Christmastime is one filled with light, merriment, food, family, and goodwill. It is also a time of consumerism. The final month of the year can often contribute to as much as 20% of the yearly takings, which means a company without a strong Christmas creative content marketing campaign is one that may as well fill its stockings with coal. But consumers have cottoned on to the fact that companies roll out their big marketing guns for Christmastime, so in order to stand out and sparkle brighter than the masses, the creative marketing content campaign needs to be clever.
Here is a countdown of 5 of the best Christmas creative content marketing campaigns, and why they worked so well.
5. John Lewis - every year
John Lewis has been rolling out Christmas ads - in the creative marketing sense - since 2007. But it wasn't until 2013's The Bear and the Hare that things really kicked off and the annual JL Christmas ad became a Christmas tradition akin to the First Noel and hanging the wreath. With the 2015 ad of The Man on the Moon bringing in sales - musical metrics to the ears of anyone monitoring marketing success. The creative content marketing also spread to do good by teaming up with AgeUK to draw attention to the loneliness of the elderly around Christmastime. 2016's offering of Buster the Boxer didn't go down as well as its predecessors, but that does nothing to quell our intrigue come November 2017 when we wait eagerly for the latest creative content marketing campaign from John Lewis.
4. Aldi's Man on the Moon
What big department stores do well with genuine emotion and sincere film making, the parody-maker does better. Aldi took John Lewis's Man on the Moon and ran with it. A good parody can always supersede its original and many people remember the ending of the moon advert giving the old man a galactic girlfriend. Well played, Aldi.
3. Sainsbury's Christmas Armistice
It has been said that all press is good press, but perhaps that isn't always the case. Sainsbury's 2014 Christmas campaign featured an advert that depicted Christmas Day 1914 where the Western Front was blanketed in a Christmas truce. While this was undoubtedly a tearjerker for even the Grinchiest of hearts, Sainsbury's was flooded by complaints. Many took umbridge with the exploitation of the First World War in order to contribute to their retail sales. Sainsbury's Christmas campaigns are generally a mixed-bag, and I'll defy anyone to list their previous five. But everyone remembers the one about the war. The negative connotations may have faded, but the emotions associated with them are ingrained in our memories of Christmas past.
2. #Justino - Spanish Lottery Win Big in the Emotions Department
One of the best Christmas adverts didn't even need to use any words - or at least words that most people in the UK understood. The Spanish Lottery tell a very Pixar-esque tale of a nightwatchman at a mannequin factory (it's not actually as creepy as that makes it sound) who makes life for his daytime co-workers very enjoyable. I won't spoil the ending, but it's a self-contained story that seems incongruous with the lottery (especially the lottery we know). It's heartfelt and emotive and packs a powerful message about doing good, especially at Christmastime.
1. Holidays are Coming!
The top spot on this list of the best Christmas creative content marketing campaigns is something people wouldn't even consider as content marketing. Every year the Coca-Cola truck pounds the highways and byways and shows up for a photo opp in many major towns and cities. Every year people travel out and share the photos across social media. Every year we do Coca-Cola's bidding without even realizing it. With old Santa Claus himself featuring in Coke's ads since the 1920's the man in the big red suit is as synonymous with Coke as Pepsi is with...well...being Coke's rival.
There you have it, the best Christmas content marketing campaigns. As this is an intensely subjective topic and everyone likely has their own opinion on what tugged at their Christmas heartstrings, sign off below with what you think is the best Christmas content marketing campaign.
Get in touch with me if you want to capitalize on the content that Christmas provides with your very own creative content marketing campaign.
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