When you take into account traditional and digital advertising, the average consumer is exposed to as many as 10,000 brand messages a day. That’s about 1 every 9 seconds. There’s more clutter during the holidays making it even more difficult to stand out. Some marketers find the way to get noticed is with frequency. That’s why you’ll see or hear the same holiday ads over and over, ad infinitum (pun intended). It does work, but it’s obviously more expensive and your commercial will lose its shelf life sooner. What’s a marketer to do? Do something creative. Do something different.
The Traditional Holiday Ads
Most Christmas holiday commercials are happy, fun, and familiar. They give us the sweet, joyous idyllic version. There’s a new car with a bow in the driveway. The kitchen is clean and a shining example of organization; the dinner table looks like a Norman Rockwell painting. That tree in the living room belongs in Rockefeller Center. Presents are perfectly wrapped. There’s a comforting fire in the fireplace and, even though there’s two feet of snow on the roads, all the vehicles easily navigate and come to a safe stop.
There’s nothing wrong with that. Commercials, especially this time of year, are filled with aspiration. But, if you want to stand out and attract some attention, you do a 180. You add a dash of reality.
Marketing Around Holiday Stress
There’s traffic and rude salespeople. The gift you promised someone is sold out. You’re over budget and the potatoes are undercooked. Kids behave badly. The annoying relative you haven’t seen in years is still annoying, and they showed up early. Holiday stress is real. If you acknowledge it, you can set your product or service up as an escape from it.
From stressful holiday shopping to the feeling of displacement and longing for home, there are a multitude of creative approaches available. Make it funny. Pull a few heartstrings. Whatever direction you take, realism and a pinch of emotion can go along way.
Here are a few of our favorite ads that build around an unfavorable situation and use the product to provide some holiday joy.