It seems so early to start thinking about holiday marketing campaigns, right? But some of our most beloved holiday ads and products like, the iconic Starbucks red cup designs, REI’s #OptOutside and Hershey kisses as caroling bells got their start months before they made their big debut.  

While some brands have a natural tie-in to all things merry and bright, other holiday campaigns require a bit more time, creative strategy and out-of-the-box thinking to position featured products or services as the perfect holiday gift. 

So, while we’re over here getting in the mood with yuletide tunes and dreams of chestnuts roasting on an open fire, let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of our favorite unique client holiday campaigns – and what made them so successful. 

Gifting the Experience of Water Safety with Goldfish Swim School 

Experience gifts have become a popular trend with parents, grandparents and family members looking for a unique gift for children that isn’t a toy or more “stuff.” 

Capitalizing on this trend, we worked with Goldfish Swim School on a holiday campaign to promote a "gift of experience" package that included swim lessons, as well as coupons and free items from local businesses. This package allowed parents, grandparents and caretakers to give the gift of water safety and the life skill of swim lessons -- plus an opportunity to experience other local businesses for free or at a discount.  

Our work included both media relations and local influencer outreach, identifying popular holiday gift guide opportunities as well as media and influencer outlets reaching the target audience parents and grandparents of young children who would benefit from swim lessons. As a result of the campaign, top local media and influencers such as WBNS Channel 10, Columbus Moms Blog and What Should We Do Today Columbus shared about the package, which helped it became a popular gift item among local families over multiple holiday seasons.  

Why did it work? Parents may not think of swimming during the winter months of Ohio, much less as an idea for a holiday gift. Using key media outlets and influencers that reach parents, coupled with partnerships with other popular businesses, Goldfish Swim School was able to generate interest in swim lessons during an off-peak time. 

Reaching a New Audience for Luxury Gifts with Bosca 

Raise your hand if you’d love to get a beautifully hand-crafted purse or handbag for the holidays. Bosca leather goods, based in Ohio, knew its bags make a perfect gift. But they needed a strategic holiday campaign to reach new customers and highlight their line of luxury products. 

Approach partnered with Bosca to implement a multi-layered campaign including influencer outreach and product reviews, paid social advertising and traditional media relations focused on holiday gift guides in influential outlets. 

The campaign resulted in holiday gift guide placements in top outlets like Departures and Valet Magazine, plus buzz and positive reviews of Bosca with seven influential bloggers. Our targeted paid social campaign generated 113,000 impressions and nearly 1,000 link clicks to the Bosca website. 

Why did it work? With more than a century in business, Bosca already enjoyed a loyal customer base. But this campaign, leveraging high-end product images and authentic reviews from lifestyle influencers enabled Bosca to introduce their products to a new crop of customers looking for unique luxury gift ideas. 

Targeting a Niche Audience with a Unique Gift Idea with Moonlight Slumber 

Body pillows may not come to mind as a hot holiday item. But for expecting mothers, a body pillow is a must-have.  

Leveraging this niche audience, we partnered with Moonlight Slumber on a Facebook campaign to promote its Comfort-U Body Pillow as just that – the perfect last-minute gift for pregnant women everywhere. 

Pairing user videos with Facebook Shop Now ads, we drove traffic to the company's Amazon marketplace page with a single click. The campaign ran for two weeks in December, generating nearly half a million targeted impressions, 55,000 video views and 11,500 clicks to Amazon. In addition, the videos were shared over 300 times, many including comments asking others to buy the pillow for them.  

Why did it work? Sometimes, having a very niche, targeted audience pays off. Couple that with a unique product, it just goes to show that with the right strategy and creative thinking, even non-traditional gift items can be a holiday season success. 

Let’s get creative with your campaign. Our team of PR pros has worked with hundreds of businesses and brands to generate unique ideas that drive holiday sales. Let us help you get the right message in front of the right customer at the right time. Approach us at hello@approachmarketing.com.