From Diwali to Christmas: how should advertisers celebrate key cultural moments?
IAB UK members share their advice on how advertisers can maximize their festive campaigns in 2024.
With Diwali, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas all fast approaching, advertisers are gearing up for a surge of celebratory campaigns. The challenge for marketers, however, lies in creating campaigns that not only stand out but also genuinely connect with audiences, enhancing the celebratory spirit rather than just jumping on the bandwagon.
Here, IAB UK members share their advice to stand out from the crowd, authentically resonate and maximize campaign impact.
What are the most effective strategies for activating successful ad campaigns that add to cultural and seasonal celebrations?
Hannah Walley (head of media, insights, Kantar UK & Ireland): “The seasonal media landscape experiences huge skews in media spend and competition for consumer eyeballs is high. However high spends alone cannot drive success. Brands must look to create lasting integrated impacts across media assets, particularly focusing on the quality of creatives in enhancing awareness, cut-through and category-level brand recall. Without these quality elements, campaigns risk being overlooked and forgotten. Analysis of over 1,000 campaigns in Kantar’s LIFT+ database shows that benchmarks to achieve ‘above norm’ (top 30%) impact on brand consideration are 20% higher during Q4 in comparison to Q1-3. Highlighting the importance of not just a strong creative, but good integration across a range of channels and attention types to drive impact.”
What is different about 2024 that marketers should be aware of when planning seasonal campaigns for Q4?
Kristie Naha-Biswas (head of insight, IAB UK): Marketers face several key variables in 2024 . While consumers have more disposable income than in 2023, higher savings rates suggest a more cautious approach. IAB Digital Adspend predicts an 11% YoY increase in Q4 spend, with heightened competition. TikTok's audience has grown by 13.5% since March 2023, making it a crucial platform for holiday campaigns, and rising brands like Shein and Temu could disrupt value-focused categories. To succeed, marketers must focus on communicating value beyond price, explore new platforms and formats, build early brand recognition, and ensure they are delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time.
How can brands ensure that campaigns celebrating specific occasions, such as Christmas, are inclusive and resonate with diverse audiences?
Sameeha Choudhury (group account director, Spark Foundry): “Authentic representation means everything. Striking the balance is important so that audiences feel sincerity seep through the ad. Impact is lost when campaigns are superficial and use stereotypes. This can be tackled by using diverse intersectional talent from the beginning of the campaign process, so informed decisions are made from the outset rather than feeling like an afterthought. Campaigns need to be relatable for all audiences regardless of their socioeconomic, racial, or religious background. Do not be afraid of diluting the message too much – audiences are glad to see different diverse families. Not all brand messaging has to be “quintessentially English” to show diverse Britian as it is today.”
How can brands leverage data and insights to create more personalized and impactful campaigns in this space?
Debbie Oates (director of customer engagement, marketing services, Experian UK&I): “With a number of cultural celebrations coming up in Q4 , costs rise as advertisers scramble to capture consumer attention. By integrating third-party insights, advertisers can build a unique view of their audience, which can then be taken through to campaign execution going beyond the generic signals that everyone else is bidding on. For example, market transactional data can uncover high spenders within a category or even among direct competitors. Advertisers using this type of insight can craft custom audiences with a focus on those most likely to drive sales. Then, maximize campaign cut-through and effectiveness by activating against these audiences consistently across channels.”
In the context of holidays and cultural celebrations, what role does cross-channel integration play in creating a cohesive and effective advertising strategy?
Rachel Lyall (director of marketing EMEA & APAC at Mediaocean): “The upcoming season is a hectic time for consumers and a competitive peak for brands. To capitalize on this sales peak, an integrated marketing program across multiple channels is vital to stay front of mind and ensure a seamless experience for customers in their purchasing journey. It also ensures that your brand reaches current and potential customers wherever they are; whether researching, considering, or purchasing items across channels such as social, search or CTV (connected TV). Additionally, the insights that come from real-time campaign data can be analyzed to understand buying habits and create personalized advertising campaigns based on consumer behavior.”
What are the most effective strategies for activating successful campaigns around key occasions in Q4?
Marko Johns (managing director, Seedtag UK): “Achieving standing out in the holiday season is always the holy grail for all marketers. Understanding that the rush to Black Friday and seasonal shopping starts earlier and earlier each year really is the key. This has allowed for a continual build of brand presence while an ability to adapt message and offer and working in this way is where we have seen multiple successful campaigns. Every brand should review the main topics used by the rest of their marketplace and ensure their plan is to create their own unique, business-specific path alongside that norm.”