By Adam Wakefield

A question to ask before even thinking about communications in the holidays is what counts as summer holidays for those in the industry?

According to Jenny Griesel, founder of Jenny Griesel Communications, the summer holidays run from mid-December to the first week of January. For Nicole Capper, managing director of communications firm Mango OMC, it depends what media channel is being dealt with.

“For example, magazines usually finalise their December and January editions together, which means that we need to ensure that our campaigns and articles reach them by the end of August, at the latest,” Capper says.

“However,” she continues, “generally speaking, we begin to see the ‘holiday season’ start from about the middle of November, until the middle of January. Media and journalists are either fully extended story wise, or start to begin skeleton staff on rotation.”

Consumers, on the other hand, move into holiday mode from the last week of November until around the third week of January. It is these periods where it’s deemed acceptable to use holiday messaging.

Jeremy Briar, CEO of communications agency Total Exposure, wryly believes the holidays begin when Christmas lights begin going up in shopping centres in October.

“It then shuts down come the 16th of December, only to start limping back to life around the second week of January,” he says.

Communicating over the holidays is no summer picnic

As noted by Briar, by the time December begins, consumers have been swamped by Christmas and holiday messaging for a couple of months. The volume of messaging consumers come across, combined with the scant attention they give to such messaging, are challenges PR professionals face every year.    

“There are so many campaigns and brands shouting at consumers during this period, that any campaign runs the risk of getting lost in the clutter,” Capper says.

Briar echoes these sentiments, listing three knowables to keep in mind for the summer holidays:

  • Know that your strategy is going to have to work overtime to break through the clutter;
  • “Consumers are switching off and winding down the closer you get to the holidays”; and
  • Insinuate yourself into “the holiday ‘narrative’ without being lost or banal”.

Another issue communications professionals have to take into account over the holidays is the movement of people. As the holidays get closer, growing numbers of people break routine, changing their media consumption habits.

This undermines broad-based media campaigns, which rely on some form of consumer predictability. To take up the slack, activations provide valuable branding opportunities to consumers, as they go to them where they go on holiday. 

“You need to understand where they are going on holiday, how they are going to get there, and how to communicate with them in a different way entirely,” Griesel says.

Amidst the clutter, opportunities can be found

As predicable audiences go off the map in more ways than one, Briar spoke earlier about insinuating your campaign into the holiday narrative without being mediocre. Capper sums up this idea in what she calls the ‘holiday vibe’ taking hold.

“It makes media and consumers more likely to read and engage with a feel good story with no real hard-hitting news,” she says.

“This needs to be done very strategically so that it doesn’t get lost. Be unique. Stand out from the rest of the campaigns that are being run. Make sure your communication campaign actually means something during this time.”

Answers to “How does it benefit the consumer in this busy season?” and “Does it require a lot of admin and reading from the consumer?” will help to inform what your campaign message should be over the holiday season.

Plan, plan … and plan

If there was one-word Briar, Griesel and Capper cannot stress enough when it comes to communications over the holidays, it is planning. 

Capper says, “Start planning early. Make sure you have every touch point of the campaign pinned down early enough that you can engage with media in the medium term. During the holiday season, social media is your strongest ally. Make sure that this is fully integrated into your campaign.”

For Briar, being successful over the holidays means “getting in early. Start your planning significantly in advance. Be mindful of the media disruption and how to counter it and, play into a narrative but in a memorable way.”

Planning to Griesel means getting sign-off on relevant details and the campaign being execution-ready weeks in advance compared to your normal production and distribution schedule. Journalists plan stories in advance, and suppliers are often not available for last minute changes or fixes.

Communications over the holidays is not easy. It takes a well-planned, tailored approach and messaging that complements what your audience is up to, but it is far from impossible. If done right, your communications strategy can make the holidays that little bit more memorable for your audience. 

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