Marketers will need to approach Christmas and seasonal marketing different ways in 2021 from their media planning, creative development and ensuring that goods are available for consumers in time for Christmas. In this Q&A a range of industry experts give guidance on making Christmas 2021 a success. We dive into what the current circumstances mean for both brands and retailers themselves and the opportunities that are available. We will look at how consumer behaviour has changed in the last 6 months and how to best navigate this space to maximise the impact in the lead up to the Christmas period.
Mark – With all the uncertainty that 2020 and 2021 have brought, it has highlighted the need for flexibility within marketing plans. With different states and territories going in and out of lockdown, a national approach just doesn’t make sense. A lot of dollars have been wasted on locked in traditional media that don’t have messaging suited to the situation. Accentuated further by businesses that have a heavy bricks and mortar presence with poor online experience. Businesses that have pivoted their models to both capitalise in the huge growth in e-commerce but also consumption of digital media have reaped the rewards!
This is where programmatic comes in as the smart marketing choice. The flexibility, scale, speed to market and efficiency that it provides makes it the wise choice in the ever-changing dynamic in Australia. With access to the vast majority of traditional channels (excluding print) and especially the ability to access DOOH, programmatic is not just the performance driver that it once was. Marketers are outsmarting their competition with the advantages that it provides. Reaching the right audience, at the right time, with the right message and connecting the dots between their activity.
As was brilliantly covered by Les Binet, if you want to increase your share of market you need to have a higher (effective) share of voice. The key word here is effective… It doesn’t mean you need to outSPEND your competition but it does mean you need to outSMART your competition. Giving you a higher share of voice efficiently and effectively where it counts – with less wastage. I know where I would be spending my money!
Heading into the busiest retail period of the year (Oct-Dec) with so much uncertainty combined with supply challenges it will be imperative to remain flexible and be able to pivot so that you don’t miss out on the biggest opportunity available.
May the odds be ever in your favour!
