It’s that time of year again; December has just gone by. What is the real meaning of Christmas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the fairy lights everywhere, the cards in the mail, dinners with family and friends, and the huge marketing campaigns?
The story of Christmas began many years ago but the magic of Christmas is reborn every Christmas season. An amazing story: A king is so humble that he is born in a manger; a virgin gives birth to the son of God and with it ‘The Word became Man’.
Unlike any other baby, the one born that night in Bethlehem was unique in all of history. He had a heavenly pre-existence.
Why would God do such a thing? Why would he come as a baby, instead of appearing in power and majesty? Why make himself a true man and live among us, when he knew full well how terribly he would be treated? It was love and it was necessary! A message of peace…
During the Christmas season, the advertising world jingles out loud, minds ring, imagination and innovation are set on high levels of readiness, creative ideas flake our spaces, workshops are activated and all helpers gather getting ready to fly up high on the sleigh of success.. But what did marketing add to the story of Christmas?
Beyond the decorations, the new products, and the continuous modernisation of the symbols of Christmas, at the busiest time of the year; the season when people are busy shopping for gifts to give to their loved ones, the advertisers may want to draw customers’ interest to their products and services by perhaps using the right Christmas marketing ideas.
Some advertisers know very well that Christmas spirit is about going out of your way to reach out to the less fortunate. They select charitable institutions and offer to make donations of a certain percentage of their sales.
They inform their customers about these donations and update them regarding the total donations generated. Customers may be more likely to deal with a company with a conscientious heart, and they may also spend more if they know a portion of their money is going to a charity.
There is one more thing that marketing can add to the Christmas story, a message of peace and harmony…
The great gift of giving can become more complete with the above message in our attempts to reach our targets when we are marketing Christmas. “Feliz Navidad”, “Jouyeux Noël”, “Buon Natale”, “Kala Christouyenna”, “Milad Majid”, “Gun Tso Sun Tan’Gung Haw Sun”, “Shub Naya Baras”, “Sung Tan Chuk Ha”, and “Chuc Mung Giang Sinh”.
Perhaps marketers may make the message of peace and harmony an integral one while marketing products and services during Christmas 2012.
By Marie Joe Al Dreiby