As the chocolate in Account Director Rob’s advent calendar diminishes on the lead up to Christmas, he shares his festive thoughts on seasonal marketing at this wonderful time of year.

“It always strikes me as a potentially depressing time of year, when one looks back and realises that one has accomplished nothing and there’s no time left to do anything about it! Add to that the grind of family members being forced upon us, very un-festive films on television, Christmas shopping… and worse still, Christmas shoppers… and it could become a rather stressful time of year. And what about those of us in the Marketing industry? Is the additional stress of seasonal marketing enough to push us over the edge?…

Well in fact no. It’s actually at this time of year when clients tend to let their hair down a little and enjoy the seasonal cheer both at work, and play. Well of course deadlines will always be deadlines but the campaigns are so much more exciting (and so are the client ‘drinks’).

Whether it’s the obligatory elf or two poking out of an otherwise dull self-mailer, or an interactive email allowing recipients to win festive prizes every day until Christmas day… it’s all very uplifting.

Understandably it’s the busiest time of year for many retailers and as such, marketing activity scales up accordingly. Although consumers expect to see more communications, as long as the content is compelling it’s not seen as a negative thing. Effective campaigns are well thought out, targeted and specific to the individual.

In fact the IMRG recently released statistics that showed 48% of consumers are influenced by communications that offer retailers deals and promotions.

Technology is also playing an ever-increasing part in consumer behavior too, which has a direct impact on the way we target consumers. With growth in the proportion of customers shopping on a mobile device or app this Christmas, pushing the boundaries of online creativity and functionality is a must in order to stand out in the busy market place. It’s so exciting being part of the team that develops ‘that killer app’ or awesome mobile website for your client.

In addition to the hardware that’s used, the way consumers are now engaging with content is changing and providing further avenues for us marketers to explore. Customers want to be able to share the content with friends as well as receive those persuasive discounts/vouchers to use online. Pizza for a penny anyone?

And it doesn’t stop when you’ve put out your mince pie and carrot by the fireplace either. Research by eDigital highlighted that last Christmas a staggering 86% of UK consumers went online on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, 22% of whom accessed the internet on their mobiles. Checking emails was the main reason for this, closely followed by browsing and buying online. (And yes, accessing social networks was in there too).

It’s not all work, work, work though. It’s also a time when your hard work is realised with the yearly award ceremonies. Then there are the client Christmas parties, and I probably shouldn’t say too much about the Agency ones! It’s not surprising that some (including myself) have to go on a detox for the whole of January!

So no, seasonal marketing isn’t enough to push us over the edge. It’s a time to be creative; a time to be festive; and a time to revel in what is a truly remarkable industry to be part of.

And what about the un-festive films, family members and Christmas shoppers???? Well obviously I’ll be sitting back and enjoying some kind of horror movie, doing my shopping online (using all of the vouchers I received by email), looking forward to hitting my emails on Boxing Day rather than playing Cluedo with auntie Doreen!

A Merry Christmas to us all; God bless us, every one!”