Thanksgiving Campaigns: Tips to Tap Into The Seasonal Magic
Holiday shoppers come in all shapes and sizes – from early birds and deal seekers to last-minute shoppers. But there is one weekend when all kinds of holiday shoppers get extra active and that is the Thanksgiving weekend. This presents a unique opportunity for brands to connect with customers and drive sales. But with so many marketers vying for attention, how can you create Thanksgiving campaigns that stand out? We aim to answer that in this blog.
We’ll explore effective Thanksgiving marketing strategies, including campaign ideas and examples from successful brands. So, without further delay, let’s dive in and discover how to make the most of this festive season.
Thanksgiving Marketing: Key Insights
To understand the significance of Thanksgiving for marketers, consider these statistics:
- In 2023, a staggering 200.4 million shoppers took advantage of the Thanksgiving weekend deals, a significant increase from the 196.7 million shoppers in the year 2022.
- Online shopping has become the norm during Thanksgiving. According to the National Retail Federation, more shoppers opt for online purchases compared to in-store shopping during this period.
- Email marketing remains a powerful tool. Campaign Monitor’s study revealed that over 95 million emails were sent on Thanksgiving Day alone.
- Mobile shopping is on the rise. Nearly 59% of online sales during Thanksgiving weekend were made using smartphones emphasizing the need for mobile-friendly digital channels and campaigns during Thanksgiving.
To summarize, there is immense potential for marketers to reach and engage a large audience during the Thanksgiving season. There are two quick points to remember: the demand is increasing steadily and there is a growing need for focusing on online channels for Thanksgiving marketing. By understanding these trends, you can effectively plan and execute your Thanksgiving marketing strategies to maximize sales and customer engagement.
Now, the question is, what kinds of campaigns can you plan for Thanksgiving? Let’s talk about a few quick ideas before we discuss some brilliant executions by brands.
5 Easy & Effective Ideas For Thanksgiving Campaigns
1. Thanksgiving Day sale
A timeless Thanksgiving campaign idea is an exclusive sale. Yes, you might have deals running throughout the Thanksgiving weekend but make the Thanksgiving Day Sale extra special.
- Offer a big discount on a relevant product or category.
- Or create curated bundles that let users enjoy combo offers on items they need the most during the holiday season.
- Add to the benefits in the form of freebies or free shipping on purchases.
- Create excitement for your sale through teasers, countdown posts on social media or even email reminders.
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2. Thanksgiving contests
Contests, both online and offline, can foster a sense of community and engage your customers during Thanksgiving. But ensure that the theme of the contest is relevant not just to your brand but also to the theme.
- For instance, a pumpkin carving contest where the contest prize is a product bundle or some new products you wish to introduce into the market.
- Or perhaps a Thanksgiving recipe challenge where customers can share photos of their creations on social media and tag your brand. This boosts your volume of user-generated content and thus boosts your brand’s engagement online.
Depending on the nature of the contest and what channel you wish to leverage, make use of the right kinds of marketing graphics to promote your contest. For instance, personalized print designs like promotional flyers and postcards work well for offline contests. In contrast, emails and social media ads are more effective for online contest.
3. Trivia posts
This idea works not just for Thanksgiving campaigns but for any kind of holiday marketing in general. Do some research to find out factually accurate information about the celebration and the heartwarming stories behind the origins of the traditions. Information like this never fail to impress.
- Talk about the origins of Thanksgiving celebrations.
- Or about the unique traditions followed in different places.
- Create engaging story posts to instantly grab your audience’s attention.
4. Thanksgiving events
Thanksgiving dinner, or a local market – your event could be of any scale. The idea is to get more authentic and step out of the digital realm. By doing this you are reaching a smaller crowd but in a more engaging way. And this small crowd that you genuinely engage with is more likely to bring some loyal customers.
To amplify your Thanksgiving marketing effort, collaborate with a local brand or influencer with a strong local community to host the event. This helps foster community connections and can significantly impact a brand’s local presence.
5. Branded Thanksgiving posts
A simple yet effective way to stay relevant during the Thanksgiving season is to create and share branded Thanksgiving posts. The key is to incorporate the Thanksgiving theme and infuse your brand flavor into the design. This could be a simple Thanksgiving wish for your customers. Or even a shareable Thanksgiving e-card for your customers to share with their network.
- Identify relevant imagery to capture the theme.
- Use autumn colors and warm tones to set the mood.
- Add festive accents and legible fonts to elevate your designs.
7 Thanksgiving Brand Campaigns to Draw Inspiration From
The Pepsi Turkeytron
The Pepsi Turkeytron campaign is one that shows how you can merge two different themes effectively. Given that the football season coincided with the Thanksgiving weekend that year, Pepsi came up with a creative spread they called the Pepsi Turkeytron.
This was a Sweepstakes they organized with a unique centerpiece as the reward. The centerpiece perfectly combined the holiday theme and football themes. Yes, there was turkey but there was so much more to appeal particularly to football fans. The target audience here was clearly defined – families who were football fans and were all in for non-traditional celebrations for the weekend.
