Interactive content
If you havenât yet explored the world of interactive Christmas content , it could be time to get involved. By promoting engagement through user participation, this form of marketing goes down particularly well with audiences around Christmas time.
Googleâs Santa Tracker  is a prime example. Every year on Christmas Eve, users can follow Santa in real time as he travels around the globe making his deliveries. Throughout the rest of the year, the website provides visitors with a tonne of entertaining interactive content.
Augmented reality (AR)
Augmented reality technology has exploded in popularity in recent years, so much so that itâs been making its way into the Christmas campaigns of some of the worldâs biggest brands.
By creating an interactive experience that combines a real-world environment with computer-generated elements, AR quite literally augments the reality of those using the technology.
In December 2020, eBay used AR to target mobile shoppers with its âSanta Sneaker Dropâ sweepstakes . Users could see a virtual fireplace in their smartphone camera view, with an unwrapped gift then dropping down the chimney and popping open to reveal a prize or a consolation message.
Christmas product packaging
Walk into any supermarket or retail store around Christmas time and youâll see aisles abound with festive product packaging. These attention-grabbing designs are great at encouraging shoppers to make a few extra impulse purchases that are only available for a limited time.
Coca Cola offers up a great example of a clever Christmas campaign with its Christmas bow packaging, which uses a special drinks label that can be unwrapped to create a bow on the side of a bottle. Pretty nifty, eh? đ€
VIDEO Christmas experiential campaigns
In November 2018, Virgin Trains painted the script from Itâs a Wonderful Life  on station platforms in a bid to promote mental wellbeing.
The campaign, which was created together with charity partners Rethink Mental Illness and The Samaritans, saw the quotes appear at 14 stations all the way from London to Glasgow. This is one of the best Christmas experiential campaigns weâve come across, and we love the fact that it was used to encourage kindness, calmness, and spread plenty of that festive feel-good factor.
VIDEO Physical events
Marks & Spencer are no strangers to going all-out on their Christmas retail campaigns. In 2019, to coincide with their festive food campaign, they set up a physical Christmas market  showcasing their range and invited 125 real-life customers along to sample the delights.
They then used the event to create an unscripted ad, with celebrities Paddy McGuiness and Emma Willis mingling with the families as they try out all the different Christmas foods on offer. The only drawback to the entire thing is that our invites appear to have got lost in the post. Oh well⊠đ
VIDEO Online events
For many people, 2020 was a year to forget. It was marked by lockdowns, isolation, and a distinct lack of physical get-togethers â something that was particularly noticeable as the festive season rolled around.
But for the online event, it was a year to remember.
Take Kwik Fit, for example, who decided to launch a Christmas campaign with a difference. Using a âKwik Fit Kongaâ  branded game and a digital advent calendar prize system, they managed to bring the festivities home with an online experience that went down a treat with both customers and staff alike.
VIDEO Good luck with your own Christmas campaign!
We hope the examples above have helped to provide some inspiration for your own festive marketing efforts. For more help with your Christmas brand campaign, check out our related content:
