5 Ways To Create Great Christmas and New Year Ads

7 min read·Jan 02, 2025

The holiday season is here, and it’s the perfect time for brands to shine.

New Year and Christmas ads are a chance to connect, engage, and sell.

But how do you create ads that truly stand out during this competitive time?

This article will help you explore five creative strategies for crafting memorable holiday campaigns. 

Here’s what you can expect:

  • Practical tips for creating standout New Year and Christmas ads.
  • Real-world examples to inspire your campaigns.
  • Insights on Vibe’s ad tools to elevate your creative process.

Are you ready to make this season unforgettable? 

Let’s dive and explore these top 5 ways to uplift your New Year and Christmas ads.

Start Early to Capture the Holiday Spirit

Studies show that 32% of consumers start holiday shopping from July to October

It is better to launch your ads early, as it lets you connect with proactive shoppers and build anticipation before the holiday rush. 

By getting ahead of the competition, you can create excitement around your products and ensure that your brand remains top-of-mind for consumers as they plan their holiday purchases. 

This strategy improves visibility and fosters customer loyalty, setting the stage for a successful shopping season.

Key Strategies:

  • You should identify when your audience starts shopping.
  • Always focus on storytelling over promotions in early ads.
  • It is better to align narratives with your brand’s values.
Example:
  • Coca-Cola’s "Holidays Are Coming": This campaign is a good example that marks the start of the holiday season.

Platforms like Vibe provide Creative Preview and Ad Validation tools to ensure your ads are polished and ready to launch early.

Focus on Emotional Storytelling

Video ads that evoke emotion see up to 30% more engagement than static ads.

Holiday ads that connect emotionally are more memorable and build stronger brand loyalty. You can create emotional themes like kindness and family that resonate deeply with audiences.

Key Strategies:
  • You can highlight themes of kindness, family, and giving.
  • Try to utilize relatable stories and strong visuals to amplify emotional appeal.
Example:
  • John Lewis’s "Man on the Moon": This Christmas ad is focused on connection during the holidays.

Vibe can help you with A/B testing to refine emotional narratives and track what works best.

Highlight Solutions to Holiday Pain Points

Ads that solve problems resonate with audiences and position your brand as helpful. You can address pain points and make your ads relatable and unforgettable.

Key Strategies:
  • You need to identify holiday challenges your audience faces.
  • Always showcase your product as the solution.
  • There are multiple ways that you can use humor or practical examples for better engagement.
Example:
  • DoorDash’s Gift Emergency Christmas Ad solved the last-minute shopping problems.

Vibe’s targeting tools help you reach the right audience with tailored problem-solving ads.

Leverage Festive Promotions and Gift Guides

Brands leveraging shoppable social media ads saw 50% higher engagement during the holiday season.

Holiday shoppers love deals and inspiration—offer both to boost sales. Promotions and gift guides simplify shopping decisions and drive conversions.

Key Strategies:
  • You can create themed gift guides (e.g., Gifts for Her, Kids, etc.).
  • Try to highlight exclusive holiday discounts and early-bird offers.
  • There is a huge potential in retargeting your ads that re-engage shoppers for better conversions.
Example:
  • Vineyard Vines’ Gift Guide helped shoppers find perfect gifts.

Vibe simplifies campaign management using the reporting dashboard with multi-creative upload and real-time performance tracking

Vibe demo campaign

With Vibe’s retargeting feature, you can re-engage web visitors by targeting them with ads directly on TV, ensuring no opportunity is missed.

Vibe audience retargeting

Ensure Brand Consistency in Festive Campaigns

Keep your brand identity strong, even in holiday-themed ads. You should always focus on consistent branding to build recognition and trust.

Key Strategies:
  • To create an appealing ad, maintain consistent colors, visuals, and messaging.
  • You should always align campaigns with your brand’s core identity.
Example:
  • H&M’s "Come Together" Christmas ad perfectly balanced creativity with brand consistency.

Creative Tools on Vibe ensure your branding stays consistent across all platforms.

Now, let’s dive into some industry-specific tips to make your Christmas ads truly stand out. Whether you’re in retail, e-commerce, hospitality, or any other sector, tailoring your holiday campaigns to your industry can make all the difference.

