From Christmas to Valentine’s Day: the complete guide to winning holiday ad creatives
Black Friday and Cyber Monday may mark the start of the holiday shopping frenzy, but savvy marketers know the real marathon begins after the initial rush. While November's sales figures are hard to top, a strategic approach to the weeks and months that follow can make or break your holiday revenue goals.
This guide is your roadmap to navigating the often-overlooked opportunities between Cyber Monday and Valentine's Day, using high-impact video creatives tailored to different stages.
We'll break down six crucial marketing periods, each with unique challenges and possibilities for engaging your audience using relevant and engaging videos.
Holiday marketing stages
The holiday marketing season is considered to start once Black Friday and Cyber Monday wrap up. Having an effective strategy for transitioning into this period can help you maintain the momentum and make a huge difference in your bottom line.
Let’s look at six main stages you should be focusing on, including the main priorities, the specific creatives you should use, and much more.
After Black Friday/Cyber Monday
After the ad spending spree of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there’s a short wind-down period of up to two weeks, where businesses revamp their strategies and prepare for Christmas promotions. By mid-December, the Christmas ads will be back at full force, meaning more saturation, higher ad costs, and a harder time getting clicks.
That’s why it’s crucial to have a plan for your Christmas promotions well in advance and start running them immediately after your Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads. By starting earlier, you can take advantage of the dip in ad costs and build a new audience of eager Christmas shoppers.
The creatives
Festive excitement: After the BFCM period, people will still be hyped from the sales hunt, which is why the creatives should keep the same energy and drive urgency for holiday shopping. The key here is to transition the theme to the upcoming holidays, which is something more people will be highly anticipating. Elements like Christmas decorations, seasonal clothing, and festive music all work great in these videos.
Interests and hobbies: The festive season is all about getting the perfect gift for family and friends. To make that job easier, the creator should connect your products with hobbies and interests that it relates to, saying “This product is perfect for someone who loves fitness/tech/home decor/etc.” The videos should radiate excitement and joy, capturing the festive atmosphere while still showing the product's features.
Christmas deals: Just like on Black Friday, you want to introduce your Christmas sales early, with creators clearly communicating limited-time offers and urging viewers to act quickly. A great way to add urgency is to mention guaranteed delivery before Christmas, assuring the buyers that the gifts will arrive on time if they buy by a certain date.
Curated guides: If you have multiple products for people with different interests and preferences, Christmas is the perfect time to create curated gift guide videos, where creators help shoppers discover products that would be perfect as gifts for their friends or family. By making the job of finding the right gift easier, you can offer value and position your products as a great choice.
Video ideas
Video ideas
- The creator unboxes the product, capturing the joy and excitement that comes with giving and receiving the perfect holiday gift.
- The creator goes through the brand's gift guide and picks their top five out of the list.
- The creator films a “Christmas morning” scene, using the product as part of their holiday tradition.
- The creator shares their “top gifts for people who love [specific interest],” featuring your product as an excellent option.
A week before Christmas
As Christmas gets closer, the sales numbers will typically start falling. At this stage, most people have already secured their gifts and won’t be actively looking for deals after the marathon of Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas-themed sales.
Still, a week before Christmas is a unique opportunity to tap into a very eager and active segment of your audience - last-minute shoppers who still haven’t found all the gifts for their family and friends. By providing solutions to those who can no longer wait for shipments to arrive, you can maintain your sales all the way through Christmas.
The creatives
Urgency: The last week before Christmas is all about creating urgency and showing that it’s still possible to purchase your products as last-minute gifts and get them on time. Usually, that means offering mainly gift cards and digital products, as guaranteeing delivery otherwise could be problematic.
Ease and convenience: Another key part of attracting last-minute shoppers during this period is showing how quick and easy getting the gift is, even at the very last minute. The creators should demonstrate that purchasing the gift card takes only a few clicks, while also emphasizing how a gift card ensures the recipient can choose what they really want.
Instant delivery: Since last-minute gifts are usually gift cards or digital products, it’s crucial to emphasize that they will be delivered instantly and can be used immediately after purchase. The creator can connect this with the fact that these products guarantee the perfect gift without having to worry about delivery times.
Reduce stress: Finding last-minute gifts is a stressful experience, so the creators should be enthusiastic, reassuring viewers that even though Christmas is almost here, it’s still not too late to make someone’s holiday special with the perfect gift.
Video ideas
Video ideas
- The creator goes through a “how-to” process of purchasing a gift card online in under a minute, highlighting how easy and fast it is to complete the purchase.
