Mano Christmas Compass
We mapped over 10M Christmas consumer conversations
to forecast consumer interests over the season, and how
brands can stand out with relevance
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For the past months, the world has cancelled countless celebrations: from large-scale events like the Olympics to small birthday parties. But there's an event that will never be cancelled: Christmas.
Christmas 2020 will happen, that’s a given. And even if we don't yet know how different this year will
be, there are already some elements we know will have an impact on this year's experience: families will be missing someone at the dinner table, their financial situation might have suffered an unexpected turn, and travel bans might still hinder some reunions.
Sameness pitfall
Christmas is the Hyper Competitive Moment where product push is widely accepted, so it comes as no surprise that the most mainstream Christmas campaigns follow the same creative recipe. But crucially, most of them launch simultaneously irrespective of how seasonal consumer conversations evolve.
24% of Christmas narratives
focus on gift exchanging
53% of spots rely on humour
for their tone of voice
80% of spots who feature a celebrity have a musical moment
Campaign example
There's no Christmas without Mariah Carey
Our relationship with Christmas-related content is a love/hate one. The world is divided into those who start humming carols in early November, and those who resemble the Grinch — but secretly know that Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You' playing in every store.
The overlap of consumer-driven conversations & campaigns
The most discussed topic around Christmas revolves around the family rituals to prepare the house for the Christmas season. The most cluttered conversations are around presents (finding the perfect gift, surprising a loved one, etc.) and Santa (expecting him, behaving well, etc.)
Christmas started early this year
Typically, the holiday season starts mid-November. However, we saw a peak in conversations in mid-March, coinciding with the strictest lockdown period, and a rise of 13% in August, that is very likely to grow steadily until Christmas.
What can you do this year?
01. ’Tis the year to do good
93% of brands neglect brand purpose in favour of product push during the holiday season. 2020 is the year to leverage brand purpose.
02. Be hyper sensitive to context
Tonality, conversations and activities will be different this year. Understanding this new context is crucial for relevance.
03. Have a traditional Christmas
People want to bask in the Christmas spirit more than ever before. Double down on the classic holiday spirit.
04. Be the first one to win the race
Take advantage of consumers’ early appetite for Christmas by bringing forward campaign launches.
Some brands our compass has helped
