1. Google’s “Santa Tracker”
We’ll start with a true holiday marketing classic: Google’s Santa Tracker, which has been running since 2004. During this time, users have been able to follow Santa Claus on his annual gift-giving trek around the world.
The Santa Tracker campaign began as a basic Google Earth visualization of Santa’s route (or Keyhole Earth Viewer, as it was called then). It has, however, changed in a variety of ways since then. For example, the site has grown to include information about the cities Santa visits, as well as “live updates” from the sleigh.
Google manages to sell their map service in a fun and engaging way using Santa Tracker. The most important takeaway from this marketing effort is that it appeals to a wide range of audiences, including both young children and adults. Furthermore, by integrating mythology and technology in an unusual way, Google was able to put a new twist on an ancient story while also making its brand synonymous with the tradition.
2. Office Depot’s “Elf Yourself”
This is the next campaign, which is another interactive and playful promotion that appeals to both children and adults. Elf Yourself is a recurring Office Depot campaign that allows individuals to design elves based on photos of themselves (or other people). The site and app have been used to make over one billion elves since 2006.
New features, such as Augmented Reality (AR) and the opportunity to print your elf as a seasonal greeting card, have been added to the Elf Yourself app in recent years. Users can also use the marketing hashtag #ElfYourself to showcase their creations on social media.
This is an example of how a holiday marketing can be utilized to build brand recognition rather than directly increase conversions or sales. You may get the word out about your business without openly pushing your products or services by giving something entertaining and interesting for your users to play with.
3. Google’s “Home Alone, Again”
Nostalgia may be a powerful motivator for sharing content. That’s what Google’s 2018 commercial “Home Alone Again” capitalized on. The video, which featured an adult Macauly Culkin, appealed into a plethora of seasonal emotions. The brief movie, which was created by the Arts & Letters firm and directed by Mike Warzin via Arts & Sciences, also displays all of Google Assistant’s top features.
The imagery and overall mood of the video are intended to transport everyone who grew up viewing the Home Alone flicks as a holiday tradition. When the bad guys enter the picture, Google Assistant reminds “Kevin” that he has the house to himself for the day and organically presents its smart home choices.
This commercial uses a form of media that has been appreciated by many generations. The original film was released in 1990, thus the commercial would likely appeal to a wide range of consumers, from baby boomers to millennials. Wrapping your adverts around something your audience remembers is a marketing strategy that can be shared across platforms and generations.
4. “A new normal, a new Christmas” Submitted by KFC
We all know that Santa Claus is a staple of most countries’ holiday celebrations, so he couldn’t miss a spot in this 2020 KFC advertisement, “New Normal, New Christmas.”
Colonel Sanders and his colleagues decided to try a comic approach to Santa’s coming after more than a year of the pandemic, quarantines, sanitizer, masks, and much more.
Sure, COVID-19 as leverage appears to be a tad overused. Nonetheless, the creative team behind this campaign hit it out of the park, combining two common themes for its target audience: the arrival of an outside party to our homes over the holiday season and the biosecurity precautions that go along with it.
Furthermore, adopting global themes like this one increases your chances of reaching a larger audience, including folks you may not have previously considered as a target.
5. Target’s “Holiday Odyssey”
Every holiday season is, in some ways, a journey. At least, that’s what Target’s “The Holiday Odyssey” campaign from 2015 claims. A series of short video snippets including cameos from the Minions, Barbie, Star Wars characters, and even Neil Patrick Harris were the campaign’s most noticeable aspect.
These storytelling films, however, were simply one part of a larger campaign that included various marketing channels. Target also brought the “Odyssey” into their actual stores, in addition to a dedicated website and social media promotion. Target was able to achieve total synergy across numerous platforms as a result of this, which is good for firms with a large audience.
If you don’t have the reach and funding of a huge corporation, this is naturally tough. Nonetheless, it emphasizes the significance of utilizing numerous marketing channels in your own campaign.
Sure, you might not be allowed to include NPH in your advertisements. However, you may still combine your online and offline presences to create an all-encompassing campaign that appeals to all parts of your target audience.
