With Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals still going strong and Christmas itself now just a matter of weeks away, brands are fighting hard to make sure they retain visibility during the most competitive time of the year.
So we asked marketers how – during especially busy retail seasons such as the golden quarter – brands can make sure they stand out among all the Christmas noise?
Helenor Gilmour, director of insight, Beano Brain
“When it comes to Gen Alpha, for brands, standing out is no different at Christmas than at any other time of the year. Their worlds are already super-crowded, so brands must work both hard and smart to grab their attention all year – this will pay off at Christmas.
In our annual review of the Coolest Brands, according to kids, the brands that did well in 2023 have two key things in common (both of which can be ramped up for the festive season).
Brands with salience and a super clear proposition, like Nike with their invitation to ‘Just Do It’, are uber-cool. And tubes of Pringles with their shareability and cooler than crisps persona hit the right note with both kids and families. So, I’d say – be more you, just with added Christmas on top!
Brands that lean into the pulse of kids’ calendars (and key traditions) can feel more relevant to them, especially those that encourage shareability. That can mean creating a home for feel-good Christmas movies, like Netflix, or establishing rituals unique to the brand, like Oreo dunking or twisting, but with an extra sprinkling of festive cheer.”
Kirsty Hathaway, executive creative director, JOAN London
“So, it is pretty busy out there, isn’t it? Christmas ads have been coming in thick and fast and we are smack bang in the middle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday season. Standing out is hard, but so is the cost of living, and Christmas compounds this pressure further.
This year, 53% of shoppers are putting aside funds to shop in the sales so there is an audience actively shopping. My advice is to be specific, be targeted, know your audience. GWI cites that Gen Z are keen to get a bargain, so if this is your audience get creative in the influencer space, play with the great products TikTok has to offer – be where they are and engage with them in a way that resonates.
We remain in an ‘always shopping’ world as opposed to ‘going shopping’, especially at Christmas time, so lean into a path to purchase with the least friction. #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt is a real, real thing.”
Subscribe to Marketing Beat for free
Sign up here to get the latest marketing news sent straight to your inbox each morning
Katy Dunn, strategy partner, RAPP
“I finally succumbed to the power of TikTok Shop; its algorithm hounded me until I gave in to a primer created by a former Love Islander. While it’s not the best I’ve ever used, I can’t deny the brilliant experience I had with TikTok’s integrated shop.
Social media is no longer the home of inspiration; it’s where money is made. Almost half of all UK consumers have purchased via social media platforms in the last six months, one-third of businesses are selling via social media and global social commerce sales are expected to surpass $1t in 2023.
Social commerce’s impact on consumer purchase behaviour is undeniable, and this Christmas season, brands need to think social-first to stand out and capture sales where consumers are. The recent partnership between Amazon and Meta is further proof that brands need to take social commerce seriously.
This is not only a smart strategic partnership, driving reach for Amazon’s sellers and additional revenue for all parties; it will also see the creation of a commerce powerhouse and, most importantly, create more frictionless customer experiences.
With retail more competitive than ever, brands need to lean into the experiences that platforms like TikTok and Meta are creating. If they don’t, their competitors will.”
Rebecca Fry, head of product, Omnicom Media Group UK
“Time is at a premium for shoppers every day of the year, but especially during the Christmas period. Brands therefore need to plan for, and react to, the inevitable increase in impulsive purchases that will be made across popular gifting categories. But there are ways brands can capitalise upon the reduced time the shopper will spend in the consideration phase.
Drive shopper connection through personalisation: capture the shopper’s attention at every brand touchpoint through tailored communications and experiences. Whether it’s a personalised on-site UX, highly relevant product recommendations via CRM based on browsing or purchase behaviour, or leveraging DCO for impactful creative, shoppers will likely spend more if your strategy is highly personalised.
Take choice to the shopper (don’t make them find it): shoppers are overwhelmed by choice at this time of year. Brands and retailers alike need to make their media shoppable and take relevant products to the shopper. In doing this, shoppers have fewer purchase steps and less dwell time, resulting in a higher conversion from a streamlined purchase experience.
Remove digital dead-ends to create a seamless purchase journey: while this is best practice all year round, any interruption to the purchase journey when shoppers are so time poor is likely to be detrimental to conversion. Anything from a broken site link to an ad for an out of stock product – these add breakpoints to the purchase journey and when overwhelmed by choice, shoppers will likely go elsewhere.”
