Navigating the fine line between too soon and too late at Christmas

It’s no great declaration that a lot of brands are facing challenging times right now. Reduced marketing budgets amidst an uncertain economic backdrop coupled with social media proving to be treacherous ground for even the most careful brand messages means there’s a tendency to pull back on marketing output. 

As a marketer, I’m of course going to tell you that’s a mistake, particularly at Christmas. However, there’s always been a hesitancy to really go for it over the festive season. Whether that’s a fear of getting lost in the Noel noise or fearing you’ve missed the boat, there always seems to be a damn good reason why any activity can wait until the new year. 

We’ve already covered the ‘lost in the noise’ conundrum in a previous blog post, but what about the tricky topic of timing? Over the last eight years as WXY Studios, we’ve seen a similar pattern:

September. Too early to think about Christmas. 
October. We’ve still got time…
November. Right, we’re nearly out of time, are we bothering to put something out? 
December. Too late. 

And just like that (terrible TV show, not SATC canon), another Christmas opportunity has come and gone.

The funny thing is, brands aren't necessarily wrong to worry about timing. Nobody wants to be the one responsible for metaphorically putting Christmas decs up in September. Equally, launching a festive campaign when everyone else is already winding down for the holidays isn't exactly ideal.

There absolutely is a sweet spot when it comes to launching a Christmas campaign. The trouble is, we're often so preoccupied with finding it that we overlook something arguably more important: getting started in the first place.

Starting early doesn’t mean launching early

One of the biggest misconceptions around Christmas marketing is that getting ahead means getting your campaign out into the world before anyone else.

Spoiler alert, it doesn't.

In fact, the beauty of starting early is that you give yourself the freedom to be more considered about when your campaign actually goes live.

You have time to explore ideas that go beyond the obvious festive tropes. You can think about what conversations your audience might be having as Christmas approaches, rather than scrambling to join the ones already happening. Perhaps most importantly, you can give a good idea the breathing room it deserves.

Because let's face it, the closer we get to Christmas, the more tempting it becomes to settle for something that's simply achievable rather than something genuinely exciting.

And while there's nothing wrong with a quick turnaround when the opportunity calls for it, there's a difference between being reactive and just being rushed.

The Christmas sweet spot

So, when should you launch a Christmas campaign?

Annoyingly, there's no universal answer. It comes down to your brand’s audience and their habits, as well as what you're trying to achieve this festive season.

For some, November might be the perfect opportunity to get ahead of the Christmas shopping rush. For others, the conversations worth joining won't really begin until December. A campaign designed to drive purchases is going to have a very different window of opportunity to one designed to make people laugh on their lunch break.

The point is that your launch date should be a decision you've made, not one that's been made for you because you've run out of time. And that's where early planning earns its keep.

Don't let Christmas sneak up on you. Again.

Christmas has a remarkable habit of arriving at exactly the same time every year, yet somehow managing to catch people off guard.

There's always going to be a reason to push festive activity down the priority list. Budgets need approving. Other campaigns take precedence. Someone inevitably suggests picking things up in January…

The brands that make the most of Christmas aren't necessarily the ones shouting about it first, but are the ones who've given themselves enough time to work out what they want to say and, crucially, when it's worth saying it.

So, by all means, be precious about your Christmas launch date, just don't be precious about when you start thinking about it.

Looking for some Christmas campaign inspiration? Take a look at our festive work with Compare the Market, Heinz and Simply Business.