these 3 campaigns are no exception. From storytelling at its best to hashtag campaigns with heart, here are our favorite holiday marketing campaigns and how they can help to prepare your small business for the rest of 2017…
Waitrose Welcomes Us Home
2016 was the year of the story and that was never more evident than in Watirose’s holiday campaign about a little robin just trying to do what we all do at Christmas… make it on home. This rather lengthy ad followed the determined robin on quite the adventure that eventually left him wounded, but when all hope was lost… a good-hearted fisherman bound his wounds and saved the day. Spoiler alert: The robin was a family man and made it home just in time to see his wife and boy.
Use the magic:
Storytelling often takes a little longer than your average time slot, but when done right, it can offer you quite the return on your efforts. This ad not only left consumers in awe, it also garnered quite a bit of industry attention that left us all wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
You can use the magic from this campaign to make the most out of your own marketing efforts. Can’t afford the big budget of Waitrose? Consider running new ads each week in the newspaper instead. Tell a story over time. Be creative! Create a character and ask readers to help you decide where his story goes.
#ChristmasSoWhite Celebrates Diversity
When an advertising exec was busy working on a school website, she ran into some major issues with the stock photo selections available to her. Every. Single. Photograph… featured only white families. First, she surveyed her own emotions and then, tried to pick a photo anyway. With no luck, she brought in the help of her friend’s young daughter who chose a photograph of the back of a family’s heads. This sparked a passion to do something about it.
With a passion to see the way marketers represent Christmas joy and togetherness, Christmas So White was born. The campaign has now been backed by Google and MediaCom. The founder has also partnered with Looks Like Me, a modeling firm who specializes in diverse beauty of all shapes, sizes and colors. The company is currently shopping the photos to distribution brands in hope of changing the industry norm and creating a more diverse look at what Christmas really means.
Use the magic:
This campaign sought to solve a real problem. Our world is diverse. Our experiences are diverse. This kind of whistle-blower campaign bridged a gap that should have never existed. You can snag this magic by using your voice to make your community a better place. For example, team up with a local children’s charity and have the children design an ad for your campaign. This raises awareness for the cause and is good press for your business.
John Lewis Brings Us the Super-Happy (and Jumpy) Holiday Dog
The most shared ad of the entire year, John Lewis’ Buster the Boxer was a runaway hit. The dog was so likeable that the company spun him into a toy line that got quite the amount of attention. Building brand trust and visibility, John Lewis had a rare across-the-board hit that crossed over from marketing tool to viral video.
Use the magic:
Buster was likeable and personable. He evoked a home-at-last feeling in all of us and this connection helped us to better connect with a brand that many of us had never even heard of. You can make this idea work for you by finding ways to identify your business with a mascot. People react positively to likable characters… you just have to dream one up. It helps if you can make a great story that makes your character more likeable.
January is a great time to start working on your 2017 holiday campaigns because you are still fresh in the mindset of the season and not caught up in trying to get your own holidays at home conquered, bought and wrapped. Here’s to a bright new year of opportunities to sprinkle your own unique brand of magic on the world.
To learn about how to improve your marketing strategies, give us a call or send us a note today at Small Dog Creative 661-702-1310!
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