Brands Getting Social Media Right For Christmas

How To Run A Successful Festive Campaign

Getting your social media right over the Christmas period is incredibly important. We’ve shown you how, now let’s take a look at how some companies have gotten social media just right for the festivities. They’ve all made it onto my nice list.

(Source: cutestpaw.com)

1. McDonald's :

First up we’ve got the ever social savvy McDonald's. Their social campaign is called: ‘Knitmas Greetings’. For the campaign, people are given the chance to make their own stocking on the website and then share it across social media. Take a look here and give it a whirl. I’m still trying to make mine, the unbearable pun of ‘Get your Claus of my Big Mac’ is too great not to use.

The best of the best stocking submissions will in turn be made real by knitwear firm, Grannies.

I’d love to win one of those stockings, but I’ve had mine ever since I was born. Can’t break tradition now. Alongside their traditional Christmas menu, McDonalds' are making sure that they’re on everyone’s thoughts just that bit more. 


2. British Airways:

(Source: telegraph.co.uk)

You probably remember some of British Airways’ great marketing this year. The #LookUp campaign was masterfully done and it will be remembered it for quite a while.

For Christmas, British Airways have turned to social media with their Thank-You campaign. This video has been broadcast across different social media sites and was also played during flights. That’s some good exposure.

Passengers will be asked to submit recommendations for holiday destinations during 2015 through Instagram. One image will be crowned winner and the prize is a rather huge: ‘half-a-million Avios points which is enough to get to New York eight times in First class, to Sydney five times in Club World (business class), to Dubai sixteen times in World Traveller Plus (premium economy) or to Paris 111 times in economy.’

3. Expedia: 

In the travelling vein, Expedia are also running with a similar winter campaign. Expedia has encouraged fans to share their special festive experiences on social media by posting images on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags: #WinterAtHome or #WinterAway.

4. Debenhams: 

Retail store Debenhams has also nabbed itself a mention with its new ‘Found It’ campaign. For Found It, Debenhams is asking people to upload their selfies under the hashtag: #FoundIt. Each selfie however has to feature an item which the customer has just found in store that they intend to use as a gift for someone. A winner is announced once a week and there’s a £1,000 up for grabs for each winner.

Richard Cristofoli, Debenhams’ marketing director commented on their campaign and how it reaches all different media: ‘As a multi-channel retailer our campaign seeks to engage with consumers with a multi-channel approach.  It is a broad campaign which can play out across all media - paid and owned.’

This social media campaign along with their very Christmassy television ad really shows how Debenhams are a company that have gotten it just right at Christmas by not just embracing the normal Christmas ad, but also their social media avenues.

(Source: mccgp.co.uk)

5. Marks and Spencer:

Lastly, you’ve probably seem the Marks and Spencer ad by now with the two fairies clocking in for the night and putting in a hard nights work making for a great Christmas. I wish we had snow like that before Christmas. But this campaign goes a bit deeper than just your typical Christmas filler. The advert first launched on social media giving us socialites the first views.

Even more impressively so, they’ve launched this Twitter which is playfully run by the two fairies themselves who have been flitting about across the country spreading good Christmas cheer. They’ve been generating a lot of attention with their small yet charming events such as creating real snow outside a primary school in Cornwall, giving gifts to night shift workers and creating fairies made of lights above Newcastle’s Tyne Bridge.

Dusk is upon us, but we're not done yet; We're still granting wishes so don't you fret! #FollowTheFairies pic.twitter.com/Y4ItBqOSYy
— The Two Fairies (@thetwofairies) December 9, 2014

However, they have been linked only to their Twitter and not to the actual M&S brand. I just hope that the two fairies are recognizable as an M&S product; otherwise their branding could be lost in spite of this wonderfully done campaign.

All in all, I’d say Marks&Spencer are the 2014 social media Christmas winners.

So there are just a few of the brands that are getting things right this Christmas.

Many of us still sit down and wait for our favourite brands to just release their new holiday adverts, but I think now it really is time for companies to start taking their social media just as seriously.

All that’ll do is make your company look like a spreader of Christmas cheer – and everyone loves a bit of that. 

Tom Welby

Tom has just graduated from University of East London in Creative and Professional Writing. He loves writing and is currently interning as a content writer hoping to go further. His other loves include Arnold Schwarzenegger films and his dog. Follow him @TomAtSMF

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