Coca-Cola After Thanksgiving Meal
The image below shows an old Coca-Cola ad which is still gold. Steering away from the traditional ideas, this one was about what happens after Thanksgiving. It addressed the relatable issue of Thanksgiving leftovers.
Instead of the cliched Thanksgiving leftover casserole, this ad suggests a fun sandwich and how a bottle of Coca-Cola can make the meal extra special.
The idea itself is simple and the design is straightforward. Additionally, there is an effortless and seamless product placement that does not look forced or promotional. This combination shows how you can aim for continuous engagement post the holidays by getting a little creative.
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Blue Apron’s Thanksgiving Meal Kits
One of the most common Thanksgiving marketing strategies adopted by brands in various industries is the introduction of limited-edition products to go with the occasion.
Blue Apron’s Thanksgiving Meal Kits are the perfect examples of this. The idea is simple – the brand creates limited edition meal kits for people who do not have the time to put together an elabnorate Thanksgiving meal or tackle the endless shopping that comes with it. The meal kits save them time and efforts ensuring that they do not have to compromise on traditions.
With diverse menu options and even a vegetarian option so that no one feels left out, the brand caters to the requirements of different kinds of Thanksgiving hosts.
Ideas like this one only happen when you truly listen to your audience and know what challenges they faces. This helps you come up with a novel solution to address their woes and thus win their hearts.
Airbnb nurturing authentic connections through actual stories
Storytelling can make a mound of difference to your Thanksgiving marketing efforts. The post below from Airbnb exemplifies this.
The video shares the story of an Airbnb host’s family that came up with a tradition of preparing an extra plate of their Thanksgiving meal for their guest. Airbnb is known to regularly highlight such real stories from hosts and guests to tap into the emotional aspects of the hospitality industry.
Moreover, the story shared here also resonates with the brand’s motto of “belong anywhere”.
The campaign here captures the magic of using user-genreated content and genuine moments to stay fresh and relevant to the occasion while also nurturing meaningful connections with customers.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of the most iconic Thanksgiving events in the U.S., showcasing large, colorful floats, performances, and musical numbers. This annual event enhances its brand visibility and connects emotionally with viewers. It’s also an opportunity for Macy’s to promote its store offerings, especially around the holiday shopping season.
Through this event, Macy’s continue to foster goodwill and community spirit. This one reiterates the idea we recommended earlier, of hosting events to add value to your Thanksgiving marketing efforts and collaborating with local businesses to amplify your efforts.
What matters here is that the brand has invested consistently in this event and has done so for decades now. Therefore, over the years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has nurtured consistent engagement for the brand and has also earned it a lot of media coverage.
In addition to this, this event has also resulted in Macy’s collaborating with big brands like the Marvel – Macy’s partnership for instance. As a part of this collaboration, the duo has announced the return of Spider-Man to the 2024 event.
In short, Macy’s, through consistent efforts, has created a new Thanksgiving tradition showing how brands can proactively engage their audience to create sustained engagement through holidays like Thanksgiving.
Walmart’s Affordable Thanksgiving Meals
Walmart recently announced the launch of their deals for Thanksgiving including their inflation-free affordable meal options.
What began as a campaign in 2022 has consistently garnered a lot of media coverage for the brand. Steep discounts were announced in the holiday essentials to allow people to enjoy their Thanksgiving meal without compromise.
While the campaign on its own was quite successful, this year it holds even more relevance. This is considering the controversies sparked about inflation ever since a TikToker shared his Walmart bill from 2024 and compared it to a similar bill from two years ago reflecting how the prices have shot up.
Big deals and discounted Thanksgiving products can feel like an answer to such issues and therefore position the brand as one that listens to and addresses its customers’ concerns.
Red Bull’s Thanksgiving commercial
Red Bull’s Thanksgiving commercial is proof that you can tie in to the Thanksgiving theme without deviating the least bit from your brand’s signature style of storytelling.
Red Bull is known for its quirky and vibrant tone of voice. There is also the unique hand-drawn style illustration that appears across the brand’s marketing and branding designs. The commercial here makes the best of all these aspects while also denoting a funny take on the Thanksgiving Turkey tradition.
What’s more? The ad also builds around the brand’s iconic tagline “Red Bull gives you wings”. That’s brilliant Thanksgiving marketing on the whole.
Supercharge Your Thanksgiving Marketing Efforts With KIMP
In short, Thanksgiving marketing offers endless opportunities both in the form of ideas to explore and formats to execute. Moreover, to bring your ideas to life, you need well-planned and executed designs in the form of static images and videos to deliver your message and evoke the intended response from your customers. This is where an unlimited design service like KIMP can elevate your game. With a dedicated design team taking care of all your seasonal marketing designs your regular design flow does not have to take the hit.
So, what are your waiting for? Register now for a free 7-day trial and get ready to rock the house with your Thanksgiving marketing strategies.