What's on Tap...
A brew of marketing and advertising news for your insatiable knowledge palette

Which Holiday Food Should Your Advertising Strategy Mimic? - Part I

By Hannah Hill on Mon, Dec 23, 2013 @ 09:42 AM |

Share:

The following is a guest post by Jenna Bruce.

To some people, the holidays are a time for family, presents and laughter. And while I can appreciate spending time with my family (to some degree anyway), gift giving and good ol’ fashioned holiday cheer, I’m really all about the food. To me the holidays are about stuffing my face with sinfully delicious goodies, yet not feeling sinful about it. Is that so wrong?

As I was fantasizing about all of the sweet and savory treats I shall consume in the coming weeks, it occurred to me that some holiday foods have an awful lot in common with certain forms of advertising. Since one of the questions we’re often asked by clients is, “What type of advertising is best for my product or service?,” I thought I’d outline some of the benefits of print, digital and mobile advertising with an homage to my favorite holiday foods in a two-part blog series.

Eggnog

Ah eggnog. This classic shares many similarities with print advertising; I bet you didn’t knowWhich Holiday Food Should Your Advertising Strategy Mimic? that. Like print, eggnog seems to have been around since forever; in fact, culinary historians put eggnog’s origins as far back as medieval Britain when people drank a hot, milky ale-like drink in those gigantic silver mugs (I’m speculating about the mugs).

And, also like print, though eggnog has enjoyed being popular for decades, many people now
consider it a bit… passé.

The very idea of print advertising or eggnog ever being passé puts a crimp in my stocking. Neither will go out of style and here’s why:

A Targeted Audience

Print advertising, more than any other, allows highly targeted ad placements that will get your offer in front of the right audience and ONLY the right audience. Newspapers in particular, with their special sections, inserts and ability to target specific geographic areas, as well as defined groups of consumers, make reaching your target demographic easy and cost-effective.

If you’re an eggnog lover like I am, the beverage also helps you get in touch with people who want to hear what you have to say, mainly other eggnog drinkers. Imagine being at a holiday party: in one corner is a group of hipsters, each holding a new fandangled cocktail, in the other corner, a handful of diehard eggnog drinkers. Who are you going to reach out to? Who will you have more in common with? Who knows how to party in a classic, unpretentious way? The eggnog drinkers, of course.

A Trusted Source of Information

Despite the growth of online advertising channels in recent years, numerous studies repeatedly show that print media is still the most trusted source of information. Consumers still turn to newspapers and magazines to get accurate and timely information before making a buying decision. In this way you could say print media is the “go to” media for consumer research.

Eggnog is also a “go to” beverage for many holiday consumers. If it wasn’t, why would every single grocery store in America, yes, every single one, carry those little milk cartons of the stuff? Huh? I rest my case.

Which Holiday Food Should Your Advertising Strategy Mimic?

Affluent Consumers Prefer Print Advertising

According to a 2012 Ipsos MediaCT Mendelsohn Affluent Survey, 82% of those with an annual household income of $100,000 or more are reading print publications. As an advertiser, you most likely want to get your offer in front of those with a large disposable income.

Know what else the affluent like besides newspapers and magazines? Eggnog. Or at least they did. Back in the 1700s, which was kind of a heyday for eggnog, milk, eggs, and sherry were foods only the affluent could afford.

Tune in Thursday for Part II featuring popcorn and glazed ham. Until then, download our free eBook on the 10 benefits of local advertising. Consider it an early Christmas present.

Download the 10 Benefits of Local Advertising eBook

RELATED POSTS:

  1. Now that Holiday Advertising is Wrapping up, What’s Next?
  2. Naughty or Nice: Which Holiday Ads Are More Effective?
  3. 3 Tried-and-True Advertising Strategies
  4. How to Determine What Type of Publication is Best for Your Ads
Image credit: Andrew MartineauPsPrint

advertising strategy

false