Exclusive Marketing Opinion – Generation Media

In his column this month, Generation Media’s Jonathan Chambers suggests how marketers can predict when Christmas spirit will kick in for consumers.

Deciding the timing of H2 marketing has always been a tricky business – let alone in 2022 when the cost-of-living crisis and Qatar World Cup have undoubtedly impacted and altered consumers’ media and retail behaviours. Should you go early to build share of voice in lower cost periods and gain a competitive advantage? Or should you wait until natural sales spikes occur and plan to outmanoeuvre the competition?

The key is often to judge when "Christmas spirit" is likely to kick in and, where budgets allow, focus marketing efforts around this period (whilst still having messaging prior so as not to go in cold). But herein lies the catch, which can often be overlooked. Advertisers, specifically retailers, have a huge responsibility in building Christmas sales momentum. The "John Lewis effect" usually references the emotional triggers within the company’s ads. However, in the challenging modern retail landscape, the true John Lewis effect is changing the psyche of the average consumer to start thinking about Christmas, and all the purchasing that entails.

Traditionally, we have seen brands focus on early Q3/Q4 sales opportunities to stimulate retailer re-orders. These should still remain of course, particularly where low-cost media opportunities arise out of peak demand season. However, strategies can sometimes overly focus on this initial launch, and not leave enough in reserve for peak season. So you should consider using historic information to predict when Christmas 2023 campaigns will begin, ensure you have significant budget to deploy in the surrounding weeks, and build the strategy backwards from there.  Take advantage of the John Lewis effect and maximise the chances of Christmas retail success.

To find out more, read the full article, which appeared in the December edition of Toy World, here.

Jonathan Chambers Director of AV Investment, Generation Media, can be contacted on 0207 307 7906 or Jonathan.Chambers@generationmedia.co.uk.

To read the full December issue, click here.