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← Back to IdeasThis is The Holidays: 4 Themes from This Year's Holiday Campaigns
Another year. Another war, economic downtown, inflation and deflated sentiments and job market. Looks like the script hasn’t changed from last time. 2023 was the year where we all felt Home Alone and accepted our realities.
This is also the year when we could all use a little pick-me-up. Which is why probably we saw the holiday season hit earlier than usual. With inflation, people are looking for values and deals and probably staggering gift buying as they prepare for the holiday season. They are also using Pinterest and TikTok as sources of inspiration and discovery.
Holiday marketing this year seemed more modern and much more humorous, perhaps an attempt to distract from the realities we are living in. While we saw the usual crop of holiday advertising this season that leans into anticipation and kindness, we also saw something different and unexpected. For the first time in many holidays, brands humanized or even dispelled the myth of Santa showing him as one of us. We also saw brands target specific cohorts like the children, pet parents and the elderly to get them to participate in the holidays.
After a few years, we saw retail experiences boom again with many stores putting up exciting décor, offers and products to entice the holiday consumer. We also saw a lot of social media participation as brands extended their campaigns into the digital world.
For the crop of advertising this year, we saw four distinct macro themes emerge that capture the sentiment of the holidays and the consumer.
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