Planning for a Covid Christmas

How should advertisers go about planning for a Covid Christmas? 2020 has been one of a kind, to say the very least. Brands have learnt to continuously adapt in order to remain relevant and connected to their audiences in these unprecedented times. With Christmas 66 days away (not that we’re counting or anything…), the way consumers will shop during the Christmas period this year will be vastly different.

An August Kantar study found that 40% of respondents located in NSW are avoiding big malls, and superstores, with this figure being even higher in VIC sitting at 55%. An additional survey conducted by Vamp identified that 75% of consumers surveyed indicated they would do the majority of their Christmas shopping online. Whether this is due to current state restrictions, or just not feeling comfortable in large crowds, one thing is for certain; ecommerce this year will be more important than ever before. With that in mind, here are a few key pointers Brands should consider when planning for a Covid Christmas;

Geo specific Messaging

With restrictions differing state to state, it is important Brands scrutinize the right balance between festive cheer and pandemic sensitivity. The type of messaging suitable for a NSW target audience will vastly differ in regards to tone a Brand should be using to advertise to their VIC audience.

Display and CTV is up

An Adobe study found user engagement across both Display and CTV has increased dramatically throughout COVID times in comparison to pre-COVID (February, 2020). Display increased 24.1%,  CTV increased over 59%, with most user engagement occurring between 11am – 2pm, and between 5pm – 8pm (aka mealtimes), indicating consumers are connected more than ever before. There’s a vast range of channels Brands can utilise in order to reach and engage with their consumers, particularly throughout certain times of day.

Utilise a variety of Engaging Ad Formats

In the months, and weeks leading up to Christmas, Facebook’s Industry Head of Digital Disruptors, Henry Kelly stresses the importance of Brands ensuring their product offering is “teased in a highly visible manner”. He suggests utilising engaging formats such as Facebook Video Ads, in-stream Ads and Stories in order to attract user product interest through the lead up to Christmas.

With that being said, it is important brands and marketers start planning for Christmas sooner than later, with Vamp identifying “41% shoppers anticipate they’ll have already started their Christmas shopping by the end of October.