The snow starts to fall.
The camera zooms in . . . as the couple begins a long-delayed (at least two hours) passionate kiss.
The movie ends – HAPPILY, of course – with the pair united just in time for the Christmas holiday but clearly destined to live happily ever after.
For millions of people, December (which now starts on November 1st) means decorations, presents, Santa Claus, reindeer, AND Hallmark!! The company has become (through years of careful brand building effort) inextricably associated with the warmth, cheerfulness, and good feelings of Christmas – not a bad set of qualities to have linked with your name and your brand. In fact, so many people have found so much comfort from Hallmark Christmas movies, the company tried to ease the burden of the 2020 pandemic by providing around-the-clock Christmas fare outside the season during a period of heightened restrictions on normal, daily activities.
Clearly, Hallmark is a company that has learned an important truth – linking your brand to a holiday and feelings associated with that time can be a useful tool in your branding arsenal.
Other successful examples?
- Do you happen to know someone who is a Dunkin’ spiced pumpkin latte fanatic? (While not exactly tied to a specific holiday, the annual reintroduction of this special is invariably associated with the feelings of fall . . . and Halloween . . . and Thanksgiving.)
- The Cadbury Candy company makes special Easter eggs, taking advantage of the natural and favorite tie-ins between Easter, the bunny, and candy.
- Hershey (and the company’s signature kisses) are a Valentine’s Day tradition.
Other examples abound. (If interested, read “How 5 Leading Brands Embraced The Holiday Season” OR perhaps about “Five Food Brands That Own Christmas”.) Frankly, the list could go on and on, and I’m sure you can easily find a dozen examples of your own.
So . . . How Do You Make a Holiday Brand Happen?
To some degree, you have to rely upon luck – recognizing an early connection to a holiday that you see has potential and can build upon. However, some basic steps can be taken.
Most holidays have some familiar sentiments and iconography associated with them. Try making a list of those attributes and a list of the attributes and iconography already associated with your brand. A sufficient number of matches between the two lists suggests you may have a likely candidate for brand building. Starting with some basis for the connection (which is the point of this exercise) should increase your likelihood of success and reduce the amount of time required. Once you have a candidate, some of the activities that can be used to build the connection between your brand and the holiday are:
- Become involved with the community during that time of the year. Linking yourself to charitable causes helps build goodwill and links your product or service to an activity associated with the season.
- Plan to conduct your periods of heightened sales and marketing activities in conjunction with the holiday, including advertising and special promotions (budget permitting).
- Do slight variations of your visual branding that encompass those of the holiday without sacrificing the continuity of your basic elements.
By consistently promoting the ties between you and your chosen holiday over time, you can gradually build a brand identity that assumes some of the characteristics of that celebration. (Even Hallmark’s special relationship with Christmas did not happen overnight!!)
Looking for more suggestions, see “5 Branding Tips for the Holidays” by Debbie Laskey for the Digital Branding Institute.
Don’t Overlook Opportunities Presented by Lesser-Known Holidays
While you were certainly aware that Christmas and Hannukah were linked to December, were you also aware that these additional special observances existed?
- National Tie Month
- National Write a Business Plan Month
- Bingo Month
- Write a Friend Month
Above and beyond those monthly celebrations, you have special days (examples cited below are from 2020):
- Giving Tuesday, December 1
- International Day of Persons with Disabilities, December 3
- Cookie Day, December 4
- Volunteer Day, December 5
- Aviation Day, December 7
- Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7
- Start of Hanukkah, December 10
- Human Rights Day, December 10
- International Mountain Day, December 11
- Green Monday, December 14
- Wright Brothers Day, December 17
- Winter Solstice, December 21
- Festivus, December 23
- Christmas Eve, December 24
- Christmas, December 25
- National Thank You Note Day, December 26
- Boxing Day (Canada), December 26
- Start of Kwanzaa, December 26
- No Interruptions Day, December 27
- Tick Tock Day, December 29
- Bacon Day, December 30
- Make Up Your Mind Day, December 31
- New Year’s Eve, December 31
(As I sit and write this draft, I now realize I should be planning my International Mountain Day Celebration!!)
Dozens of such occasions occur throughout the year that could provide special marketing opportunities for small businesses. For a complete list, see Anita Campbell’s article in Small Business Trends “Huge List of National Holidays for Marketing in a Small Business”; you just might find a number of events already exist that are inherently symbiotic with your operations.
Regardless of whether you decide the time is right for you to act on the advice in today’s article, my blogging partner and I would like to wish you a safe and happy holiday season, being sure to tune into a Hallmark Christmas movie or two while filling out your Hallmark Christmas cards to send to family and friends . . . to show you care.
Brand Building for Small Business 