Yes, we’re blogging about Christmas… in March.
You may still have 278 days until the big day but for all you brand, marketing and trade managers, Christmas really does come early, and festive editions of your products will be hitting shelves sooner than you think.
So now is the time to think about Christmas. As a marketing whizz, you know the added sales value you can gain from creating gift packs, secondary seasonal packaging and travel retail editions of your bestsellers. It’s an understatement to say that this is the biggest time of year for FMCG products and it pays to plan in this instance. A lot of brands have dedicated roles for seasonal packaging and have teams allocating resources to these projects all year round. And it’s time your brand did the same!
Using the festive season to elevate your brand
One of the key ways that special editions drive sales is by coercing new consumers to trial your product. We all know the feeling of heading out Christmas shopping and not quite knowing what to get that niece, nephew or office cleaner as a gift in the festive season. One of the most popular gifts often ends up being gift packs from FMCG brands. Whether it’s beauty, personal care, grooming or confectionery, this repackaging opportunity is a chance to reach a whole new customer base and capture consumers who are otherwise unaware of your brand.
Where it can all go wrong
The problem with festive promotions is that you will be competing in an incredibly saturated market. Shelf space will be scarce so, naturally, you will want to make your brand stand out as much as possible to catch the eye of festive or travelling shoppers.
Use eye-catching details with caution. Laminates and extra “look at me” materials, along with conflicting colouring, can dilute your brand equity. You still need to retain your brand identity, even with so much up for grabs in the festive season.
How you can do it right
It’s key that, as a brand, you employ consistent brand messaging across all touch points and use special editions, travel retail and seasonal packaging to your advantage – like we did with our work on Christmas Cadbury.
Gifts and seasonal products often come in larger packaging formats giving you a bigger canvas to engage with customers. At Slice, we like to tell a story. Draw in your consumer. Take advantage of the festive season and allow yourself some on-brand creativity with packaging that will leave the consumer remembering your offer.
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024