So, it is the most wonderful time of year. Santa’s grotto is firing up its furnace, Mariah is rousing herself from her year-long slumber, and all across the land little boys and girls are rubbing their woollen-mitted hands together in anticipation of all the presents to come. But behind the scenes, retailers are rubbing their hands too. For you see, Christmas is the crown jewel in the retail calendar, a time when brands go above and beyond to capture the attention, affection and loyalty of a whole new legion of customers.
Why 2024 may be the biggest Christmas yet
In 2024, brand activations reached a new level. Consumer expectations are higher, tastes more refined, and competition fiercer than ever before. This means brands have to master the art of meaningful experiences to stand out. At We Are Collider, we lean on our MARVELS framework to create brand activations that are magical, memorable, and that turn one-time shoppers into lifelong fans. We’ve seen firsthand how well-designed activations can drive engagement. Take the 2023 Waitrose Christmas Room, a festive wonderland we crafted at London’s Tobacco Dock. This activation was more than just a room it was an experience, immersing visitors in Waitrose’s brand story using sights, scents and sensory stimuli that made people feel like they were stepping into Christmas itself. With tickets having sold out six weeks in advance and an expansion into the vaults, this year’s festival returned to Tobacco Dock bigger, bolder, and better than ever, delivering unforgettable moments for all who attended.
Now, as we rattle towards the end of the year like a reindeer-led sleigh towards a roof of chimneys, we wanted to take a look at how brands can themselves analyse the latest trends driving this season’s most memorable activations and adapt them for their own benefit.
1. Creating Immersive and Memorable Experiences
As the desire for full-sensory experiences grows, brands are increasingly looking to invest in activations that go well beyond traditional displays and advertising.
Today’s audiences crave experiences that make them feel, remember, and share, meaning it is more vital than ever to do something special to lure in those holiday shoppers. Consider Coca-Cola’s iconic Christmas Truck Tour. Every year, Coca-Cola rolls out a classic red truck adorned with twinkling lights, as it journeys across cities worldwide. However, this goes far beyond nostalgia: it’s about brand loyalty. People flock to see the truck because it embodies Coca-Cola’s identity, its joy, family, and tradition. Visitors get a tangible reminder of the Coca-Cola story and its place in their lives. A similarly successful Christmas activation doesn’t just look good—it pulls people into the brand’s world. By focusing on immersive experiences, brands tap into that holiday nostalgia that never goes out of style.
2. Prioritising Personalisation and Tailored Experiences
Personalisation is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a need-to-have that brands simply cannot ignore this festive season. Shoppers want unique and meaningful interactions, not bland, generic encounters, and although technology has helped make this a reality before, this year we’re finding that focusing on personalised touchpoints is proving even more powerful.
Pandora’s “Create Your Own Christmas Charm” activation is a great example of this. At this event, shoppers could design unique jewellery pieces for themselves, creating meaningful gifts that felt like more than just a transaction. Each charm represented a personal story or an emotion, literally embodying what the holidays mean to the wearer. The experience was intimate and memorable, and customers walked away with something truly special, which made it perfectly aligned with the spirit of the season.
This is where the behavioural science behind our MARVELs framework comes in. When consumers see a reflection of themselves in a brand experience, they’re more likely to feel an emotional connection, making them far more likely to return, so by offering personalisation, brands can build these bonds naturally and effectively.
3. Collaborative Brand Activations and Strategic Partnerships
In recent years, strategic partnerships have proven a silver bullet to the brand activation world. By collaborating with complementary brands, companies can extend their audience reach and introduce new layers of engagement into their activations.
Spotify Wrapped is a prime example of this kind of partnership done perfectly. This annual year-in-review, released every December, is built on a collaboration between Spotify, artists, influencers, and, most importantly, listeners. It taps into data and personalisation to create a snapshot of each user’s listening habits making it deeply shareable on social media. The brilliance of Spotify Wrapped lies not only in its personalisation but also in its cultural relevance and ability to make each listener feel like part of something bigger. Brands aiming to create holiday buzz would do well to consider partnerships that add depth to their activations and invite customers to share the experience with others.
Collaborations do more than amplify reach, they make experiences richer and more exciting. So by aligning with like-minded brands or personalities, brands can create activations that are memorable and meaningful, driving customer engagement and loyalty.
In Conclusion
The most impactful Christmas activations of 2024 won’t be your run-of-the-mill campaigns. They will be carefully crafted events that blend creativity, personalisation and strategic partnerships to deliver unforgettable experiences.
If you’re struggling for inspiration, let our MARVELS framework be the shiny red nose that guides you through the blizzard. By focusing on the components that make brand experiences powerful—Magic, Adequacy, Relevance, Value, Exchange, Labelling and Sociality – brands can unlock the full potential of experiential marketing. We encourage you to be bold, brave, innovative, but most of all to keep the consumer at the centre of every decision. After all, the brands that can capture the magic of the season will not only convert that magic into sales but into long-term loyalty that will last long after Christmas is done.
Image source: W_Minshull via Flickr
