3 Holiday campaigns we love... and why they work

Given we’re experiencing our first real snow of the season this week in Toronto, we thought we would take a look at some of our favourite holiday campaigns out there and why they are so successful. Sometimes, for your own marketing strategy, it’s good to look at what other brands are doing so you can figure out what works best for you.

WESTJET

WestJet just knows how to do holiday marketing right. Their public stunt paired with a follow up viral video tugs people’s heart strings in the right way. It works because it focuses on such a non-commercial message – giving and kindness. While it is obviously branded (the WestJet logo and blue Santa are all over the place), the focus is on spreading joy to others, and that feeling is contagious. It helps that people love sharing feel-good content on social media, especially around the holidays.

Although WestJet generally runs campaigns like this around the holidays, we especially loved the 2015 12,000 mini miracles campaign. The staff performed 12,000 mini miracles (random acts of kindness) over a 24-hour period. They keep setting the bar higher and higher each year.

STARBUCKS

Like it or not, Starbucks Holiday Cups make a splash every year. People wait in anticipation to see what the design will be. Of course, as you know, the Holiday Cups have become somewhat polarizing in the past few years. While some of us just prefer to drink our coffee (or hot chocolate!) our of fun cups, others use it as a way to explain the new “war on Christmas.”

This campaign works because it plays to the Instagrammable world of it’s target audience – thousands of opportunities each year for user-generated content. Whether you wait to see what the cup looks like so you can post that social media-worthy pic, or you are part of the angry digital mob polishing off your pitch fork, this campaign is here to stay!

EDEKA SUPERMARKET

With almost 60 million views on YouTube, this German supermarket’s ad went viral across the world in 2015. It dealt with love, loneliness, family, loss, and all of the little things that are important over the holidays. Edeka couldn’t have known that this ad would have such a global impact, but in a world where we are so focused on commercialism, they focused on the beauty of the holidays. And they did so while advertising their product in a tasteful way.

We dare you to watch this video and not feel… something.

In marketing, holiday campaigns are about so much more than gift guides and catalogues. As a brand, it’s your job to figure out what resonates with your audience and build that into your strategy.

What are your favourite holiday campaigns?