Brands use Event Tech to Rise Above the Festive Noise

Love it or loathe it, Christmas shopping can be an assault on the senses. As the high street continues to lose sales to e-commerce, retailers increasingly rely on the revenue generated in November and December to bolster dwindling sales from the previous months. For many businesses, the difference between a strong and weak festive period is a matter of life and death. This dependency on pre-Christmas sales has turned high streets and shopping centres into increasingly competitive landscapes where the noise created by brands and stores vying for attention can be overwhelming, and for those competing for custom, an expensive and frustrating exercise.

Towards the end of each summer, the phones at Noonah start ringing as clients, old and new, look towards winter and wonder how, this year, they will stand out from the crowd, rise above the noise and get their message across. The answer we give every time is simple, tech! Of course, we don’t just stop there; we talk to our clients about their products and audience, and as we do, we develop ideas for how to use technology to cut through, to be relevant, original, and, most importantly, fun!

One of Noonah's latest products ticks all of these boxes and, as recently demonstrated in Times Square, and Kings Cross station, definitely helped to elevate Morgan Stanley and The National Lottery brands (both physically and metaphorically speaking). Beaming shopper’s and commuter selfies onto famous landmarks with branded overlays certainly got people’s attention and tapped into a fundamental principle we have here at Noonah; using the familiar and everyday in unexpected ways.

As well as creating brand awareness, a key objective for many of our clients is to ensure that they retain the sales from their existing customer base and avoid losing their fans and advocates in the festive melee. Christmas is a time for giving, and a small gesture can go a long way in keeping shoppers loyal. A great example of this is The Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour, where Noonah's photo-capture technology tours up and down the country, snapping thousands of Coca-Cola fans in front of the famous trucks with their complimentary bottle of Coke. This annual tour has become a mainstay of many people’s Christmas plans, and Instagram-worthy photos help keep fans happy and create massive levels of exposure across social media.

Coca-Cola also staged Christmas carolling with Londoners singing along to ‘Holidays Are Coming’ the soundtrack to the brand’s Christmas TV spot as well as other well-known Christmas songs. Participants were streamed live onto the Piccadilly Lights screen providing a moment to share with friends and family on social media. Another example of how billboard activations can draw immense attention.

Making moments is a key for creating a memorable campaign that will stick in audience's minds for years to come, without the promotional pushiness of paid advertising. Take Lidl's more indirect feel-good moment as they, sponsor Hyde Park Winter Wonderland and Edinburgh’s Christmas Ice Rink, for the second year running. They've taken a simple holiday tradition and made it a key moment with their brand foreground. With a few special touches, including Lidl Bear’s toy bank allowing guests their moment of giving. And for Lidl Plus customers, a heightened experience by bringing to life their iconic TV ad set as a heated viewing platform overlooking the stunning ice rink.

Christmas is a hectic time for brands, shops, and shoppers alike. Still, as long as you stay relevant and reach out to customers, new and old, in innovative and original ways, it needn’t be an uphill struggle. For us, at Noonah, the best way of achieving this is, of course, with tech!

For more information on some of the projects above or a wider chat about using tech at your next event, activation, or store, be sure to get in touch.