At our digital marketing agency, creativity and innovation gives us real energy and purpose. This Christmas season has given us the opportunity to be creative with our Christmas marketing campaign, featuring "Holly the Christmas Octopus" - a unique light installation in along the Bay of Lights Illumination Trail in our local area in Torbay.
In partnership with the local council and other sponsors, we've launched a series of nine marketing activities to maximise our investment and increase local awareness about Treat Marketing. Here's a rundown of what we're doing:
Building Holly's online home
We created a dedicated website for Holly with a pop-up page to funnel traffic towards our campaign landing page. This helped us provide detailed information about Holly’s back story and inform the public about events and activities at the light installation.
Takeaway: A dedicated microsite or landing page can give your campaign a centralised online presence. It allows you to share detailed information, collect data, and control the narrative around your campaign.
Crafting Holly's origin story
We crafted an engaging backstory for Holly, making her more relatable and interesting to our audience. The story is one that appeals to all ages, is relevant to Holly’s origin and with links to Christmas, and starts an unforgettable activity we hope to sponsor year on year: Meet me at Holly’s
Takeaway: A compelling backstory can give your campaign personality and emotional depth, increasing audience engagement.
Social media engagement
We are actively engaging with social media users who post pictures with Holly, with a unique hashtag to follow: #HollyxTreat
Takeaway: Encourage user-generated content and engage with it. This promotes organic reach and builds a sense of community around your campaign.
Collaborating with other sponsors
We partnered with other sponsors to cross-promote each other's contributions through mention-tags.
Takeaway: Collaboration can extend your reach and bring new perspectives to your campaign. Look for other sponsors and nearest neighbours as potential partners who share your target audience.
Orchestrating a flashmob event
We organised a flashmob event, creating a live event that drew in crowds at a particular time at the light display, followed by an in-person event at the local restaurant, Otto.
Takeaway: Live events can create memorable experiences and generate excitement.
Distributing branded treats
We gave out Treat chocolates in branded packaging throughout the awareness campaign. The treats carried a QR code to drive traffic to the website and our Instagram page. The treats also provided a tangible reminder of our brand and campaign.
Takeaway: Giveaways can extend the life of your campaign beyond the event itself. Consider what branded items you could distribute that would be valuable or enjoyable for your audience.
Featuring Holly on our podcast
We featured a voice actor posing as Holly on our podcast, adding another layer of engagement to our campaign.
Takeaway: Multimedia content can help diversify your campaign and reach different segments of your audience. Not everyone is on social media or wants to visit a website, so look for creative ways to get your message across.
Creating custom location pins
We created custom location pins on Google, Instagram, and Facebook, helping people easily find Holly.
Takeaway: Make it easy for your audience to engage with your campaign. Use all available tools to guide your audience towards your campaign, both online and offline.
Reimagining our logo
We created a variation of our logo featuring an octopus, tying our brand directly to the campaign.
Takeaway: Don't be afraid to play with your brand elements to fit the theme of your campaign. This can create a unique visual identity that sets your campaign apart.
The benefits of a multimedia campaign
The beauty of a multifaceted campaign lies in its ability to reach a wider audience, engage them on multiple platforms, and provide a variety of touchpoints. By incorporating an array of techniques - from creating a dedicated website to orchestrating a flashmob event, from social media engagement to collaborative partnerships - we ensured that the campaign resonated with a diverse range of individuals. Each element was designed to support the others, creating a unified, comprehensive experience that kept Holly at the forefront of people's minds.
Our "Holly the Christmas Octopus" campaign is a mix of creativity, collaboration, and strategic use of various marketing channels. By adapting some of these strategies, you too can create a unique and engaging campaign that resonates with your audience.
Interested to learn more?
Check out our playbook and take a deep dive into these essential elements and learn step-by-step how to replicate this marketing campaign for your own business!