How to Jazz Up your Brand for the Festive Period:
We’re all familiar with the festive period when companies ‘spruce up’ their usual branding to produce imagery in line with wintertime. Some brands introduce yearly festive branding, such as Starbucks’ festive cups and Coca-Cola’s memorable Santa Claus cameo. But is it as simple as placing a snowflake on your product and calling it a day?
In this blog, I will discuss what you can do to jazz up your brand for the festive period and how to stay consistent with your branding.
Are brands confined to using red and green to show their celebration for the festive period?
The use of red and green began as a Celtic tradition where holly would be displayed around houses as a sign of peace and goodwill. The colours have merged with decorations, company branding and even fashion.
Though red and green are generally synonymous with Christmas, these main colours vary based on cultural factors. For example, I have found that yellow and red are much more prominent in Germany.
As these colours may not be as popular in different countries, they don’t have to be used to communicate a brand’s celebration for the festive period. If you are showing Christmas graphics or images, you can work in different colours, such as blues, whites and golds.
How can brands use festive colours but still fit in with their branding?
Brands can use festive colours in many ways, but one thing a brand should never touch is its logo. An excellent example of using a different element to promote Christmas is Irn-Bru. The Snowman is Irn-Bru’s primary festive graphic, which uses white and grey as its main colourway, yet its logo stays the same as it always is – orange.
Virgin’s Experience Days adjusted their logo a few years ago to fit in with the festive period, which they haven’t seemed to repeat this year. There is a thin line between perfect festiveness and too much. In Virgin’s case, their logo and wintery website redesign were perhaps too extreme.
Another thing your brand could do is change the classic background colours. A colour in line with the winter festivities could jazz up your brand.
Do festive graphics/branding have to be consistent throughout all platforms?
Your festive branding can be different across all mediums, e.g., social media and website.
Every platform has a different target audience. TikTok, for example, is very different to LinkedIn. Take advantage of your freedom to be flexible and playful in your messaging and visuals. Yet, it is essential to note that the fonts and colours you choose should stay harmonious on each medium.
Do brands need to add a festive spin to their brand?
Despite many brands switching up their brand for the festive period, you should feel free to do what you please. B2C companies will often take advantage of this time of year and adjust their marketing efforts. The festive period represents hope, generosity and sharing. These are, coincidentally, all the things that make us as consumers feel fulfilled.
If you are part of a B2B company, Christmas takes more of a backseat. The festive period may only be celebrated through a Merry Christmas card, email or online banner. Use the festive time to thank your clients and review your yearly accomplishments. Being thankful strengthens your relationships with your clients.
Top 5 tips for brands looking to promote their products/services in a festive way
To help you jazz up your branding this festive time, here are my top five tips:
- NEVER change your logo. DO play about with the colour and visuals, and assess how your target audience celebrates Christmas. Consider factors such as:
- Where are they based?
- How old are they?
- The platforms you market your product to them
Once you have done this, choose the right colours, visuals and messages to fit your target audience. If you have several target audiences, repeat this for every product you have.
- Consider vouchers, reduced prices or something your customer gets with the product as an incentive to buy it.
- Choose wisely where to promote your product to make the most significant impact during the festive period.
- Consider different social media platforms, tv broadcasts or targeted adverts, for example.
- Contemplate jazzing up one of your products for Christmas, so you can sell a particular version to appeal more to the novelty aspect.
The festive period is filled with ample opportunities to appeal to your consumers and have fun with your branding. If you stay loyal to your logo and brand spirit, feel free to experiment and make the most out of the festivities.
If you would like to discuss your branding for the festive period or any other time of year, feel free to contact me for an informal chat at mail@anjapeter.com. I’d be happy to help!