Memorable Marketing: Spreading the Festive Cheer
Year-end?is that?much-awaited?time when?we?are?all immersed?in?the?holiday spirit and?look?forward to?a breather?from our hectic work schedules?to?spend?more?time with loved ones, travel,?relax?and recharge.
It?certainly?is?a?much-awaited?period?for?the advertising industry,?albeit a?challenging one?this year.?Instead of stepping out of their?frantic?job?schedules,?the industry is set to?press?the pedal and?tap?on the?festive?spirit of Christmas and New Year… and continue?to?go?big during the?Chinese New Year,?Ramadhan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri?celebrations.
It?is heartening to see the?industry bustling?again?after the lull brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. As the government lifts restrictions and opens up its borders, festive advertising?will?bounce back with a vengeance.
?The?annual?ad expenditure for festive ad campaigns is, by tradition,?huge.?As the economy?steadily?picks up, brands,?together?with their creative agencies, media organisations, digital platforms and supporting players?will no doubt spare any expense in producing?brilliant?works?that pack a?powerful?punch.
Festive ads are?always?simple, but?universal, heartwarming and they cut deep.?Focusing?on family ties, values, reunions?and togetherness in cultural diversity,?advertisers are set to go all out to win over consumers.
I am reminded of?a?poignant?festive ad by Coca-Cola Philippines?under its Overseas Filipinos Workers?(OFW)?project. Tagged?‘Happiness?is Home’, the company?flew selected OFWs home?for Christmas,?who?due to financial constraints?have not?met?their families for as long as 11 years.?Unsurprisingly, it was an?emotionally-charged reunion?when they?finally met their?unsuspecting families. Tears of joy,?disbelief?and gratitude?filled the air as?a?son?ran?and?hugged?his almost-blind father and utterly-shocked mother; a mother?could not stop hugging?her daughters?and?grandchildren?whom?she?had?met for the first time; and a father?clutched?his?stunned?teenage son whom he?last saw?as?a toddler.
?As quoted by The Drum, the?festive?ad was widely acclaimed?as the "Tear-Jerker?of the Year".
?It is?interesting to see what?new?creative twists?brands will?bring out?this?year?to wow?their?diverse?target audience.
?In the advertising industry, we get?hit, we fall,?but we?always?come out stronger and tall.
With an?Adex?of US$706 million in 2019?(before the pandemic)?and US$565 million in 2020, the industry?is indeed?a powerful social and economic catalyst that?will?continue?to?remain?alive?and?bustling.
?Happy?Holidays and Happy New Year!