Industry-Specific Tips for Christmas Ads

Christmas Ads StrategyRetailE-commerceLocal Business
Start EarlyTry to offer festive displays, gift wrapping, and early-bird discounts.You can promote gift guides and emphasize early shipping deadlines.Hosting community events or providing early-bird specials can be beneficial.
Emotional StorytellingYou can create charity drives or festive window displays.Try to do heartfelt video ads with real customer stories.It's great if you can share behind-the-scenes content or community support stories.
Solve Holiday Pain PointsTry to highlight extended hours and in-store services like gift wrapping.You can emphasize fast shipping, extended returns, and practical gift ideas.Try to offer exclusive deals and promote last-minute shopping solutions.
Promote Festive DealsIn-store gift guides and exclusive festive discounts can be beneficial.You can utilize digital gift guides, bundles, and free shipping offers.Make sure to highlight local products or experiences in curated gift ideas.
Brand ConsistencyEnsure uniform branding across packaging, displays, and ads.Try to maintain uniform visuals in emails, ads, and landing pages.Always align festive storefronts, social visuals, and promotions with branding.

From highlighting the perfect seasonal products to leveraging festive trends unique to your audience, these tips will help you connect with customers in a way that feels personal and impactful.

Challenges in Holiday Ad Campaigns

  • Increased Competition
    The holidays mean every brand is fighting for attention, making it harder to stand out.
  • Higher Advertising Costs
    Ad platforms charge more during the season, so managing budgets becomes tricky.
  • Ad Fatigue
    Audiences quickly get bored with repetitive holiday ads, making it essential to stay creative.
  • Limited Timeframes
    With only a few weeks to run campaigns, there’s little room for error or delays.
  • Supply Chain Issues
    Inventory shortages or delivery delays can disrupt even the best ad strategies.
  • Targeting the Right Audience
    Finding the balance between reaching enough people and being precise isn’t easy.
  • Message Saturation
    Holiday messaging often feels the same, so creating something unique is a challenge.
  • Measuring Performance
    Tracking and optimizing campaigns during the holiday rush can be overwhelming.

How Vibe Solves These Challenges?

Vibe homepage

Vibe offers TV advertising by addressing key challenges marketers face during any season. 

Here’s how:

  • Ad Validation: This ensures every campaign runs smoothly by preventing technical issues.
  • Precise Targeting: You can reach audiences that matter with tailored socio-demographic, behavioral, and location-based insights.
  • Creative Management: Vibe Studio lets you create professional-quality TV ads, streamlining the process to save time and resources.

With Vibe, your holiday campaigns—and beyond—become effortless and highly effective. 

Whether you’re targeting niche audiences or reaching households nationwide, Vibe provides:

  • Reach: It lets you advertise on over 500 top streaming apps and channels, including sports, local news, and entertainment, to engage 120M+ households.
  • Proven Results: Brands like Wahha Design and Hoodsly have achieved up to 806% ROAS and have a cost-per-view as low as $0.01.
Why Choose Vibe?
  • 5-Minute Setup: You can launch campaigns quickly and efficiently.
  • No Commitment: It offers flexible plans to suit your needs.
  • Real-Time Analytics: You can measure performance directly or via third-party integrations.

Start advertising with Vibe today and take your campaigns to the next level with ease, precision, and measurable success.

Quick Holiday Ad Checklist

Here’s a summary to help you stay on track:

  • It’s all about launching early to connect with those proactive shoppers.
  • This is where emotional storytelling comes in, using visuals and music to create a memorable experience.
  • It’s essential to solve customer holiday challenges by offering practical solutions.
  • This is the perfect time to promote festive offers and create engaging gift guides.
  • It’s important to maintain brand consistency across all your creatives for a cohesive look.

Final Thoughts

Creating standout Christmas and New Year ads requires strategy, creativity, and timing. 

🌟By starting early, telling emotional stories, solving common challenges, and leveraging festive promotions, you can truly connect with your audience during this competitive season.

The key? Keep it simple and consistent—align your campaigns with your brand’s identity while addressing your customers' needs.

If you want to streamline the process and maximize impact, Vibe is your go-to solution. 

With tools for ad validation, creative management, and real-time performance tracking, Vibe ensures your campaigns are polished, targeted, and ready to shine.

This holiday season, make ads that don’t just sell but resonate. 

Start crafting your memorable Christmas campaigns now and set your brand apart!

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