Unwrapping Success: Launching Your Christmas PR Campaign
As September approaches and the kids go back to school – it can only mean one thing: Christmas is right around the corner. Savvy retail food and drink brands looking to position themselves as perfect Christmas gifts know that now is the prime time to roll out their Christmas PR campaigns. In this blog I’ll delve into why now is the perfect time to launch a campaign, explore various tactics brands can employ, and highlight how an agency like jellybean can help maximise results.
Setting the Stage: Why now?
It might seem premature to start talking about Christmas now, in fact arguably you could start your campaign even earlier, but there’s a method to this early madness. Here are a few compelling reasons why now is the perfect time to start your Christmas PR campaign:
Planning and Lead Time: Crafting a successful PR campaign requires careful planning, creativity, and implementation. Starting ahead of time allows ample time to conceptualise, design, and execute your campaign effectively.
Building Anticipation: By initiating your Christmas campaign early, you’re tapping into the excitement that comes with the approaching Christmas season. Building anticipation from September can lead to heightened interest and engagement as the festive season draws closer.
Outpacing the Competition: Launching early gives your brand a competitive advantage. You’ll be ahead of the curve, ensuring your products are at the forefront of consumers’ minds when they begin their Christmas shopping and creating a sense of FOMO.
Maximizing Exposure: Media outlets are already thinking about or actively putting their content together already, in fact we know some longer lead publications have already put their early Christmas issues to bed, and therefore they are always on the lookout for fresh, timely content. Launching now positions your brand to capture the attention of journalists and influencers who are planning their Christmas content well in advance.
Tactics for a Successful Christmas PR Campaign:
Storytelling: Create a compelling narrative around your products that resonates with the spirit of Christmas. Highlight how your food and drink brands can be the perfect gifts, used in recipes, or consumed to make the festive period more special. Pay particularly attention to emphasising their quality, uniqueness, and the emotions they evoke.
Gift Guides and Influencer Collaborations: Collaborate with media, influencers and bloggers to feature your products in their Christmas gift guides. Their endorsements can greatly amplify your brand’s reach and credibility.
Limited Editions and Packaging: PR is a fantastic way to unveil your limited-edition flavours or packaging specifically designed for the Christmas. Exclusive offerings generate a sense of urgency and encourage early purchases. Media love to feature products that are new or have special packaging and design.
Charitable Initiatives: Embrace the season of giving by tying your campaign to charitable causes. Consumers expect brands to have strong CSR credentials so giving back will certainly enhance your brand’s reputation.
The jellybean advantage:
Collaborating with a PR agency like jellybean can be a game-changer for your Christmas PR campaign.
Here’s why:
Expertise and Insights: We are well-versed in market trends, media landscapes, and consumer behaviours. We can provide invaluable insights to tailor your campaign for maximum impact.
Media Relationships: We can tap into our existing relationships with journalists, bloggers, and influencers. We know the opportunities that exist and how to access them. We are therefore well placed to drive your brand’s exposure in relevant outlets.
Creativity: We will bring a fresh perspective and creative approach to your campaign, helping you to stand out amidst the Christmas noise. Cutting through is key with so many brands vying for attention.
For example for our client Porky Whites we created a PR campaign featuring sausage scented wrapping paper that got Porky Whites limited edition Christmas range featured on TV – read the case study here www.jellybeancreative.co.uk/portfolio/porky-whitesyou-have-smashed-it-yet-again/. For our client Maldon Salt we were able to achieve widespread recipe placement coverage in leading consumer press by positioning Maldon Salt as the must have ingredient to elevate Christmas dishes read the case study here www.jellybeancreative.co.uk/portfolio/maldons-extraordinary-christmas/.
And for our client Cottage Delight we were able to generate both gifting product news and recipe coverage to showcase their Christmas Collection through sparkling press office tactics read the case study here.
So, remember September isn’t just about back-to-school or preparing for Halloween – it’s a strategic launch pad for your Christmas PR campaign especially if you’re in the retail food and drink gift business or if you have a festive product or range. Starting now allows you to tap into the season’s excitement, outpace competitors, and ensure your products make it onto everyone’s shopping list. By implementing a range of creative tactics and enlisting the expertise of jellybean, your brand can enjoy a successful and memorable Christmas season that delivers a commercial result and makes a lasting positive impact on consumers.