Christmastime is here, which means there are several great holiday content ads out and about—from the TV to out there in the wild. This year, while I made my Christmas shopping rounds, I decided to carry my superpower copywriter glasses and along the shopping way, caught a few great Christmas ads and setups to inspire you for Christmas and holiday marketing.
I saw many a Santa, Rudolph’s red nose a-gleaming in multiple locations, and heard Christmas carols till I couldn’t anymore. It was really a great time and I am happy to share some of what I saw with you! Here are a few stores and a charity that really captured the Christmas advertising spirit!
1. Salvation Army – Firefighters and Bag Pipes. While out doing my Christmas shopping, I noticed that there were several bell ringers out for the Salvation Army. This is something that I absolutely enjoy about the holidays because many people will feel more inclined to give during the season, helping many. However, I’ve recently noticed that the volunteers seem to blend into the background and some people might just ignore them in the hustle and bustle of gift buying.
When I was walking up to a store on my Christmas route, I noticed something different about some volunteers – they were firefighters and one had bagpipes. Mr. Bagpipe Guy (this is his unofficial name) wasn’t playing anything yet; just chatting with other shoppers. I went inside the store to buy my gifts and some decorations, and when I headed through the crowds and checkout lines to the door, I heard Mr. Bagpipe Guy playing Greensleeves. He then switched to other Christmas hymns as shoppers bustled in and out. However, every single shopper made sure to take a few seconds out of their busy shopping to gather some change and drop it into the donation bucket.
I thought this was absolutely brilliant on the Salvation Army’s part! People are more willing to support the men and women who protect us, no matter what line of work they are in. And who doesn’t like hearing bagpipes play on Christmas – there’s just something very Christmas-like about them. While not exactly an ad, this probably helped bring in more donations for the Salvation Army.
2. Bass Pro Shops. If you live in the Midwest or South (or a few select Northern areas) then you know all about Bass Pro Shops. Whether you are a hunter, fisher or just like some great quality flannel, you know Bass Pro is the place to go. Bass Pro happened to be on my route of Christmas shopping. Currently, there isn’t a major season such as hunting or fishing that Bass Pro would normally advertise for, except, of course, Christmas. They had deals galore for everything from camouflage to Under Armor and various nice clothing.
One thing I did notice is that Bass Pro is taking the flannel fad and are making it readily available and mostly affordable with many Christmas deals. This is a great example of jumping on the latest trend wagon even if you don’t know how you can market to certain demographics. They marketed the flannel shirts as great gifts for family and friends, with fashion tips for how to wear it or advice on how certain flannel is good for cold weather camping or wearing around the house.
Bass Pro made sure to incorporate the holiday spirit into all of their advertisement and they even have a Santa Claus for kids to get pictures with. This gives families from all over the chance to go to a shop that interests them while still enjoying the holidays. I love seeing the various Santa Claus’ everywhere and think this is a perfect holiday ad. How many people are more willing to buy from a store after seeing Santa? I’m sure many of us are! Santa just says, “Merry Christmas!” Everyone who sees him can’t help but smile and get into the Christmas spirit.
3. Locally Owned Bookstores Know How to Sell Books. While I was out and about, the one thing I really wanted to do was buy a few books for friends at locally owned shops. I enjoy supporting local as much as possible because it helps support more than just the shop, but my community as well. This particular store has had a pretty awesome social media approach to the holidays sharing photos when it snows as well as photos of Christmastime from various stock photo sites. When you walk in the store, you are instantly greeted and the smell of old books greets you, as well. The bookstore is prepped and ready for Christmas and they constantly encourage followers to support local for the holidays. I really enjoyed this and thought their holiday social media approach was really a great way to bring people in this holiday season.
4. Target Isn’t Just Celebrating Christmas and the New Year. One thing I find very important when it comes to the holiday season is for stores to have sections available for other holidays celebrated around Christmastime. The most well known holiday is that of Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, which lasts eight days. Many stores only market for Christmas, or, if they market for the Jewish holiday, they only have a small end cap tucked away in a corner. However, Target understands what it means to, well, hit the marketing target and reach out to a wider audience.
As I went through their store, I saw content ads galore for Christmas and even went to their “Christmas Shop,” which is filled with tons of Christmas décor. However, on my way, I couldn’t help but notice their rather large and obvious section of Hanukkah decorations, cards, gift ideas, and hilarious toys, including Mensch on a Bench. This is a great idea for those who celebrate the holiday for religious or family reasons, as well as those who would like to keep the tradition alive. The combination of Christmas and Hanukkah in Target was a great marketing move on their part by welcoming in both holidays. What a way to make everyone happy no matter which holiday they celebrate!
