Happy Holidays: 5 Fun Ideas for Seasonal Campaigns
The 2010 holiday season is upon us and between preparing holiday menus, shopping, and social events, you'll likely notice some of your favorite brands conducting creative online campaigns in the weeks to come. This month, we'll take a look at some effective and creative approaches to seasonal campaigns.
Whether you're a retailer seeking to increase sales, a non-profit that wants to raise seasonal donations, or a B2B organization seeking to wish clients a happy holiday season, seasonal campaigns can be an effective means for connecting with key audiences and accomplishing strategic goals. The following are some proven strategies for creating effective holiday marketing initiatives.
Commercial & Non-Profit Partnerships
For many people, the holiday season is a time for giving, both to loved ones and to charitable organizations. So it's no surprise that commercial and non-profit partnerships can create effective holiday campaigns that benefit both organizations involved. Last year, Macy's teamed up with the Make-A-Wish-Foundation to create an interactive online experience. Macy's asked website visitors to send an e-mail or post a video to Santa explaining why they believe in giving and the holiday spirit. For each letter or video, Macy's donated $1 to the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, up to $1 million.
According to the 2010 Cone Nonprofit Marketing Trend Tracker report, more than three quarters (78%) of Americans believe that a partnership like this makes a cause stand out and 59% say they are more likely to buy a product if it is associated with a good cause. Half of Americans also say they are more likely to donate to a non-profit involved in this kind of partnership. 'We have seen many companies reap the benefits of cause-related partnerships,' says Alison DaSilva, Vice President of Cause Branding at Cone. 'These results reveal the same benefits hold true for the non-profit brand. Strategic corporate partnerships can help nonprofits stand out and create new, loyal ambassadors.'
Viral Content
'Viral marketing comes alive during the holiday season because everyone experiences the holidays together and it hits close to home,' says Brian Easter, CEO of NeboWeb. While marketers can never guarantee that a certain website or video will 'go viral,' spreading quickly and gaining widespread attention, there are a few factors that can increase the chances of this happening, including humor, personalized features, and social media sharing capabilities.
One of the best examples of a holiday viral campaign is Office Max's Elf Yourself, an interactive website that lets users upload photos of themselves, family, and friends, then watch elf caricatures of themselves dance to classic Christmas songs. First launched in 2006, the site has been reincarnated each year with new twists and features. Elf Yourself received an impressive 35 million hits its first year and over 193 million hits its second holiday season. While viral marketing is often aimed toward a young demographic, Elf Yourself proved viral initiatives can reach baby boomers with people over 55 making up 40% of the site's visitors. Marketers should keep in mind that viral holiday campaigns are generally most effective for branding and creating buzz. 'We were looking to build the brand, warm up our image,' says Bob Thacker, Vice President of Advertising at Office Max. 'We weren't looking for sales. We are the third place players in our industry, so we are trying to differentiate ourselves through humor and humanization.'
Social Media Promotions
Social media holiday promotions can be a great way for brands to encourage users to reach out to them on networks like Twitter and Facebook, reward their most loyal and influential audiences, and provide them with incentives to stay connected over social media year-round. Earlier this month, Lowe's Home Improvement held a Black Friday Sneak Peek Party over Facebook, during which it gave out coupon codes over a period of 3 days allowing a limited number of customers to buy select items at 90% off. Those Facebook friends who missed out on the 90% off deals received codes for 10% off their next purchases, providing everyone with an incentive to check out Lowe's products and stores. This part is especially important since 45% of online shoppers will use social networks to help make purchasing decisions this year, according to research conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation and Yesmail.
Mobile Outreach
Mobile is becoming an increasingly important channel for brands to communicate with their constituents and holiday campaigns are no exception. According to Deloitte, 19% of shoppers will use mobile platforms as part of their holiday shopping routines this year. While most shoppers will be researching store addresses and hours of operation, this can be an excellent chance for retailers to ensure or increase sales by providing a special message or offer. 'Consumers are turning to mobile, online, and social media during their entire holiday shopping experience,' says Stacy Janiak, Vice Chairman at Deloitte. 'Retailers should consider harnessing this activity to turn browsers into buyers with one-click access to coupons, promotions, and purchasing tools.'
During the 2009 holiday season Starbucks ran ads within the Pandora iPhone application, aiming to drive in-store traffic and promote a cause it had teamed up with for the holiday season. For every sale of its Playing for Change CD, Starbucks donated $1 to The Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. By running mobile ads on a mobile music application, Starbucks was able to promote its seasonal charitable affiliation, drive in-store traffic among on-the-go users, and promote its seasonal flavors and offerings.
E-Greetings
More and more businesses are turning to e-cards and landing pages as opposed to traditional holiday cards for economic, environmental, and engagement purposes. Corporate holiday e-cards are an excellent opportunity to tell stories of corporate charitable giving, share pictures and video from a company holiday party, engage constituents through a unique game or tool, or simply wish audiences a happy holiday season.
A great example of a unique holiday e-card is E-dialog's 2009 holiday e-greeting. Last year, E-Dialog, an e-mail service provider, sent its clients an e-mail greeting with a link to a Flash snowball fight game. The unique twist was that each game was personalized for the recipients, allowing them to aim snowballs at the account managers and technical personnel they work with regularly. Campaigns like these accomplish their missions by being fun and memorable, while helping to spread holiday cheer to business contacts.
Whether the goal is to drive sales, inspire donations, or simply connect with constituents and wish them a happy holiday season, seasonal campaigns can be a fun, engaging, and effective means for achieving business goals. Depending on the industry, seasonal campaigns may extend beyond the winter holidays, revolving around events like back-to-school, birthdays, or other key dates throughout the year. Online marketers should keep in mind that in addition to being strategic and supporting important goals, holiday campaigns should above all be fun and genuine in order to truly connect with key audiences.