We are in a second lockdown and the likelihood is – at best – we will revert to a tiered system for the remainder of this calendar year and into the early part of next.
This time of year is often the busiest for marketers with Black Friday kicking things off before the full-on rush for advertising space and airtime in the lead up to Christmas.
This year it’s likely to be very different. It will be interesting to see if the big players produce their normal Christmas ads, not least because many of them – John Lewis for example are not even allowed to open their doors at the minute; and I think we all know the look and feel of the whole period will be different.
Those who are not fans of Christmas will be having a ball of course, while most of us will lament the reduced opportunities to enjoy the opportunities the festive period traditionally brings.
The more savvy parents may even take the opportunity to explain to their young ones that Santa, because of his age is in the vulnerable group and shielding, so won’t be able to visit this year.
It was in the 1930s that Coca Cola changed Father Christmas from his traditional green and white look into the red and white outfit we all associate him with today as a part of their own Christmas promotional campaign, so technically he is in his 90’s and perhaps ought to self-isolate rather than riding a reindeer driven sled and jumping down chimneys at the coldest time of the year?
Christmas marketing is just the latest thing to be impacted by Covid 19 and traditional tactics will need to be adjusted to work in the new circumstances we find ourselves in. It will be interesting to see the response.
That said, let’s all hope it’s as normal a Christmas as possible, we all stay safe, businesses prosper….and there’s a global shortage of sprouts.