The holiday season is around the corner, which means we’re about to see festive content from all directions. With so many brands trying to get audiences’ attention, creating successful holiday videos requires a thoughtful, strategic approach. There’s no shortage of companies pushing holiday sales, Giving Tuesday donations, or encouraging ticket purchases, which is why it’s essential to make your holiday videos stand out.
If you’re a CEO or business owner, you might have heard how much impact video can have on audiences, but what can you do to make sure your holiday videos connect with your audience? Consider these tips when working with your in-house or freelance production team to set you up for success:
Say “No” to Random Acts of Video
During the holidays, we are often reminded about the good things we can do in the world and hear about Random Acts of Kindness from strangers. A few years ago during the holidays, I pulled up to a coffee shop drive-thru window, ready to pay for my order. The clerk leaned out the window and informed me, “The customer ahead of you paid for your coffee. They also wished you a happy holiday season and new year.”
Stories like these warm the heart when you think back on them, but the same rule doesn’t apply to your marketing videos for the holiday season. When you see multiple heart-warming videos out there, it's tempting to rush into video production just to get something out there. However, creating videos without a clear purpose is like shoving a tray full with hundreds of coffees in front of your audiences, asking them to buy without realizing that they might have received the same offer from other brands.
Avoid what’s known as “Random Acts of Video” by developing a clear strategy before you start filming. Every video should serve a specific goal that aligns with your broader marketing strategy, whether it’s to promote a holiday sale, introduce a new product, or simply spread holiday cheer while enhancing your brand’s image.
Before you ask your team to start filming or ask to hire a video production crew, define your objectives and what you want to achieve with every video. If you want to make multiple videos, make sure their storylines connect to one another and align with your objective. There will be plenty of trends that pop up over the holidays, but before you attempt to hop on the trend train, ask yourself if it aligns with your objectives.
Sometimes, after performing one Random Act of Kindness, I feel compelled to do more, but then I get burned out by offering too much. The same thing can happen with video. It’s tempting to produce more video, but it can also overwhelm your production team and your audiences. Just like a single act of kindness, one strong, well-executed video will have a bigger impact than several “Random Acts of Video.”
Identify what makes your brand stand out
Every holiday season, my apartment is cluttered with one thing: holiday cards. Growing up in a big family, I know I won’t experience a lack of holiday greetings. My fridge and bookshelves are often covered with pictures of my cousins’ children or their dogs. After a while, the cards start to blend together with lots of smiling faces and red, white, and green designs.
When you look around during the holiday season, it starts to feel the same way with similar messages from companies about joy, togetherness, and gift-giving. That’s why you need to think about what makes your brand unique in order to stand out in the sea of holiday content. Whether it’s your product’s distinctive features, your company’s core values, or the way you connect with your community, showcasing what differentiates your brand will make your video memorable.
The best way to figure this is out is to determine what your brand can do that no one else can. Is there a special tradition or mission that sets your brand apart? Why do your audiences gravitate towards your brand and not others? Does your brand provide audiences with a certain experience or make them feel a certain way?
This holiday video from Tiffany & Co. answers these questions by taking audiences on a memorable journey. The company shows customers how their brand can add color to their world and spark their imagination. The luxurious jewelry they purchase from Tiffany & Co. is more than an object. It’s a vibrant and exquisitely crafted lifestyle.
Connect with your audiences’ emotions
The holiday season is often an emotional time for many, whether you’re celebrating with loved ones, reminiscing about past holidays, or making travel plans. Emotions run high during this time of year which is why it’s essential to tap into feelings when making holiday videos. Using nostalgia to establish a sense of warmth and understanding creates a deeper connection with viewers.
Apple’s holiday video “Share Your Gifts” does just that by building a narrative that resonates with people as well as using music and quality imagery to evoke emotions we often experience during the holidays. Instead of making a repetitive sales pitch that gets lost in the rest of holiday advertisements pushing sales, it shows real people and real moments that make us think, “I’ve felt that way. I know that person. It’s me.”
Set-up a storytelling framework
Effective holiday videos leverage one thing: a strong storyline. Keep viewers engaged from start to finish by establishing a narrative arc that tracks your character’s progressions and comes to a conclusion. Think of your video as a mini-movie, where you introduce a problem or need, present your brand as the solution, and wrap up with a heartwarming resolution. A clear and cohesive story makes your video unforgettable and also sends a clear message that resonates with your audience.
Apple does it again in their holiday commercial reflecting the storyline of Pixar’s tear-jerker Up. The video starts off by showing audiences a familiar scenario: the long journey home to see a family member. What keeps the sisters quiet is an Apple product, but as the video goes on, Apple reveals its products do more than that.
Enter grandpa. He’s hesitant to let people in, even family members, and it’s clear he’s hurt by a recent loss. It’s a relatable situation that audiences can connect with whether you’re the person impacted by the loss or the people around them trying to help them through the pain.
It’s not clear to the adults what to do, but the sisters figure it out. Seeing their grandfather struggle, they empathize with him and figure out what to do. They’ll honor the memory of their grandmother with old photos and current pictures. This is where Apple products come in to be a part of the solution, but not detract from the storyline. And, it works.
The video ends on a feel-good note with all of the adults grateful for the little girls’ efforts to cheer up their grandpa. Apple’s efforts leave viewers with a lasting impression. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Establish a production timeline
Once you have your video storyline and goals aligned, it’s time to start filming, right? Before you jump into video creation mode, understand that holiday videos require careful planning and setting a clear production calendar and timeline. From brainstorming and scripting to shooting and editing, creating a high-quality video takes time. Before you do anything, set up pre-production meetings with your production team, whether in-house or freelance, to make sure your video is ready for the optimal moment, whether you’re aiming to hit Black Friday, Christmas, or New Year’s campaigns.
Think of it like you’re planning for the holidays. Before you send out holiday cards or make travel plans, you have to know when your desired start date is and what deadlines you have to meet. Work backwards and ask yourself questions like, “When does this video need to go live? How long do we need for the editing and review process? What other projects are going on that might overlap with production?”
In addition to milestones and due dates, you’ll also want to have wiggle room for creative brainstorming with the production team. This includes time in pre-production as well as post-production. Depending on how many people are involved in the review process, you might need to plan for multiple iterations to meet different team members’ or departments’ needs.
It also takes time to optimize videos across channels and potentially produce different versions for social media. The thing you don’t think will take a lot of time, usually ends up taking the most, so always plan to use more time than you anticipate.
This behind-the-scenes video of an Xfinity commercial gives an idea of just how many people are involved in production – and it’s the tip of the iceberg. Agencies, studios, actors, crew, and many more are a part of every video project to make it happen.
Creating successful holiday videos requires more than capturing festive scenes or promoting sales. By planning with purpose, you can craft a compelling story and produce content that resonates with your audience and drives meaningful results. The holiday season is a time for connection and forging a lasting bond with your viewers.
Like this post? Pin it for later!
Image by Ioannis Ioannidis from Pixabay