Planning Your Festive Campaigns

By Anandi Vara

It’s October, so naturally we need to talk about December…  

But no, really. When it comes to your holiday campaigns, the earlier you start planning the better. Whether it’s a PR campaign or a social one, this will give you the ample time needed to build a strong campaign and will help prevent any festive flustering.

Here are the 6 things you should consider:

1.      Objectives

First thing’s first. What are you hoping to achieve from this campaign? This could be anything from increased sales to brand awareness but identifying your purpose will not only make the rest of your planning easier, but it will make your whole campaign more focused. Once you’ve set clear objectives you can start planning the best way to achieve them.

2.      Audience

Now that you know what your campaign will aim to do, it’s time to decide who you want to aim it at. Defining your audience will help tailor your language in any press releases, and social copy and with help give a very concise direction when/if you promote the posts, it will also determine the look and feel of the content you create.

3.      Creative

This is the fun bit. It’s now time to look at how best to visualise your campaign. When it comes to the creative, you need to think about what mood you want your content to convey. Whether it’s funny, serious or nostalgic, you must ensure that both your copy and your imagery follow the same tone of voice, are consistent and most of all, stand out…which brings us on to the next point.

4.      Standing out

Let’s face it. Almost every brand out there will be doing something around the festive season. You have to ensure that the content you create is strong enough to stand out against all of the other tree-themed, candy cane coloured and bouncing bauble posts that exist. So, whether you have striking images or fun video content, make sure it’s original and memorable.    

5.      Incentives/appeal

When the market is saturated with brands posting the same kind of content, you have to ask yourself, ‘why would someone be interested in mine?’ You have to look at your content as an outsider and look at what makes it appealing. This can be anything from adding animations, making the copy fun and playful and offering incentives such as competitions and giveaways.

6.      Things to be aware of

• You might have noticed that up until now, the word ‘Christmas’ hadn’t been used. With trees aplenty and Santa adorning every shop window, it’s easy to see why your first thoughts go to Christmas, however be very conscious about keeping your campaign neutral.
• Terms and conditions. If you do indeed run some competitions, be sure to include terms and conditions. This will ensure that both you and your audience follow the rules of the competition and any online regulations. 
• Don’t make it too complicated. Whether you’re deciding on your design style or laying out the rules for a competition, keep your content simple and easy to understand.

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