We all know how it gets. Once the pumpkins are put away for another year, very soon, the sound of jingle bells fills the air, and you’re already worrying about where you’re going to get your turkey from, and it’s only early November.
Though clichéd, it’s true: Christmas comes earlier every year, and from a brand perspective, that means attention is scarce, and social media feeds and high streets are saturated with every business shouting “Christmas!” at once.
So how does your brand break through and put its head above the tinsel-strewn parapet? Well, in part it’s about reframing what Christmas comms look like. It’s not about who can scream ‘Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la’ the loudest. Instead, brands should focus on sharp positioning backed up by punchy assets across all the important touch points.
Here, we’ll be showcasing a few ways that you can cut through so that seasonal activity still feels unmistakably like you.
The Christmas “noise” problem (why it’s hard to stand out)
The lucrative nature of the festive period sees virtually every brand, regardless of industry, scramble to try and stand out. The problem with this, however, is that:
- Most default to the same seasonal cliches, think red and green logos, snowflakes, and a certain man in a red suit
- Consumer attention cycles during this period are short, with most preoccupied with planning or hosting, meaning brands have even fewer opportunities to grab their attention
- Every brand is offering discounts, leading to promotional parity
Essentially, when everything looks festive, nothing is memorable.
It all becomes a blur of cliches and ‘discounts’ that not only erode revenue margins but lead to totally forgettable campaigns that are forgotten about come January.
What wins is repeatable brand messaging focusing on one strong seasonal idea executed consistently, avoiding gimmicky tactics if at all possible.
Start with strategy: your seasonal “why”
To actually build something impactful, you have to question why you’re running this festive campaign.
Define a specific role for your brand. What are you doing this Christmas to help people? Is it:
- Helping time-poor gift givers give thoughtful presents
- Elevating Christmas gatherings through cost-effective decorations
- Bringing bold, sumptuous flavours to people’s Christmas dinner tables
Once you have your role, translate this into a single organising idea for the season. It could be a catchy line of copy, a tension you solve, or a traditional festive ritual that your product/services champion.
It’s all about finding that one throughline that forgoes Christmas cliches and instead weaves a smart, consistent message that speaks to the modern consumer journey during this hectic time of year.
Build distinctive seasonal assets (not generic Christmas)
Threading that fine line between being festive and not completely surrendering your brand identity starts with keeping your palette, typography, and tone in place and adding a seasonal accent rather than replacing them.
A festive overlay kit is a good starting point and keeps everything codified so that everything still looks like your brand in December. This seasonal version of your brand identity can be anchored by a hero visual, presented in both static and motion versions, that will feature prominently throughout all your collateral during that time of year.
Once your visuals are agreed on, define a seasonal copy system of:
- 3-5 headline patterns
- A product descriptor style for giftability
- Micro copy that can be used for calls to action
Consider the technical elements of all these assets before committing to a full rollout, too. How colours will contrast online and then in print, what file sizes should be used for paid social, and are there any localisation requirements for more regional campaigns?
Speaking of socials, add motion rules for how assets are used to keep a consistent message across YouTube ads, Reels, and TikTok. For example, open with your brand’s logo, include repeatable mnemonics, and tweak based on the platform.
Packaging that earns the shelf and the gift moment
Packaging design takes on extra significance at Christmas, presents and gift giving are such a key part of the festive season, and brands can attach themselves to this feeling in several ways.
Limited-edition ‘festive wrap’ packaging keeps that core recognition we mentioned while still including those seasonal layers. Finishing on packaging is also significant, so consider foil, emboss, and spot varnish to signal a premium, gift-ready status that doesn’t hamper your own margins.
Multi-price gift formats open up your products to people who might not be aware of your brand but are gifting it to someone who is. Minis, duos, and discovery sets are all good ‘one-stop shops’ for time-poor gift givers who know their intended recipient likes your brand.
And for those time-poor gift givers, make it easy to gift straight away with built-in gift tags and easy peel promo stickers so things look nice under the tree come Christmas morning.
Brands can also deepen their connection with recipients by making the unboxing journey photogenic, packed with little touches. Internal seasonal messages combined with complementary stickers or internal prints add value that’s not only cost-effective but goes a long way to cementing positive brand sentiment.
Make it easy to buy (site, journeys, deadlines, convenience)
So much of Christmas happens online, which means it would be naive not to put real thought behind the buyer journey. With so much competition, there’s simply no room for a difficult purchase process.
This process starts with seasonal landing pages that aggregate your stock into one area. This can further be segmented into personas (gifts for moms, wives, dads, children, etc) or occasions (Christmas day, work parties, New Year’s parties) for easy navigation and conversion.
These landing pages should perform flawlessly on mobile, too. So much of our Christmas purchasing happens on the go, so aim for sub-three-second load times, clear thumb-friendly CTAs and the ability to pay with an Apple or Google Wallet. These little touches go a long way to speeding up the purchase journey.
Adding urgency to product pages in a way that’s not aggressive helps users to convince themselves to purchase your products now. Showing real-time stock levels and last order dates gently nudge people toward ‘Purchase’ better than any cliche Christmas motif.
Once the decision to purchase has been made, provide options to make the buyer’s life easier by letting them select a pre-wrapped option at checkout or the ability to type out messages so that once it arrives, it’s all ready to go.
Focus on your brand this Christmas
You don’t need the loudest campaign this Christmas, you just need one that is distinctly your brand and speaks to your audience and the people buying for your audience, too.
Deuce Studio is an award-winning, London-based branding and packaging design agency.
If you are looking for a branding and packaging project, then let’s talk.