Holiday Marketing Across Screens: Key Strategies and Insights

The fall season marks the beginning of the ‘season to be jolly’ and it's the perfect time for marketers to devise their holiday marketing strategies and kickstart their holiday promotions. Shoppers are already out and about looking for deals and discounts as early as in October, following last year’s trend of 60% of shoppers starting their holiday shopping before November.

With 2023 online holiday sales expected to reach $1.19 trillion globally, marketers who are falling behind with their campaigns might be able to get a jumpstart if they leverage the power of omnichannel campaigns and integrated programmatic advertising. 

The combination of CTV's immersive storytelling, mobile's unparalleled engagement, and DOOH's visual impact in physical spaces creates a comprehensive and interconnected brand experience. This synergy ensures that advertising campaigns can resonate more profoundly with consumers, accompanying them from the privacy of their homes to the hustle and bustle of the streets, and all through the convenience of their mobile screens. This blog explores designing a successful marketing campaign by discussing the Holiday shopper profile, the role of multiple screens in marketing, and the strength of omnichannel strategies.

Who is The 2023 Holiday Shopper?

The 2023 holiday shopper is an early starter. He looks for exciting deals, does his research and is not hesitant to visit the store. 

Reports suggest that streaming TV will be the top engagement channel among high and average spenders this holiday season. This holiday season, reports suggest that price-conscious shoppers will begin to start their shopping early. Another report predicted that brands will launch a series of promotional events in early October, leveraging the halo effect of Amazon’s Prime Day, followed by a series of discount offers throughout Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

According to LG Ad Solution’s latest study, streaming TV ads will be advertisers' new best friend during the holiday season. The report said 97% of consumers view holiday content with friends and family. Additionally, families with Kids watch 36% more holiday Kids/Family content than those without children. Although mobile is the top device for purchasing during the holidays, the report found that shoppable ads are the future. 1 in 5 plan to use Smart TV/HDMI streaming devices to purchase products/services this holiday season. Additionally, 86% of viewers will multitask by shopping while catching their favorite holiday content on their CTV.

Let’s take a look at some of the recent statistics that can help you understand the buyers this shopping season and plan your campaigns accordingly:

-  80% of shoppers prefer brands that offer personalized shopping experiences. 

- 72% of shoppers expect to see deals before Black Friday.

- $1,530 Average Consumer Spend for 2023 Holidays for gifts, travel and entertainment.

- 11% increase in spending for female shoppers and they also prefer receiving gift cards. 

- 73% of the sales on Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2022 happened on mobile.

It is a well-established trend that Mobile is the top device for purchasing during the holidays. Always within the reach of the hands, the secure payment methods make tablets and smartphones the go-to online buying screen. As shown in the graph below: 

It is interesting to note that technical evolutions allow for other devices to take a part of the pie and it is also interesting how shoppable ads on SmartTVs have paved the way for shopping among consumers. Although we cannot predict what the future trend will be, we are confident that 2023-2024 trend will more likely depict that consumers will continue to buy through their Mobile devices. Therefore, CTV paired with mediasmart’s household sync technology will provide the launch pad to purchases.  

For instance, for early shoppers on the lookout for discounts, advertisers can target users who have just begun researching what to buy on their CTV creating awareness, nudge them to their nearest store with the help of DOOH ads, and let these shoppers avail discounts on their mobile devices. 

The combination of screens in a holiday marketing strategy provides an excellent opportunity to create a holistic experience for leads and customers. Envisioning a unified experience across screens and effectively retargeting audiences on second screens will further drive conversions. Let's examine more closely what those holiday omnichannel strategies can look like. 

The Interplay of CTV, Mobile & DOOH

In the dynamic world of digital advertising, the strategic interplay between Connected TV (CTV), Mobile, and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising represents a frontier of endless possibilities. As consumers navigate through their daily lives, they transition seamlessly between the large screens of CTVs in their living rooms, the personal screens of mobile devices in their hands, and the public screens of DOOH in communal spaces. This ecosystem of these diverse touchpoints offers marketers a unique, integrated space to create unified journeys across screens. Partnering with the right technology providers to seamlessly advertise in all screen types will radically change the outcome of any holiday marketing strategy. 

The Power of CTV Storytelling

CTVs have evolved to be central to households globally. These screens, typically the largest in the home, have a unique power: the ability to command undivided attention. Brands can leverage this for Narrative Richness. Since CTV allows for longer and more compelling narratives it can help brands tell their unique story using different CTV ad formats. Think of the heartwarming holiday commercials that become conversation starters and Santa turning to wear red and white robes by the impulse of Cocacola, like the iconic Coca-Cola Christmas trucks that have become synonymous with festive cheer.

Additionally, with mediasmart’s advanced targeting, CTV users can be impacted both on their mobiles and on DOOH screens. Particularly interesting to boost online sales, CTV paired with mediasmart’s household sync technology empowers brands to incentivize users to take action. Let’s delve deeper into the power of engagement on Mobile. 

The Interactivity of Mobile Ads

Mobile devices, our constant companions, enable a level of interactivity unmatched by other platforms. Whether it's Flash sales, exclusive discounts, or interactive quizzes, it can create an engaging consumer experience and drive instant actions. For example, an e-commerce platform might use interactive ads that allow users to "swipe" through a range of holiday products that drive the user to the product they want to buy once they click on the ad. It’s hard to make it easier to encourage sales.

mediasmart’s cross-screen technology allows advertisers to go one step further and allows you to find CTV and DOOH ad viewers on their Mobile phones.  For instance, advertisers can create visually interactive cues on the screen (like a bouncing gift box) indicating exclusive deals and offers. On the flip side, viewers can also use their mobile devices to scan an on-screen QR code either on CTV or DOOH, taking them directly to a dedicated landing page for the featured products.

The Unmissable Impact of DOOH

DOOH, with its vast presence in malls, highways, city centers, and also closer spaces like residential areas, bars, universities, or even hospitals can amplify a brand's message to vast audiences. Utilize DOOH screens near your physical stores to push real-time promotions, drawing crowds in. For instance, a coffee shop might advertise a limited-time festive latte to pedestrians strolling nearby with directions on how to get to the closest store.

You could also combine DOOH with mobile for an integrated experience. Imagine a QR code on a DOOH screen that, when scanned, gives access to a special holiday discount on a user's mobile device. With mediasmart’s DOOH Audience sync technology, the reinforcement can be made without any action on the user side: they will watch your ad on a DOOH screen and our technology will be able to impact those users on their phones with a follow-up message without them having to take the lead in performing any action. It is a game-changing holiday marketing strategy, especially for the screens that are in high-traffic areas where users might not be able to stop and take action, but were impacted and interested by the content of the DOOH screen.

Winning Your Holiday Marketing Campaigns 

In today's dynamic digital landscape, the interplay of Connected TV (CTV), Mobile, and Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising provides an array of innovative marketing opportunities. As early holiday shoppers seek deals and with projections of $1.19 trillion in global online holiday sales, an effective omnichannel strategy is paramount. Leverage the power of omnichannel marketing that seamlessly connects your brand with shoppers from the comfort of their cozy living rooms to the busy streets with DOOH.

Partner with mediasmart to maximize your holiday marketing campaigns, ensuring a seamless and impactful customer journey across screens. 

Reach out to us today for unparalleled results!