The Creative Powers of Holiday Advertising
For the 2020 holidays, advertisers tapped into seasonal sentiments heightened by an emotionally charged year. How well did they harness this opportunity to the enduring creative "powers" of effectiveness? We learned that the levers of creative effectiveness still matter when it comes to holiday messaging.
As companies' creative strategies evolve, new channel applications have emerged at a rapid rate. At Ipsos, we analyze our robust database of ads to identify evergreen principles of creative effectiveness in the areas of branding, engagement and persuasion. Our goal: to provide marketers with frameworks to guide their advertising. For this year's holiday season, we homed in on five of these principles, or "powers," as key to success.
Download our latest paper exploring the power of distinctive assets, drama, context, simplicity and the brand’s role!
Holiday creative discovers magic in enduring principles
For the 2020 holidays, advertisers tapped into seasonal sentiments heightened by an emotionally charged year. How well did they harness this opportunity to the enduring creative "powers" of effectiveness? We learned that the levers of creative effectiveness still matter when it comes to holiday messaging.
As companies' creative strategies evolve, new channel applications have emerged at a rapid rate. At Ipsos, we analyze our robust database of ads to identify evergreen principles of creative effectiveness in the areas of branding, engagement and persuasion. Our goal: to provide marketers with frameworks to guide their advertising. For this year's holiday season, we homed in on five of these principles, or "powers," as key to success.
The power of distinctive assets
The distinctive iconography of your brand – anything that conjures the brand in the mind of the consumer – is a key asset for effective branding. Brands with established cues and codes –colors, sounds, mascots and animations – gain a head start on achieving branded recall. An established creative style works better than just logos to retain a branded impression.
The power of brand role
Beyond effective executional branding, the brand must be tightly integrated into the central idea of the advertising. It is important for the brand to have a meaningful role in the story. Advertising that works for brands needs to credit it with a role.
The power of drama
Engage people through definitive, dramatic storytelling that has a beginning, a tension and a resolution. The seductive power of a story cannot be overrated. The more you engage people in your story, the more opportunity you have to convey your message and your brand.
The power of context
Acknowledging your context can be a tricky thing. There’s a risk in getting lost in a "sea of same" with other brands. During the holidays, we see green and red everywhere. In spring 2020, we were overwhelmed with indistinguishable offers to "be here for you." This holiday season, we saw that leaning into the context of the times paid off for brands that made a clear and credible connection to their offer.
The Power of Simplicity
Simplicity in message and execution remains a key predictor of success. Brands should take particular care with vignettes, which must be connected by a clear thread to hold viewer attention and avoid confusion.
For the 2020 holidays, advertisers tapped into seasonal sentiments heightened by an emotionally-charged year. How well did they harness this opportunity?
