We all saw many Christmas campaigns in the past few weeks. And we probably didn’t see all of them as many would not make it – sadly…
Before running any seasonal campaign I always ask myself, is it a good idea? At the end of the day, we are giving ourselves an ultimate ‘deadline’. Let’s face it, it won’t be timeless, it won’t get picked up once the calendar event it is related to is over and won’t, probably, get picked up ever again.
So why is it a good idea again?
Let’s say we all started planning our Valentine’s Day campaign (back in November). Here are our pros and cons we need to consider:
Pros
- It’s definitely relevant. Everyone is talking about Christmas/Valentine’s Day/Mother’s Day – so you don’t need to worry that the timing won’t be right (just make sure you launch it at the right time).
- Journalists will be interested (but you still need to do your research to make sure you are targeting the right ones).
Cons
- The competition is bigger – you will be competing with many other companies and agencies who are also targeting the very same event/season.
- If you don’t make it in the press before and during the event/season you are in a bit of trouble. You can’t re-do/re-hash or launch again the campaign as you related it to certain event or season.
Whatever campaign you are running, whether that is related to a calendar event or not, do your research, plan everything, make sure you keep your deadlines and have a plan B (when possible) – in case anything goes wrong.
