As an agency with a huge amount of experience creating seasonal campaigns for our retail destinations year after year, Christmas is the biggie. So how do we keep things fresh, exciting, and successful for our clients but also for us as creatives? Especially as we can often start our thinking in the midst of summer when we’re thinking more about Sangria than Santa.
Staying festive fresh
17 Dec 2024
The Christmas season is one of the most demanding times of the year for BWP. For shopping centres, it’s an essential period to drive footfall, engage customers, and create memorable experiences. However, juggling multiple Christmas campaigns simultaneously presents unique challenges.
We need to keep each campaign fresh, relevant, and effective while ensuring no two campaigns blend into one indistinguishable festive blur. Especially in such a crowded market, where every brand is vying for attention making it harder to create something that stands out.
From a creative perspective, the season is steeped in tradition and repetitive themes, which can sometimes feel restrictive or clichéd. Christmas campaigns often focus on family, togetherness, gift-giving, and magic for example. These recognisable sentiments are powerful but can sometimes be overused. The challenge often lies in finding new angles whilst maintaining these same heart-warming sentiments. While these elements are beloved staples, reimagining them in unique ways is vital to stand out and engage with our various audience groups and increasingly discerning consumers.
This balancing act is at the heart of all our campaigns, supported by a rigorous process designed to deliver the best results. It starts with a clear brief, a deep understanding of our audience, and alignment with the client’s brand essence and strategy. Add to this collaborative brainstorming sessions, regular client check-ins, and a structured creative framework, and we establish a strong foundation to build upon. From here, we craft a unifying concept that ties all elements together, ensuring that every channel and activation stems from the same central idea while amplifying one another.
Ultimately, the challenge often lies in balancing familiarity with innovation—creating campaigns that celebrate the spirit of Christmas while offering something unexpected and exciting. By doing so, we continue to deliver festive magic that resonates with our clients and their audiences, year after year.
