Global retail spaces and brands are obsessed with seasonal editions. And that’s a fact we can’t deny. From convenience stores to supermarkets and even billboards and digital media…shelves and advertisements are flooded with limited-edition products celebrating the occasion. Be it Christmas, Diwali, Valentine’s or even Easter. And if you don’t join the bandwagon as a brand, you risk being dismissed or missing out.
For FMGCs especially- it is more about additional sales and revenues than the FOMO. Think of Dairy Milk and Valentine’s. The duo has become almost synonymous now. To say that seasonal launches are stepping stones for FMCG, isn’t entirely wrong.
In the midst of this, what we fail to address as an industry is the clichés that surround the seasons. Think of any Diwali or Christmas edition. What is the extra addition? Bright firecrackers, sweets or mistletoes and snow. The same goes for Valentine’s. Time and again, brands opt for pink and red packs with hearts and rose motifs.
We need to understand that these creative visuals do nothing for enhanced impression, engagement or awareness. And simply sticking to the basic visual cues shows a distinct lack of interest in progressing your brand. Engagement is equally crucial for brands today to be heard and sold. A brand activity or tie-up done right will get people talking and coming back for more. Remember Shubman Gill and Tinder’s tie-up from February this year? A match made in heaven indeed.
What set it apart is that it was funny and not cliché! What makes clichés so boring? The fact that clichés are so generic that you can tie them up with any brand is what makes them boring and ineffective. The audience doesn’t associate it with a specific product and brand anymore. While it was once a unique expression, the repeated exposure has made it lose all the original shine.
So what should brands do? Take an intelligent spin on an occasion and offer something that gives your audience a chance to conjure a smile or to stop and think. That’s easier said than done, but definitely not impossible. Mondelez does it time and again every time February sets in – with something as simple yet innovative as the Cadbury Dairy Milk Silk Valentine Heart Blush Chocolate Bar. They also did it with the Toblerone British summer edition in the UK, when the brand released special edition packs of Toblerone that celebrated the season’s unique quirks.
Playing around with the narrative, meaning and ultimately emotions allows brands to make the most of the different times of the year- and especially festive seasons that go beyond the set calendar dates. It is time we ask ourselves- what do people want, what can we offer them and what is it that can help us build on the recall value? Whilst brands can to a certain extent rely on seasons for a revenue boost, it lies in their hands to make the most of the opportunities presented. There is enough room for both the basic and the brave- let’s not overdo either.
At 3 Dots Design, we believe in going beyond the regular, to build you as a brand that your audience knows and recalls. Fuelled by a team of experts, we focus on creating fresh content that will pull your audience in. To know more about us and what we do, visit https://www.3dotsdesign.in/ or contact us on contact@3dotsdesign.in