How to prepare your advertising campaigns for Christmas?

Christmas is still far away, but you should already start preparing your advertising campaigns if you want to have a chance to communicate for the holidays. Find out our tips and tricks to launch your Christmas advertising in all serenity.

Summary of the article: How to prepare your advertising campaigns for Christmas?

1. Some figures on the Christmas period
2. Succeed in your Christmas advertising campaign with a multi-media strategy
3. Prévoir une hausse des coûts publicitaires pour la période de Noël
4. Quand devez-vous commencer à travailler votre campagne de communication pour Noël
5. Pour ne pas dépenser inutilement, arrêtez vos pubs de Noël plus tôt

Christmas remains one of the most celebrated holidays in France and for which the French do not hesitate to spend (almost) without counting:

• 68% of French people believe that Christmas rhymes with gifts (source CSA)
• 3.7 billion euros in sales for the toy sector in France in 2021, an increase of 3% compared to 2020 (source: NPD)
• 17% of online purchases in 2021 were made during the Christmas shopping period (source: Webloyalty)

>>> Discover all our advertising offers on more than 2,000 media

To make sure you get your message across and above all to reach your target in this period of great advertising frenzy, it is more than necessary to multiply your meeting points with consumers. And for this, it is advisable to base your campaign on a multi-media strategy, that is to say, to broadcast the same advertising message on different advertising media: TV, press, radio, display, social networks, etc.

In order to select the most suitable media for your Christmas communication and which will reach your target most effectively, you need to take an interest in your customers' media journey. This is an essential step in establishing your media plan, the document on which your entire communication strategy is based.

>>> Discover the essential steps to build a media plan 

As you probably already know, Christmas is the period during which many companies make most of their sales. They will not skimp on the means to promote their products or services. This makes Christmas one of the periods with the highest seasonality index. 

But in concrete terms, what does a high seasonality index mean? Since Christmas is a season of high demand in terms of advertising space, while supply remains the same and when demand is higher than supply, well, prices go up. This is the principle of supply and demand.

Thus, we see a strong increase in the prices of advertising space before Christmas. TV, radio, press, display... no medium escapes this price increase.

>>> How much does a billboard cost?

>>> Discover the price of a TV commercial

Due to the high demand for the pre-Christmas period, advertising space sells like hotcakes months in advance. 

That's why it's a good idea to start preparing your Christmas advertising campaigns while others are taking a dip in the pool: in June or July for traditional media such as TV, radio (national) or billboards. 

The latecomers can try their luck at the beginning of the school year without being guaranteed to find the media of their dreams during the period they want. We recommend looking at display, as more opportunities will be available.

But don't concentrate all your communication efforts on Christmas. Indeed, the French economic context can push the French to do their Christmas shopping early, especially during Black Friday. So try to multiply your communication efforts.

>>> 5 steps to successful Black Friday and Cyber Monday advertising campaigns

This tip applies to companies in the retail sector: consider your logistics and delivery times when determining the end of your advertising campaign. By stopping your Christmas advertising campaign early, you will avoid unnecessary expenses.