Today I head back to the West Coast to see how much my Godson has grown, to be in a dear friend’s wedding, and to spend Thanksgiving with my family (and maybe a little USC football). To me, it’s a perfect reunion with nearly everyone dear to me. It’s quite a special opportunity to be able to do so, and something I’m so grateful for.
But Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and the other days in the “holiday season” offer opportunities for marketers to play on these emotions, oftentimes advertising Christmas gifts long before the first round of turkeys have been placed on the table for Thanksgiving.
For a long time, I was resistant towards this approach regardless of the fourth quarter stock returns. I felt that capitalism preyed on the good intentions of this season and kept moving “holiday shopping” closer and closer to Halloween, as though jumping the gun and skipping over the “non-commercial” Thanksgiving and moving straight into “presents” mode for Christmas.
This video captures the sentiment perfectly:
Ya! Spend more time with the Family! Focus less on personal getting and more on giving! You’re ruining the season you present list wanters! You’re playing on our emotions you evil marketers! Let’s go back to the “good innocent days” where we focused on what’s important.
But then, I see something like this below and am brought into a higher state of consciousness, moved with emotions to the sweet story. Extract the part of selling something and you get a piece of content like this that is so powerful, so moving that it uplifts your day in a whimsical, sweetly innocent way. Take a look:
I no longer look at the brand/company/product being the cursed object they’re trying to throw in my face, but rather, I look at that brand/company/product as the source of money and energy that allowed me to receive such a beautiful piece of content.
This season is special not because of the things we get, but because of the intention and beauty of the content, narratives, and interactions we manifest, all because it’s the holiday season. Why not manifest it throughout the year?
What do you think? Can this type of energy and emotional appeal be created, spread, and celebrated year round?