In the early darkness of the morning after Thanksgiving it begins. The promotions leading up to Christmas are a harbinger of the general economy and the December campaign can bolster those lagging year-end figures, particularly in retail.So effective marketing in the competition for those final discretionary dollars of the year is critical. Although the zeitgeist is one of generosity, the board of directors is looking up from the balance sheets and saying "You know that last dime? We need it." Are there marketers out there who are successful in appealing to both the rock and the hard place?
Some companies have seized the opportunity to be Christmas-friendly. In a recent survey of that category by John Stossel, the pole position is held by Bass Pro Shops, followed by Cabela's, Lands End, K-mart and Sears. Other businesses are more inclined to be snowy, frosty, wintry, festive, etc. in hopes of appealing to Obama's "no longer Christian" nation. Retailers will have all of January to figure out whether they offended the right people.
Here are some other pre-12/25 strategies you may be seeing out there lately - see if you think they're effective:
Good
- Megabus is giving away 100,000 free seats on their Facebook page on trips booked for 1/6-3/20.
- Apple has a free Christmas music download set (20 songs) on iTunes.
- ELF Cosmetics is offering free shipping on any purchase.
- Joseph A. Bank is offering $550 suits for $180.
- Cepia's hot new "Zhu Zhu Pets" are under $8.00 each (and the rumors of toxicity are false).
Bad
- Verizon doubled its early-termination fee for smartphones last month.
- Verizon doubled its early-termination fee for smartphones last month.
- Joseph A. Bank evidently clears at least $370 on its normally $550 suits.
- Today, stores sold out of Zhu Zhu Pets within minutes of getting a shipment, pushing the eBay price up to $35.00.
Ugly
- The girls in Gap's seasonal ad saucily tell their parents they won't wear that (old stuff) anymore, and if they don't like it, they can "talk to the moose." (The only sign of seasonal cheer at the brick-and-mortar store reads, "Do the moose. Shake your caboose.") The moose video has already generated some spoofs on YouTube.
- Mitsubishi is running ads with the jingle, "We wish you a Mitsubishi."
On that note, I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas. God bless us, every one.
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Some of you have asked about the Discovery Channel's "Everest: Beyond the Limit" with John Golden's amazing summit climb described in my 10QatAtime interview with him in October. The update is that the episode was delayed but is now scheduled for Sunday 12/27 - see the link here.
