Yes, you read that headline correctly. Today’s Editor Q&A is focused on the holidays!
To celebrate the release of Retail TouchPoints’ annual Holiday Guide, the editorial team decided to venture down Memory Lane, and share their favorite campaigns from 2013. Here’s what they had to say:
Debbie Hauss, Editor-In-Chief: The WestJet campaign still brings tears to my eyes, when the passengers unwrap their chosen gifts delivered via baggage claim when they arrived at their destination. It was brilliantly executed by the airline: After scanning their boarding passes, passengers shared their gift wishes with a digital Santa before boarding the plane. I can watch it over and over again…sharing the surprise and joy with the recipients. I’m obviously not alone in my feelings about this campaign – it has received more than 1.5 million views on YouTube. Cheers to WestJet!
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Alicia Fiorletta, Senior Editor: I’ll fully admit that the holiday season is my favorite time of year when it comes to advertisements and marketing campaigns. If I had to choose a favorite from last year, it would be the #MyKindOfHoliday campaign from Target. I loved that personalization was engrained it from the get-go. After all, many consumers see the holidays as a time to reflect on great moments of holidays’ past and creating wonderful memories with loved ones. The central TV commercial was fun and glistened with holiday spirit. But it didn’t stop there. I loved that Target encouraged customers to participate and share their favorite memories on social media. It encouraged customers to engage with each other and really get into the heart of the season.
Kim Zimmermann, Managing Editor: I tend toward the silly, so I liked Coke Zero’s interactive sweater generator last year. People created all kinds of ugly Christmas sweaters. Some of these are pretty hilarious and could have served as inspiration for our “ugly Christmas sweater” team pic last year. It was a clever way for a brand that is not necessarily top of mind when you think holidays (unlike the flagship Coke brand with its Polar bears) to get in on the action.
Glenn Taylor, Associate Editor: Louis Vuitton had a great campaign over the 2013 holiday by gamifying the purchasing experience with its “Game of the Goose” interactive experience. In playing an online board game, people can get a preview of various Louis Vuitton holiday products that can be purchased throughout the site. The randomness of the products shown not only gives the viewer a taste of what they can buy, but it also gives off a positive impression of the brand itself. More retailers could take this type of promotion style from Louis Vuitton, particularly because it enables customers to directly interact with the brand.
Brian Anderson, Associate Editor: When I think of successful holiday campaigns, I think of Kmart. The main goal for these campaigns is to stay top-of-mind with your audience while they begin shopping for the holidays. Kmart utilizes juvenile humor to entertain the audience, while also educating them on their new delivery service that provides shoppers with free shipping for products on Kmart.com in the event that the product is not available in stores. The commercial, titled: Ship My Pants, leveraged a clever play on words to get the point across. Another commercial, Jingle Bells, promotes deals for Shop Your Way members. Humor is always a good thing, especially in the hectic holiday season.
