The psychology of Christmas marketing | Blog

Simon Moss
Revealed on: 11 November 2025

Christmas isn’t only a advertising season. It’s a collective ritual of reminiscence, generosity and connection. Each November and December, inboxes and feeds mild up with jingles, jumpers and “unique 24-hour provides” that mysteriously final three weeks. But solely a handful of manufacturers actually strike the appropriate emotional chord. The key lies in understanding the psychology behind why Christmas advertising works.

The origins of festive promoting

Lengthy earlier than digital campaigns and information dashboards, Christmas promoting started with storytelling. From early department-store catalogues to the primary TV adverts, manufacturers used the festive interval to attach emotionally fairly than purely commercially. These early campaigns constructed robust associative reminiscences linking Christmas with consolation, generosity and pleasure (Belk, 1987).

That emotional framing nonetheless underpins the simplest campaigns at this time—even when delivered by AI-driven personalisation or automated e mail advertising. The medium might have modified, however the message—heat and surprise—has not.

Nostalgia: priming optimistic intent with out over-doing it

Nostalgia prompts the mind’s reward and luxury centres, growing optimistic sentiment and model belief (Muehling & Pascal, 2011). It makes folks really feel grounded even when the financial system (and their inbox) feels a bit wobbly.

Used with restraint, it will possibly prime prospects for motion with out tipping into syrupy sentimentality. As an alternative of the same old grand snow-scene, entrepreneurs can evoke nostalgic cues in additional grounded methods:

• Reference shared workplace rituals (“the annual mince-pie debate”).
• Use memory-driven topic strains (“Bear in mind your first Christmas marketing campaign win?”).
• Or nod to collective skilled moments (“That point your CRM stored your Boxing Day gross sales on observe”).

Assume light nostalgia, not Hallmark-movie monologue. A wink, not a weep.

Instance: Spotify Wrapped turns consumer listening information right into a nostalgic reflection of the yr—inviting customers to relive their music journey, share it, and really feel seen. It’s a masterclass in memory-driven advertising and private storytelling.

Humour and readability: a festive balancing act

Humour will increase message recall and emotional contagion (Hatfield, Cacioppo & Rapson, 1994), which helps campaigns lower by crowded inboxes. But analysis reveals readability on profit and supply is required to drive conversion (Heath & Nairn, 2005).

So: make them smile, however make it clear why they need to click on.

• Play with contrasts (“Information lists are the brand new wish-lists”).
• Exaggerate actuality (“Your open-rate is larger than your fairy lights”).
• Keep purposeful (“Maintain calm and stick with it automating (responsibly)”).

Good humour is situational, not slapstick. And please, no puns about “sleighing your targets” until you may again it up.

Instance: Harmless Drinks – “A Jolly Secure Christmas” (BMB, 2020)
A playful, tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign addressing lockdown life with a “Santa Security Swimsuit” and mock kids’s storybook. It blended festive humour with real-world empathy—staying true to Harmless’s heat, witty tone.

See the campaign on BMB Agency

Genuine storytelling begins with actual moments

Authenticity is probably the most underrated present you can provide your viewers. The self-determination principle (Deci & Ryan, 1985) suggests individuals are drawn to communications that really feel autonomous, competent and related. In advertising phrases, which means rooting messages in real buyer moments—not contrived “festive emotions” from a stock-photo library.

Present how your model performed a significant function:

• A tech provider that helped retailers whereas cabinets emptied.
• A logistics firm sharing the way it shipped thousands and thousands of orders on time.
• Or a higher-education companion celebrating pupil campaigns that made a distinction.

When tales really feel earned, folks reply. It’s the distinction between “Merry Christmas” and “We worth what you achieved this yr”.

Instance: John Lewis – “The Newbie” (2022)
A heartfelt story of a foster mum or dad studying to skateboard earlier than welcoming his foster baby. It’s storytelling that prioritises humanity over product—and displays actual values of care and inclusion.

B2B SaaS instance: Semrush – “Vacation Advertising and marketing Calendar”

Even within the SaaS world, Christmas campaigns can join emotionally once they combine usefulness with creativity.

• Idea: Semrush launched an interactive Vacation Advertising and marketing Calendar providing day by day search engine optimization and content material suggestions, downloadable templates, and light-hearted festive belongings for entrepreneurs.

• Tone: Supportive, sensible and subtly playful—positioning Semrush as a companion serving to entrepreneurs “end the yr robust”.

• Why it really works: It tapped into reciprocity principle (Cialdini, 2006)—providing actual worth first, which in flip nurtures loyalty and model affinity.

• Psychology at play: Gratitude and competence. By empowering customers to plan smarter, Semrush evoked optimistic reinforcement fairly than direct persuasion.

Takeaway for SaaS entrepreneurs: Use the season to supply readability, calm and functionality. A marketing campaign that genuinely helps your viewers attain year-end objectives builds stronger retention than any low cost ever might.

The takeaway: that means beats ornament

The psychology of Christmas advertising isn’t about pink ribbons or completely lit bushes. It’s about utilizing reminiscence, humour and authenticity to foster connection. When accomplished proper, your marketing campaign doesn’t simply promote—it reminds your viewers why they favored your model within the first place.

So this yr, suppose past the baubles. Inform a narrative they’ll keep in mind—and a profit they’ll act on. And if doubtful, maintain your jokes transient, your provides clear, and your tinsel properly away from the CTA button.

References

• Belk, R. W. (1987). A Youngster’s Christmas in America: Santa Claus as Deity, Consumption as Faith. Journal of American Tradition, 10(1), 87-100.
• Muehling, D. D., & Pascal, V. J. (2011). An Involvement Clarification for Nostalgia Promoting Results. Journal of Promotion Administration, 17(1), 87-101.
• Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J. T., & Rapson, R. L. (1994). Emotional Contagion. Cambridge College Press.
• Heath, R., & Nairn, A. (2005). Measuring Affective Promoting: Implications of Low Consideration Processing on Recall. Journal of Promoting Analysis, 45(2), 269-281.
• Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Dedication in Human Behaviour. Springer.
• Cialdini, R. B. (2006). Affect: The Psychology of Persuasion. Harper Enterprise.