Holidays: A Great Time For Online Promotions

The holiday season has approached us with a whirlwind of consumer-targeted advertising and marketing campaigns. For companies, marketing online is an important (and necessary) function of the holidays. A continuously growing number of consumers are turning to online shopping, and the month of December positions itself as the busiest of shopping seasons. More consumers than ever are turning to their computers to purchase gifts, which makes the case for a significant investment in online advertising.

Using online promotions this season seems to be growing as an answer to holiday marketing on the Internet. Still in November, there has been a plethora of online games, promotional offers and unique viral campaigns to entice shoppers to a brand and/or product. For example, HBO Video recently set up a mini site: www.goodgiftseeker.com. In this promotional campaign, users can identify gifts for loved ones based on personality characteristics in relation to popular HBO series. For instance, "A hobby in waste management pairs with the acclaimed series 'The Sopranos,' while an interest in shoe shopping is the most likely match for 'Sex and the City' " (Enid Burns, Clickz Network, 2005). The site also has a gallery of "Bad Gifts, " where the customer is educated on the "not so hot" things to give your friends and family members.

The HBO mini site is just one example of a unique and creative way to get your brand associated with the gift-giving holiday season. For marketers, turning to an online promotional campaign at this time of year is truly an investment worth making.