It’s a safe to say that many French people do not know what they will be doing for Christmas; and that it is only the weekend of December 19 and 20 that each family will organize itself. In the face of uncertainty and anxiety, the very idea of Christmas, its light decorations, its colorful dishes, its too many gifts, etc., seems almost indecent. Even downtown retailers prefer to dress their windows with their private label to talk about price rather than Christmas.
Communicate positively now
More and more consumers expect a positive transformation of society from brands and companies: 90% of French people expect brands to demonstrate a real CSR commitment (Denjean et Associés study, March 2019). They all want a more united, more sustainable and more respectful world.
In this gloomy environment, the brands that stand out are those that quickly meet the needs of consumers.
Alongside the hustle and bustle of Advent calendars which are becoming too marketing and too expensive, clever initiatives that revive and play with a certain idea of tradition are performing.
Do you know “The Elf on the Shelf”? This is the story of more than 14 million little Santa Claus elves around the world who come to share the daily life of a family from November and who, every night, fly to the North Pole to report to the Santa Claus. Every morning, it’s a pleasure to find where this mischievous little elf is hiding and it’s a nice help for parents to bring some calm; for a wise child will have the attentive ear of Santa Claus. A tradition that is still little known in Europe but is so successful, especially in Canada, that Kellog’s chose it to create its limited Christmas series to strengthen its bond with families.
And you, how do you want to talk about Christmas?
Rethinking the Christmas collective
79% of people surveyed by Balsam, a brand of artificial trees, plan to spend the Holidays at home so as not to contaminate their loved ones (source: emarketing.fr). This change, certainly binding but more than necessary, brings its share of opportunities. Opportunity to rethink Christmas to go more local and open the door to a few neighbors or locally close friends to be together.
Opportunity for seniors to invent their Christmas “silver” so that they are not alone but that they get together with friends. Opportunity to create Christmas Apéros, moments of digital conviviality that are shorter but more visual, and above all more fun and conducive to the “finger food” trend! Opportunity to embark on a social Christmas by delivering good meals to caregivers, the homeless, those who need support, reminded them that they are not alone. Because yes, Christmas is above all a collective and united moment. It is not too late to launch a partnership operation to support an association! And the Mars Wrigley company got it right. This year, the brand is teaming up with Dons Solidaires for the operation “A magical and united Christmas” to offer the most fragile of beautiful end-of-year celebrations.
What are you going to do?
Favor creative recycling
Between partial unemployment and repeated confinements, the year 2020 has been complicated for the pockets of all French people. Brands will have to take this into account for these holidays. All the more so as consumers are increasingly convinced that the circular economy promotes a more virtuous and more sustainable society; This is evidenced by the growing success of second-hand digital platforms such as Vinted, Le Bon Coin and Backmarket.
All brand initiatives relating to recycling, upcycling, waste reduction and anti-waste are and will be viewed positively by consumers. Thus, in this spirit, to offer sustainable toys, the startup Petite Marelle offers toy rental subscriptions intended for children from 0 to 6 years old. The principle is to move away from new purchases in favor of rental, while offering a wide choice of toys suitable for the awakening and cognitive development of children. Do not forget that 40 million toys are thrown away annually in France, ie more than 75,000 tonnes of waste.
What if, in the end, 2020 was the year that established use rather than property as the new benchmark for happiness?
Lighten your daily life
Because we have seen the mental load of the French grow exponentially, because it has become difficult to take a step back, to recover, to escape or simply to let go, we dream that brands provide relief. Two main Christmas topics for a brand to consider: First, helping consumers make more useful and responsible gifts. We reserved food gifts for grandmothers who had everything. This year, it becomes smart and united to look into the boxes that know how to put together local creators and producers.
MasterBox was able to react with the confinement by offering everyone to join the collective to be the spokesperson for this great approach, especially since the Christmas markets will for the most part be suppressed.
Second subject: what meal to prepare? All the restaurants have shown initiative and openness: from palaces to home chefs, including starred restaurants, a new accessibility to gastronomy democratizes excellent cuisine. Le Gabriel, Le Meurice, La scène, David Toutain, Le Septime and so many others need us all! All you have to do is consult the Michelin guide website, or the Belle Assiette or the Flying Chef, and of course all the restaurants close to home, to combine pleasure and letting go!
And you, what are you going to do for dinner on New Years Eve?
Surprise!
Finally, to love is also to surprise! At Christmas, everything is allowed to share to laugh and smile: dare to be creative! In July, Burger King took the gamble of decorating some of its restaurants (in the USA) with Christmas colors to bring magic to the daily lives of its customers with the desire to speed up the transition to something else! Huge image success for the fast food brand!
To surprise, the ideas are multiple, not to say endless. How about a tropical Christmas, to get a change of scenery and feel like you’re traveling and getting away from it all?
Finally, to strengthen ties, draw inspiration from a tradition that smartphones have almost eliminated: sending Christmas cards and greeting cards. Rediscover the simple pleasure of choosing the right card, a few words to write, a drawing or a printed photo to send; and when it’s useful, ecological and fun, it’s even better! Does a card that blooms sound like you?
In short, at the end of 2020, brands still have something to surprise and support French consumers in their desire for positive and lasting change! How? Design through innovation and reincarnation of the brand through branding can be good levers to help brands be useful to consumers.
Laurence Béthines
Deputy director in charge of strategic planning at CBA paris