- The creator films a skit where they “panic” about forgetting to buy gifts, only to remember they can send digital products or gift cards instantly.
- The creator highlights the recipient’s perspective, showing the joy of receiving a digital product or gift card via email as a thoughtful, last-minute gift.
- The creator films a “last-minute gifting hack” video, demonstrating how gift cards and digital products saved them from holiday stress, while also showing the ease of purchasing and sending these items.
Christmas to New Year’s Eve
The period between Christmas and New Year’s is when most people are spending time with family and have more time to chill out and scroll social media on their phones. Unsurprisingly, that means platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook experience a usage surge throughout the holidays.
For savvy businesses, it's an opportunity to tap into this engaged audience, promoting offers that may entice buyers to splurge for themselves and others as the year draws to a close.
The creatives
Relaxed mood: Since the period between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is all about celebrating with family, relaxing, and perhaps some self-reflection, that’s exactly what the creatives should emphasize as well.
Treat yourself: The videos can also emphasize that after thinking so much about what gifts to get for family and friends, it’s now time to focus on your own needs and treat yourself to something nice as well. The videos can introduce any type of product because shipping speed is no longer a big concern.
Use short videos: The best way to tap into audiences scrolling TikTok and Instagram on their sofas is with short, festive videos that radiate holiday cheer but subtly shift toward a more personal, reflective tone and the person’s needs instead of gifts for others.
Use cozy settings: Since it's the middle of the holiday season, you want the videos to match that mood as much as possible. Use visuals that include cozy settings, soft lighting, festive yet calming decorations, and creators indulging in products for themselves rather than others. The content should be celebratory but in a more relaxed mood, acknowledging that the festive chaos is over and now’s the time to reflect and spend some personal time.
Sales and contests: To add an extra incentive to act now, you can use end-of-year sales, clearing out any remaining inventory. You can also run holiday-themed contests and giveaways, which can help engage your audience and generate buzz around your brand, leading to more excitement and sales.
Video ideas
Video ideas
- The creator shows the product as a way to treat themselves after a busy holiday season, using cozy, calming visuals to highlight how the product fits into their post-Christmas self-care routine.
- The creator reflects on their favorite moments of the year while incorporating your products, positioning them as part of their highlights.
- The creator shares a cozy evening at home with a favorite product, suggesting viewers take time to relax and enjoy the final days of the year.
- The creator sits surrounded by unwrapped presents and reveals they had been manifesting the product all Christmas, but no one gave it, so they bought it for themselves.
Post New Year
After New Year, most buyers become more budget-conscious, which means they may not be as receptive to ads. However, good deals and discounts can still get your audience to take notice, so it’s definitely possible to create successful campaigns even during this typically slower period.
One thing to consider for your ads is that as the new year begins, people look for ways to improve themselves. They set resolutions to be healthier, get ahead in their careers, or simply find more fulfillment. Your ads should offer inspiration and practical solutions to help people achieve their goals.
The creatives
Emphasize value: As shoppers try to recover from their holiday spending, it’s a good idea to emphasize value and lead with your best deals, as well as the value your product can offer, especially if it can relate to self-improvement and accomplishing personal goals. The creators should lead with the fact that they’ve scored great deals on your products.
New Year’s resolutions: Focus on creating inspiring and motivational videos that reflect the themes of New Year’s resolutions, showcasing various new routines and life improvements that mark a “new start” for the person in the video. The “fresh start” angle also works well with being more practical, so the creators should mention that this is a purposeful purchase that offers a lot of value for a great price.
Clear-out sale: Because savings and value are such drivers for budget-conscious buyers, you can also consider creating an entire sale around the theme of New Year, with the creators mentioning that they were able to find this amazing clear-out sale and it’s a great opportunity to save.
Video ideas
Video ideas
- The creator shares their New Year’s morning routine, showcasing how your product fits perfectly into their plan for a healthier or more productive year.
- The creator humorously explains how they overspent during the holidays but managed to snag your product on sale, positioning it as a smart investment for their goals.
- The creator explains how they’ve struggled to stick to their resolutions but discovered that your product makes achieving their goals easier.
- The creator makes a before/after skit, showing their frustration and failed attempts at achieving New Year’s goals without your product, then shifts to a successful "after" scene where the product helps them reach those goals.
Two weeks before the Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the biggest sports event in the United States. So it’s not surprising that it also leads to a surge in activity on social media platforms, as people take to their feeds to follow updates, share and read predictions, and immerse themselves in the general anticipation of the big event.
