4 reasons why seasonal campaigns are a must for all brand strategies.

Seasonal celebrations and holidays offer brands a head start when it comes to generating a buzz around their marketing campaign- this being a key objective for success. As popular annual events such as Christmas, Easter, and Black Friday build anticipation and excitement amongst consumers alone, a brand campaign capitalising on the occasion is already a step ahead. A well executed seasonal campaign will generate an added talking point for audiences, rapidly increasing brand awareness. Take the Coca Cola Christmas Truck for example. Taking off in 1995, the iconic soft drink’s annual campaign sees millions following its journey each year as it tours cities across the country. Becoming an integral part of building anticipation for the coming festive period, it's believed the countdown to Christmas only begins once the Coca Cola Truck has hit the roads. The first few seconds of the ‘Holidays are coming’ theme tune playing on the tv is enough for excitement to soar amongst consumers, spreading across social media like wildfire.

In order to grow your audience, it is vital that consumers are happy to open their wallets and spend on an unfamiliar product or brand. Timing is critical to ensure the majority will be happy to do so, particularly in current times where the cost of living crisis dominates the headlines. This is also key for consumer spend on brands and products that are not seen as a necessity, which doesn’t only apply to luxury brands. When it comes to many seasonal occasions, there is an element of expectation, where consumers will set aside additional funds to spend at those times of the year. Executing a seasonal campaign will allow brands to reach audiences at a time when they are receptive to marketing and open to spending more, boosting sales and increasing the chance of a successful campaign.

Consumers tend to have strong emotional responses to upcoming holidays and changes in season, which provides leverage for a brand to tap into these emotions. Engaging with audiences’ emotions, and evoking emotional responses by creating effective seasonal campaigns, demonstrates that a brand cares about how it is perceived, its customers, and the community- found to triple word-of-mouth marketing. John Lewis’s highly anticipated tear-jerker Christmas ads are the perfect example, with last years in partnership with children’s care charities pulling on heartstrings as much as ever. The impact for the brand is monumental, generating much deeper connections with consumers, and significantly increasing brand loyalty. A brand being well ‘liked’ has been found to directly impact consumer purchasing behaviour, regardless of whether that product is right for them. In a study focussing on the impact of brand reputation on sales, 21% of consumers were found to purchase a product simply because it was offered by a brand that they liked.

When it comes to particular celebrations such as Easter, there are obvious brands that spring to mind fitting the seasonal criteria. And it’s not to say that these shouldn't be given the credit they deserve- who wouldn’t want to visit the Cadbury’s Creme Egg Cafe serving up chocolate toasties, or enter ‘The Magic Meadow and Maze’ with giant gold Lindt bunnies?!

There is always an opportunity for brands to get creative and capitalise on seasonalities, even when they don’t slot into a category typically associated. You can take IKEA’s flat pack easter bunny or Walkers savoury easter egg for inspiration.

But taking the crown has to be Carlsberg with its ‘bar of chocolate’ in Shoreditch, offering visitors to have a pint in a bar made entirely of chocolate, featuring: a dart board, bar stools, and a TV, with drinks served in branded chocolate glasses. Created by Fold7, founder and chief creative officer Ryan Newey told Campaign: ‘To connect with your buddy, beer is the best thing in the world. The second best thing is chocolate’.