Get Your Promotion in Shape for the Holidays: Marketing for Holidays and Beyond Starts Now
The holidays are upon us, once again, and as retailers try to get in gear sooner each year you can never start planning too early! After all, more than 70 percent of all consumer goods sold in the U.S. are sold in the fourth quarter of the year. For marketers, it’s the opportunity to meet and expand sales projections, and set the stage for the New Year.
The holidays – and the months that follow – can be a great time for marketers of anything to do with the health of consumers.
Around this time of year, getting fit for the holidays is one of the favorite topics for radio, TV and the print media. For example, products that can help soccer moms fit into last year’s dress or help their husbands trade in that keg around their waist for a six pack will experience massive media coverage.
Consumers are looking for ways to get fit for the holidays and stay fit through all the turkey and trimmings. Or – if they aren’t successful at either – making the resolution to get back in shape in the New Year!
So, how can you capitalize on this season?
- Get your Products into Holiday Gift Guides – Holiday gift guides are being created by major print outlets right now, so if your company produces anything that could be given as a gift, your product can be a candidate for these special sections. Books are very popular holiday gifts, so publicity can drive their marketing as well.
- The Holiday Season is a Great Window of Opportunity for Health and Fitness – These topics are extremely popular for consumers who continue to try to bend the laws of physics in order to fit into last year’s cocktail dress or jeans without breaking the zipper. The marketing opportunities stretch from September straight through March of the following year. After all, any diet or fitness regimen usually takes 90 days to generate measurable results.
- New Year, New You – The number of column inches devoted to these kinds of stories during the next six months is probably more space than is devoted to any other single topic. TV and radio shows practically talk about nothing else as the season draws near, and every January 1st the thing most people see in the paper are stories about how to lose weight, get fit and healthier.
So, with the season upon us, are you ready with your PR? Will YOUR products be spotlighted in the media, or will it be your competitors?
More From Marsha Friedman
Marsha Friedman launched EMS Incorporated in 1990. Her firm represents corporations and experts in a wide array of fields such as business, health, food, lifestyle, politics, finance, law, sports and entertainment. She consults individuals and businesses on a daily basis and is frequently asked to speak at conferences about how to harness the power of publicity. Outside of the office, she is also the founder of a non-profit organization called the Cherish the Children Foundation. In 1996 the White House recognized her charity which sets out to raise awareness of the plight of underprivileged and foster children.