For marketers, this creates a great opportunity to tap into the excitement surrounding the Super Bowl and run themed campaigns, as well as promotions for their best offers.
The creatives
The big event: Since the social feeds are dominated by the Super Bowl, it makes sense to lean into that and opt for creatives that capture the excitement and overall energy surrounding this major event. Think of ways your product could improve or relate to the Super Bowl experience, or consider how you could leverage common Super Bowl themes in the video.
Use humor: You can use humor to create more engaging content that looks more native to the platforms, incorporating Super Bowl elements such as game-day traditions or funny Super Bowl mishaps while making the product a central part of the fun. Make the videos lighthearted, and show how your product can enhance the game-day experience.
Add urgency: The Super Bowl can be a great theme for a limited-time offer. The videos could feature countdowns, urgency-based messaging, FOMO, and exclusive Super Bowl discounts to encourage people to act before it’s too late. This can be combined with the approaching game-day excitement, connecting it with the urgency of the offer to entice people to act now.
Video ideas
Video ideas
- The creator demonstrates the chaos of setting up a Super Bowl party without your product, followed by a smooth, enjoyable "after" scene where your product makes the experience more fun.
- The creator humorously recreates iconic Super Bowl commercials, incorporating your product in a fun, light-hearted way and positioning it as a must-have for game day.
- The creator unboxes your product, explaining how it’s a game-day essential, especially with an exclusive Super Bowl week offer.
- The creator scrambles to get ready for the big game but saves the day by using your product, promoting the ease and last-minute solutions it provides for the ultimate game-day experience.
A month before Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is the time for romantic gestures, which is why many social media users are actively looking for the perfect gift idea to get their special someone. You can use that to run love-themed promotions, positioning your products as a great romantic gift and showing how it can enhance the Valentine’s Day experience.
People are more likely to be receptive to content related to love, relationships, and romantic gestures, so consider featuring these themes in the videos and connecting them to your products.
The creatives
All about love: The UGC video ad creatives for Valentine’s Day should lean into the romance, love, and appreciation that surround the occasion. Use fun scenarios around relationships, finding the perfect gift for a loved one, and romantic celebrations of the day, featuring your products and showing how they can enhance the experience or serve as the perfect gift.
Many angles: As part of the Valentine Day’s theme, the creators can explore a variety of angles, including romantic moments with a partner, funny “Valentine’s fails,” or even treating themselves with some self-care. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different formats, using funny hooks, as well as more heartfelt and thoughtful ones, to see which ones resonate emotionally and connect with your audience.
Exclusive deals: Just as in many of the other stages, running exclusive deals related to Valentine’s Day is a great way to get attention and create more urgency for your offers. By connecting your deals to the occasion and having creators position them as perfect last-minute gifts or “Valentine’s Day treats” for loved ones, you can make your videos more relevant and authentic, leading to more engagement and sales.
Personalization: A great way to enhance your products and make them more appealing as Valentine’s Day gifts is to offer personalization options as part of the promotion. This could be an engraving, a personalized card, a customizable bundle, or anything else that fits with your product and the occasion.
Video ideas
Video ideas
- The creator humorously shows a failed Valentine’s Day gift attempt, followed by them using your product as a “perfect save” to redeem the situation.
- The creator prepares for a romantic Valentine’s evening, using your product to make the setup more special, emphasizing a limited-time offer to purchase the product in time for the holiday.
- The creator focuses on self-love, humorously showing how they’re treating themselves to a special Valentine’s Day with your product, promoting it as the perfect self-care gift.
- Two creators participate in a fun Valentine’s Day challenge, like “who knows their partner better,” with the winner gifting your product as a prize.
How to get on-demand creatives for every holiday marketing stage
These six stages offer a solid framework for engaging your audience with fresh video creatives, using various themes and tailored promotions to maintain sales after the Black Friday/Cyber Monday frenzy. But for these strategies to be effective, you must have a reliable way of getting authentic videos on demand, tailored to different occasions and personalized to match your audience.
And that’s where Billo is so indispensable. It offers access to 5,000+ vetted creators who are experts at creating engaging content for TikTok, Meta, and other platforms. You can find the perfect creator based on your needs for different stages, ensuring strong ad performance.
The streamlined ordering process allows you to create detailed video briefs for creators or rely on proven templates, video elements, and editing to get videos that fit your brand, product, and goals and are proven to convert.
When you have a structured plan for different stages in your marketing, you can use Billo to quickly order a variety of creatives, getting exactly what you need to ensure you're always running relevant ads that stand out and drive sales for your business.
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