The 2021 Mano Holiday Compass: The Holiday creative recipe is ripe for disruption
Too many campaigns fail because Marketing Teams lack a foundation that enables them to make decisions that will help their brand truly stand out and move the needle. Download the Mano Holiday Compass to find out how you can cut through the noise this holiday season and ensure campaign excellence.
This Compass will help brands understand the modern-day holiday and our predictions for what will be the most important drivers during this year’s holiday celebrations.
By reflecting these changes in holiday-related marketing and communication activities, brands can meaningfully connect better with consumers and capture the essence of a holiday that feels much more realistic, relatable and affirming.
The Holiday creative recipe is ripe for disruption
Despite being a highly competitive time, we found that the majority of Christmas commercials continued to follow a similar formula year-on-year. This well-used creative recipe makes it harder and harder for brands to differentiate themselves.
This creative recipe is built on; Narratives of togetherness and gifting (usually with close family), highly emotional and uplifting storytelling, odyssey-filled Christmas adventures and the use of celebrities.
Commitment to these repetitive themes each year creates cliché and predictable campaigns that become lost in the crowd, and leaves little room for innovative and stand-out angels.
Novel ideas stem from the willingness to go beyond the Holiday context
Through our analysis, we deduced that the most novel ideas stem from the willingness to go beyond the Holiday context — regardless of the focus on product or brand-oriented messaging. Though, the most progressive players are the ones investing in long-term strategies for brand building.
Holiday Method Matrix
The holiday now comes in many different shapes and sizes
Our conversational mapping and analysis highlighted many themes - but most broadly it became clear that there is not one homogenous way that people talk about and interact with the topic of the Holidays.
The singular Hallmark Holiday image - that dominates the Christmas campaign sphere - is not reflective of the multiplicity of thoughts, feelings and practices that shape the modern American Christmas.
In the midst of large cultural and societal shifts and crises - a new generation of American Holiday hosts are reinventing traditions and ushering in a new era of individualized and personalized celebrations.
Six Holiday Themes for 2021
To drive consumer and cultural relevance, brands need to understand the complexities of the holiday season and the underlying cultural trends shaping the way people celebrate it.
We have identified six Holiday Themes that can help marketers better understand the modern-day holiday and recognize what we predict to be some of the most important drivers during this year’s celebrations.
6 Holiday Themes for 2021
Channel Opportunities for 2021
02. Unlock the power of YouTube Influencers
Team up with trusted voices as well as interesting content creators to supercharge product and brand discovery and propel your brand into popular content relevant during the season.
01. Incorporate TikTok in your holiday plans
TikTok became a part of the holiday celebrations. Through popular challenges, holiday-themed content, as well as teaming up with interesting creators, you have the opportunity to support product discovery and engage with consumers across generations.
04. Leverage sound-driven platforms
Sponsor podcast episodes to insert your brand into relevant holiday conversations and grow your brand awareness. Later in the season, use Spotify playlists for your holiday marketing to connect with your consumers and bring on the festive mood.
03. Support product discovery through Pinterest
Leverage the power of Pinterest in Holiday planning and gift inspiration. As the platform is the first step in the process for many, incorporate it in your holiday strategies as early as September to inspire the restless Holiday Pinners.
Download our Mano Holiday Compass to read about all of the Holiday trends coming this season, and prepare your marketing team for campaign excellence.
