November stepped in and brought busy streets with people rushing to get Christmas presents, mince pies appeared in supermarkets and constant sound of Christmas songs can be heard nearly from every store – in one word “Christmas is in the air!”..
However, what does this mean for the marketing world? 1st of November usually is the date when Christmas marketing campaigns are released. Each brand or store aims to attract more customers and of course fights to get the first place in advertising slot.
Image source: http://img.news.sina.com
I will analyse few adverts, the ones that I personally liked.
John Lewis -“Boy & Penguin”
£1 Million festive ad features a young boy playing with a CGI animated penguin called Monty to the tune of John Lennon’s Real Love. The story continues with Monty becoming sad, as he longs for companion. On Christmas day, Sam (boy) gives Monty the present – a female penguin called Mabel, as it was Monty’s dream
John Lewis is focusing to bring the ad to life in the same way that Monty and Mabel are brought to life by Sam’s imagination said Store’s spokesman.
The retailer has also worked with Microsoft on “Monty’s Magical Toy Machine”, which will be available at Oxford Street store. Children will be able to bring in their toys and have them scanned by photogrammetry technology so they appear in screen as a moving 3D image. Microsoft’s motion-sensing technology Kinect will then scan the children so they can be pictured dancing alongside their toys.
John Lewis will also bring the campaign to life in its shop windows, bringing it “to the forefront” for the first time. All John Lewis shops will feature penguins alongside products to reinforce the brand message while the Oxford Street store will feature a colony of penguins interacting with home, fashion and technology products.
Coca-Cola – ‘Make Someone Happy’
Coca-Cola is hoping to lift sales with the help of its Christmas ad ‘Give a little happiness’ at the end of unsatisfactory year. The ad will show people carrying out acts of kindness to the sound of Jimmy Durante singing ‘Make Someone Happy’.
“This year our Christmas campaign will serve our fans with more personalised brand experience than ever before. Coca-Cola has a long standing legacy of spreading festive cheer during this season and our much loved campaigns mark the unofficial countdown to Christmas. Our focus on acts of kindness remains true to the values of our Open Happiness global marketing campaign.”
The Coke Zone site will host a personalised digital greeting card service that allows video message to be sent to family and friends, while a festive themed e-commerce platform will sell gifts such as Christmas glass bottles adorned with branded ribbons. There is also a nod to Share A Coke, with some bottles carrying the name of Santa’s reindeers.
Marks & Spencer – “Magic and Sparkle”
Marks & Spencer’s this year’s Christmas advert has celebrities as well as two fairies – called Magic & Sparkle carrying out good deeds across London. They are flying around city giving people presents and even playing cupid.
The television advert is backed up by a substantial social media campaign, with M&S running a Twitter account for the fairies that will give people a chance to nominate friends and family who deserve a good deed. During the last week the “two fairies” have given out gifts across the UK, sparking speculation who was behind the idea.
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, executive director of marketing and international said: “The magic of Christmas is how it brings out that little part in all of us that wants to believe in the extraordinary. It’s a moment to escape the realities of every day and give in to the joyfulness of the festive spirit.
“We wanted to capture that feeling and bring Magic and Sparkle to life in a fun and light-hearted way that spreads a little cheer.”
What have we learnt from listed marketing campaigns?!
- Convince your bosses to allocate budget and get some celebrities involved.
- Be creative, innovative, magical and humorous.
- Illustrate acts of kindness and happiness.
- Be interactive with customers
- Use social media platforms
- Get your fans to share their own experiences. We all think our own Christmas is the best Christmas.
- Don’t forget who your customer is and tailor your campaign accordingly.
Information source: www.marketingweek.com