How has your marketing and messaging changed in the lead up to Christmas 2020?
This week, Gautam Mishra, Dean Salakas and Justin Moran share how their teams have adjusted their Christmas marketing strategies.
Gautam Mishra
Inkl chief executive officer
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We always get a big uptick towards the end of the year, usually from current Inkl readers who buy gift subscriptions for family and friends.
The big difference this year is that we’re seeing a lot of requests from companies that are worried about team morale and mental health, so that’s something we’re focusing on a lot more in our marketing.
There’s been so much bad news, isolation and hysteria this year. So we’re really focusing on showing how we can pull people out of that negative space.
We want to make sure people know that there’s a lot of good news out there too. And that one can stay well-informed without doom-scrolling social media for hours each day.
Plus, many traditional employee gifts or benefits tend to be travel or experience-related, and that’s obviously much more difficult this year. So we’re filling that gap by providing a digital alternative that everyone can benefit from, no matter where they are.
Dean Salakas
The Party People chief party dude
Certainly, COVID-19 has meant that planning for Christmas this year will be different from many other years.
People’s hobbies, entertainment, habits and work have changed.
So, for this Christmas, it’s important to market to areas that have become booming categories in recent times.
People have picked up new hobbies that are iso-friendly, such as fishing or hiking. Also, people are working from home more than ever, and are still looking to upgrade things in the house.
So, brands need to market to this new consumer and, where possible, focus on these growing categories.
The Party People will be targeting ‘Christmas at home’ — so that means bigger ranges of home decor, home catering and yard decor.
It also means fewer ranges of wearables for large events, such as the Santa run and carols in the domain, as well as fewer office decorations.
Marketing from us will also focus similarly on these areas as we attempt to continue to capitalise on these new trends.
Justin Moran
The Hidden Sea Wines founder
This year, there’s no doubting the challenges businesses have faced, with marketers required to think and divert, with pace.
Our brand always works to refine our marketing message — not just this year and leading into Christmas, but all the time, because we like to set ourselves bold goals.
Consistency, discipline and agility have been at the forefront of our key values and our marketing strategy since the outset of The Hidden Sea, so while our strategy is a longer focus, our marketing tactics have pivoted and changed more regularly.
Leading into Christmas 2020, we edited our plans to ensure we are taking into account what’s happened to the world, to our country, and to our people.
We’ve modified our strategy to ensure our customers can be involved in a greater capacity with our journey.
One way is through varied outreach programs, which involve inviting customers to become ambassadors and experience the adventure, share stories and show how our brand and their lives intermingle.
We are approaching our work with greater empathy, highlighting the good that can come from bringing people together.
And finally, we are using social media imagery and content in new ways, showing our customers we are listening, and encouraging them to do the same.