5. Barnes and Noble Knows Impulse Buys, Lines, and Santa! The next stop on my Christmas shopping trek was Barnes and Noble. Again, I had a list of different books to get family and friends, and was quite excited to head into the store to find the gifts. When I entered, I noticed that the line was horrendously long, but I also noticed that the store had set up something rather ingenious – the impulse buy Disneyland line. (If you don’t know what Disneyland line is, it is one that snakes around several times, fitting many people into a smaller space.) This is exactly what Barnes and Noble did, but they made sure that people had plenty to look at and buy throughout the entire line.
However, I didn’t head to the line right away – I had presents to buy! I gathered the items from my list, including kid’s books and when I went to the fun kid section, they had a special visitor. That’s right, the man himself, Mr. Santa Claus! Kids were so excited to see him and all were gathered around talking. I liked this particular setup because Santa wasn’t surrounded by tons of fake presents and a line of red rope. In fact, he was sitting in a simple wooden rocking chair with space all around him making it easy for kids to approach him no matter what. This is such a great idea and all of the kids really enjoyed it because once someone finished with a picture, every child was able to crowd around the jolly man and talk his ear off. This made Santa approachable and you could tell that every kid was incredibly happy to be that close to him for so long.
After getting my items, I headed to the line and noticed that it was rather small now. As I walked through the snaking aisles leading to the registers, I saw interesting item after interesting item. While it might not be my proudest moment, I fell for the impulse buy because Barnes and Noble made sure to have something for everyone. As a copywriter, I saw this as something awesome because many impulse buy sections can easily fail if they don’t have enough of a variety. Barnes and Noble did, and I don’t think a single person got through that line without making an impulse purchase or two.
As I got to the front, I realized the snaking aisle was not just a way to promote impulse buys, but to also get people through quicker. They had a helper at the front of the line, directing people to open cash registers and each worker at the registers moved with skilled efficiency all while being cheerful. Barnes and Noble was a pleasant shopping experience, and I have to say, it may have been my favorite of the day.
One Store Failed at Christmas Marketing & Holiday Content Ads
On my journeys, I did come across one store that did not show any Christmas cheer with ads or decorations. I am going to take a look at this and show you how to avoid following their example.
Don’t Follow The Example of Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I did see quite a bit of amazing Christmas advertising in the way of adding Christmas cheer and businesses simply being nice. However, I went to one store that was a downright fail when it came to Christmas marketing, which I think can be a great lesson as to why holiday spirit is vital to your business.
When I walked up to the front door of Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I was looking for Christmas decorations. This is such a wonderful time of year, and I love seeing how each and every place decorates whether it is a business or a house. I didn’t notice anything major – no decals, lights, or even a wreath. Once inside, there wasn’t anything remotely Christmas; no content ads, zero decorations, and I noticed that it was the first store where I didn’t hear Christmas music. The one thing I did happen to notice however was that everyone, staff included, seemed grumpy and ready to get out of the store. I feel that this is correlated with the lack of Christmas cheer. We all know Christmas shopping is stressful and everyone can be rather grumpy at times, but you usually see some people happy as they shop. You especially notice that people perk up when Christmas shopping if they see lots of neat decorations and hear classic Christmas hymns and popular songs crooning from the stereo system.
Bed, Bath, and Beyond had a great chance to get more people to buy more items, but all anyone could think of was getting what they came for and leaving. I noticed I had zero inclination to grab any impulse buys or look around. In fact, my thought was that I could get a few things if I went back to Target, which seemed preferable to this Grinch-like store. This is not something any store wants – they don’t want to lose sales to their competitors. When it is the holiday season, if you question whether or not you should add some great Christmas cheer, always opt for adding it! It will make everyone happy and convince people to shop with you or use more of your services simply because you put them in a good mood.
Wishing All of Our Clients a Very Merry Christmas!
I enjoyed going out and shopping, but also looking for some great business Christmas spirit to inspire you! I hope you were able to glean some great information from these stores and can use them in your next Christmas ad campaign whether online or in a physical store or shop.
From all of us here at Express Writers, we want to wish you a very merry Christmas! Take the chance to enjoy time with your family this Christmas season.
Photo credit: Kmonroe2 / iStock