Your Local Advertisers Will “Fall” in Love with These Fall Holiday Ad Campaigns

Oktoberfest (September 17 – October 3)

Oktoberfest, the German celebration of the wonders of beer, has become a holiday that Americans love. It’s not all about beer, but German culture as well. In determining which clients would be a good fit, focus on restaurants, bars and breweries known for their beer selection. 

Local businesses and your community may also be hosting Oktoberfest events, and they’ll want to create some buzz. Video ads would work nicely for this holiday, showing high-quality images of beer and fun. These would work well for OTT/CTV, social media and TV. Complementing them with radio spots would expand the reach of the message.

Advise your clients to promote their beer specials or events via email and mobile messaging. 

Fall Harvest and Pre-Halloween

While Halloween is only one day, the theme of fall harvest and festivals starts at the beginning of October. There are pumpkin patches, apple picking, hayrides, haunted houses and more fun for just about every demographic. 

Since most of these events kick off before October, you’ll want to approach advertisers about them in late August or early September. Develop a campaign that will last several weeks to ensure foot traffic flows or ticket sales grow. An integrated campaign that includes linear and digital will allow you the greatest reach. Choose inventory that makes sense for the audiences you want to attract and how you’ll get those consumers to be excited to learn more. 

Video is very impactful when promoting activities and events because people want to know what to expect. Work with your advertisers on how to create videos that are high quality but affordable and easy to source.

Road trips to watch the seasons change are also popular in parts of the country. Long weekends in the mountains are a favorite getaway. Talk to advertisers in hospitality to consider packaging their services together like hotels, dining, spas and other activities (e.g., festival tickets, wine tasting). This could appeal to consumers and be an excellent boost for your customers. These would play well on radio, digital display and social media. Launching a concentrated SEM (search engine marketing) campaign is another tactic to recommend.

Halloween (October 31)

Halloween is a favorite holiday for kids and adults, and it’s a big moneymaker. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), 2021 spending hit over $10 billion. Categories included costumes, candy, decorations and greeting cards. There are also lots of dollars spent on party tickets, haunted houses, concerts and other events. 

You can target two types of audiences for your advertisers: consumers looking for family-friendly activities and those looking for adult fun. 

For family-friendly, look at activity centers, community groups and other companies planning events. The best way to promote such occasions is to focus on the fun aspect, the kid-friendliness and commitment to a safe environment. 

You can promote these events on radio and TV. Supplement that with social media marketing and outreach to current customers via mobile messaging and email.

The other route is adult fun, which means calling on bars, restaurants and other retailers. Your advertisers will want to start promoting early. Suggest focusing on channels where they know their audience is looking for activities, such as social media, and using display ads on websites they may frequent. Geofencing in the general area of an event could work as well for those looking for last-minute plans. Mobile messaging and email campaigns to current customers will also help spread the word.

Thanksgiving (November 24)

Thanksgiving is about family, friends and tradition. This day is also about food, whether people are cooking or ordering it. There are many opportunities here. 

First, not every family wants to cook all day to have a feast. More consumers are moving away from the stress and having the meal catered. For advertisers that offer this, you’ll want to engage them to start talking about it in October. Let people plan out what they want. You could run these spots on broadcast channels and then target based on demographics on OTT/CTV and display ads. 

For those who want to cook, grocery stores need to up to their game on helping America cook that Thanksgiving meal. As you’ll recall, curbside pickup is still going strong for grocery stores, so that’s one message to consider. Grocers can also create Thanksgiving bundles with turkey and all the fixings, making it convenient for consumers. Promote this via radio, TV and social media.

The other alternative is people who want to dine out on Thanksgiving. That’s been growing in popularity, so if your restaurant advertisers are hosting, they’ll want to get traction on reservations early. Use email marketing and mobile messaging campaigns to reach former diners. Then, add social media to target the demographics most likely to want to dine out on the holiday. An SEM campaign to attract reservations is another tactic to add.

Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday

After eating all that turkey, people are ready to shop. The NRF reported that 2021 holiday sales grew 14.1% for a record $886.7 billion. Last year marked a greater return to in-store shopping, but e-commerce also grew. 

The current trend seems to be consumers who engage with brands and purchase from them in multiple channels. The thrill of in-store shopping on Black Friday will remain for some, while others are happy to click away. 

To attract shoppers to local stores, propose some Small Business Saturday promotions on social media and radio. Use a special promo for either in-store or online shopping. 

Additionally, you may want to talk to your retail customers about highlighting curbside pickup for orders, so people can order online and pick up their goods. 

General promos for discounts on the shopping weekend are a good fit for display ads with geofencing, mobile messaging and email.

Consider the messaging your advertisers need to present to consumers. If they want in-store shoppers, they’ll need a compelling offer, such as exclusives for shoppers who come into the store. If they’d prefer more online orders, they should tailor the message to highlight free and fast shipping.