Deck the Halls

By Glen Gardner
Many people think that retailers "make it or break it" at the holiday
season, but the die is cast long before and long after the presents are
open and the tree is gone. Many businesses stake too much of their
marketing punch around the holidays.

I've always thought it was much more beneficial to implement a
consistent marketing approach that can be augmented during the holiday
season, if need be. The consumer will still tend to shop at the
businesses that have made an impression over the year. It's also more
efficient to advertise when the messaging environment is less cluttered.

Price also tends to be king with impulse consumers around the holidays.
That's why it makes more sense for "value" businesses to take a more
consistent approach all year-long. If you can't offer the lowest price,
don't bother advertising price. The price shopper cares about one thing,
and that one thing is the lowest price. The box-stores are out in
full-force at the holidays using loss-leaders and heavy budgets to
entice those cheapskates. If you try to slug it out in that arena, get
ready for a holiday race to the gutter. They will eat you for lunch.

A better approach is to make every day the holidays. Remind the consumer
how you add value. Tell them for a year what makes you different and why
they should use you. Then when the holidays come around, you've given
yourself a huge present!