Holiday marketing trends—more promotions, direct mail and upbeat ads

On Nov. 15—a full two weeks before what is traditionally known as Black Friday—direct-to-consumer hair care brand dpHUE sent an email to customers with the subject line “Black Friday ends tonight.” Another brand, clothier Ace & Jig, sent a message the same day with a subject line of “Black Friday starts now.” The messages, which both offered 25% discounts, are indicative of an anything goes holiday retail environment in which discounts are deep, timing is early, and “Black Friday” just means “sale.” Read about all of the 2024 Marketers of the Year In recent years, holiday-focused marketing has crept up earlier and earlier in the calendar, further diluting the post-Thanksgiving shopping period that Black Friday had formerly ushered in. This year, that period is as compressed as it gets, at 26 days, due to the late Thanksgiving on Nov. 28, which has also incited marketers to begin their advertising early. Many retailers started courting value-seeking holiday shoppers in early October, well before Halloween. As stores look to a 2025 that could include price increases should President-elect Donald Trump follow through with tariff proposals he promised on the campaign trail, they’re pulling out all the stops now through December. They are all racing to get a piece of a bigger holiday retail pie—the National Retail Federation predicts spending will jump by 2.5% to 3.5% during November and December, compared with the same time period in 2023. Also read: Branded Advent calendars are rising in popularity Deals aplenty The biggest strategy retailers are using to spur spending is promotions. Even brands that have typically not offered discounts are rolling out deals, experts say. DTC brand Alo Yoga has recently been offering 30% off all products. Retail experts said to expect similar sales from other higher-end brands that typically shy away from discounting. They’re vying for a consumer who has been trained to only buy when they think they’re getting a deal, according to Polly Wong, president of DTC-focused marketing agency Belardi Wong. She cited the cumulative effect on early pandemic-era consumer behavior, when an inventory surplus spurred excessive promotional activity. “Consumers are smarter than ever and have more choices than ever and they want value—regardless of how much money they have,” Wong said. “When you apply a discount, you get better results because it’s the perception of value in many cases that is even more important than the price point.” Wong said many brands she works with are planning to deepen discounts in the coming days. For example, retailers that offered 40% off last year will offer 60% this year, she said. In the NRF’s annual holiday forecast call last month, the trade group’s executives said they expect “billboard-sized” promotional activity. “It will be broader across brands and categories than we experienced a year ago,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the NRF. Comforting messaging While retailers are pushing deals via email, they’re also messaging comfort on broadcast TV. One notable example is Kohl’s, which began running a 30-second spot earlier this month subtly chronicling a boy’s holiday gift for his older teenage sister. The commercial, created with VML, contrasts with the chain’s 2023 holiday effort, a more overt spot with faster music that focused on products. Experts say this year’s trend toward more comforting, feel-good messaging is a reaction to current events. Recent news: Brands play catch-up with holiday TV campaigns “People are exhausted—this has been a very contentious six months,” said Charles Byers, marketing professor of practice at the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. “And it’s probably going to be a contentious four years starting again in January and people have retreated to a place where they can create and find comfort.” Indeed, skincare brand The Ordinary is promoting its annual month-long “Slowvember” again this year, as it tries to protest Black Friday sales with a “slower” philosophy—albeit one that includes a 23% discount. The brand encourages shoppers to “shop wisely” and be more thoughtful with purchases. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Ordinary (@theordinary) “Consider the possibility that businesses don’t need to race to the bottom. And that people are looking for true value, not just a bargain,” the brand wrote on its site. Dick’s Sporting Goods went with a familiar Christmas classic by recreating “Home Alone” in a commercial featuring JJ Watt. The 90-second spot, created by Dick's internal creative team, even added bits from “Love Actually” and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” for peak holiday movie nostalgia. For its holiday marketing this year, Target tried out two different approaches, both from creative agency Mythology. The “Magic Down Every Aisle” spot celebrates the whimsy as shoppers experience a real playground, complete with an ice skating rink, slides made of ribbons, and penguins. Conversely, Target released a character-driven campaign last week that depicts Kris K., a reindeer-loving, list-making Target employee who just might have the last name Kringle. Macy’s is pushing its personalization efforts with a spot, created with Mono, starring actress Alison Brie as a gift guru. The majority of this season’s holiday spots are upbeat and less emotionally driven than in prior years, when marketers such as Kohl’s and Etsy showed ads that tugged at the heartstrings. Read more: The best holiday ads of 2024 Early bird gets the sales Early large-scale shopping events, such as Amazon’s Prime Days and deal days from the likes of Best Buy, Target and Walmart, helped drive holiday spending into October. “Rising October sales will shift some spending away from November and December,” Forrester wrote in its holiday report. “In recent years, October’s share of fourth-quarter retail and e-commerce sales has grown as more consumers start shopping earlier, ahead of the traditional holiday season.” This year, retailers are also pressed by the shorter selling season—the period in between Thanksgiving and Christmas is 26 days, six days shorter than last year. Retailers are pushing purchase activity earlier than Thanksgiving so they can ship goods faster and avoid the tighter crunch period this year. “The shipping season is shorter, more compressed and compact, and that impacts logistics,” said the NRF’s Shay last month. NextGen Marketing Summit Join us for a crash course on Gen Z, DTC marketing and the creator economy Register today Surge in print Brands are dabbling in a marketing mix this holiday season that in many cases includes catalogs. Amazon rolled out two holiday catalogs—its annual toy-focused book as well as an offering targeting Gen Z—in early October. Many DTC players are also mailing catalogs this year, including first-timers such as Reese Witherspoon’s Draper James, knitwear brand Kilte and Juliska, a home brand, according to Wong, who reports she is seeing a “surge in print.” She added that while many DTC brands are investing in Google and Meta as usual, they’re also “leaning into the mail because it’s another effective marketing touchpoint” in customer acquisition. Several marketers will also have in-person activations. Building on the recent viral success of its tote bags, Lands’ End is hosting a pop-up shop in New York that offers bag personalization with on-site embroidery and hand-painting services. UGG is hosting a Feel House in Los Angeles of “fashion, art, music and culture” curated by Post Malone. In addition, Amazon Ads and Meta are hosting a pop-up event on Nov. 19 in New York featuring products including Meta’s Quest headsets and Ray-Ban smart glasses. 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Holiday marketing trends—more promotions, direct mail and upbeat ads

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