Christmas marketing encompasses all marketing strategies aimed at leveraging the shopping and festive atmosphere associated with this time of year. Brands that can directly capitalize on this enthusiasm through specific offers, gifts, or services are the first to exploit Christmas marketing. However, even advertisers whose business isn’t directly related to the holiday can seize the opportunity to disseminate their messages by adapting them to the context. While Christmas marketing offers undeniable communication opportunities, channel and audience saturation can sometimes compromise its effectiveness or lead to increased distribution costs.

This type of marketing is generally seasonal, but some brands seek to establish a more lasting association with this event in the minds of consumers. A famous example is the debate surrounding Coca-Cola’s use of Christmas marketing. Common tactics include creating specific catalogs and brochures, implementing themed soundscapes or music, decorating shop windows, promoting festive products such as beer or tea, seasonal price variations, special events, and so on.

A concrete example illustrates this reality: Milka seeks to position itself as an iconic Christmas brand. Furthermore, Domino’s Pizza considered using reindeer to deliver its pizzas in Japan during the holidays before ultimately opting for scooters.