10 Examples of Holiday Marketing Campaign + Marketing Tips

I know I’m in the minority, but the second September hits, I want to break out the Christmas tree, play “Jingle Bells” and cover everything in baubles and glitter. But one of the more accepted signs that the festive season is officially upon us is when holiday marketing campaigns start jinging, calling and ho-hoing into our homes, streets and units. After all, is it even Christmas time if I don’t hear sled bells every five minutes?

It’s never too early to start making a list and planning this year’s holiday marketing campaign (unless you read this in December, in which case you can get a head start on next year’s ads). So in this post I have rounded off ten of the best holiday marketing campaigns from the last few years to inspire your plans.

And when you’re ready to cover your own marketing plans, check out HubSpot’s guide to create seasonal marketing campaigns. I also love campaign assistant, a free AI-driven tool that helps you create copy for your next ad, destination page or marketing email.

1. Etsy: Where is Waldo/Wally

Etsy draws on all the strings with this ad. It’s nice, giving me hits of nostalgia and catching somehow a bit of the anxiety that I felt looking for Waldo in the books. Hearing his inner monologue made me feel like I was finally getting to know the silly guy that I’ve been looking for all these years and he’s more soft spoken than I thought!

Waldo, or Wally, as he is known in certain countries, with his trademark red -striped sweater and beanie, weaving in and out through quantities of people staring, whispers and rejoices that they have found him. At the end, he reunites with his partner, Wenda, in a coffee shop and says what might be my favorite tagline in recent years: “Sometimes it takes someone who really knows you to make you feel.” I mean, come on. It’s just perfection.

What I like: I like how to see this ad made me feel so much joy as finally finding Waldo in the books. It is also a bit of marketing genius on behalf of Etsy; They use this advertisement to remind us how it feels when you get a gift from someone who just gets you. And hmm, maybe Etsy is a good place to find such gifts?

2. Chewy: Coal, holiday surprise

This may be the only time I’m sorry for not getting coal for the holidays. The ad starts simple enough. We see two girls open their gifts for Christmas. They are confused that everything they get is coal … Coal-themed gifts, that is.

Then their mother carries a black puppy, a rescue that Chewy points out in the video description, appropriate named coal. Just watching Coal’s Little Puppy Eyes made me as excited as the girls in the video.

What I like: I like that on this ad is so sweet, Sejer Chewy on both the ad fans – and offenders – in the comment section on YouTube. Chewy’s commitment really shows that they are interested in their customers.

3. Chick-Fil-A: Legends of Evergreen Hills

Chick-Fil-A has slowly built up its own cinematic universe, all taking place in a magical wonderland called Evergreen Hills. In 2019, they introduced Sam, a little girl who just wanted to build a snowman with her family. The heartwarming two -minute ad titled The time shop urged viewers to give the gift of time. Since then, Sam, her family and her friends return during the holidays with a new story that is expanded to an evergreen hills’ world.

In 2024, Sam is back, now a little more adult. This time, her new adventure is playing in five, 22-minute episodes found in the newly launched Chick-File-A Play app.

The app, which marks Chick-Fil-A’s extension to entertainment, contains exclusive animated series, podcasts and games. As part of the app’s launch, Chick-Fil-A released the first episode on social media as well as clips and still images to promote the show and the app.

So not only is this series part of a holiday marketing campaign that promotes the chick-file-a restaurant, but it is also part of a long-standing marketing story that takes place in several platforms and ultimately culminates with the launch of the app.

What I like: I have to give them props for their commitment to building this cinematic universe and to seamlessly weave this story’s thread through several platforms.

4. Kroger: Share your food, share your heart

This ad is packing a lot of history in one minute. Set to America’s song Lonely peopleIt tells the story of a boy who notes that his seemingly creepy older neighbor is pretty lonely during the holidays. Then he gets the idea to sneak some food from his family’s holiday meal, leaving a small plate of snacks and festive goodies right outside the door.

When he sees his kindness, his family then offers to share their entire meal with the neighbor who invites them inside her home. Tagline “Del Food. Share Love” then appears as we see the family chatting with their neighbor.

What I like: If this doesn’t make you stop rolling and go out to talk to some people, I don’t know what will.

5. Disney: The boy and octopus

Hot Take: This short one is far more magical than any movie Disney has released in recent years. Instructed by Taika Waititi, this story is centered on a little boy who, after swimming in the sea, comes home with a spunky and stubborn octopus firmly on the head.

They become quick friends and the boy introduces octopus to the world on dry land, all with a gentle, acoustic version of Little Mermaid’s A part of your world plays in the background. Squid is captivated by what dry land has to offer.

One evening, after watching a Christmas classic on TV, Octopus wants to take a walk with Santa and see more of the world so that the two hatch a plan for squid to meet Santa.

This short -woven subtle loved Disney characteristics throughout history, from a buzz Lightyear Action figure to a Star Wars Lightsaber for Mickey Beanie, whom the boy uses to hide Octopus when they sightsee around the city.

What I like: I think this short one just hits all spots. It’s funny, it’s adorable and serves just the magic that Disney is known for.

6. Hershey’s kiss

I have to put a plug for this classic. First debuted in 1989, this simple ad stars red and green hershey’s kisses that act as bells and plays Carol, We wish you a Merry ChristmasWhile being led by a silver kiss.

While there have been some small changes over the years, this ad remains almost the same year after year and is much loved by merrymakers all over the country. Even Grinches on R/Commercialsihate SUDPTDIT as this ad.

What I like: I like that this ad has a living power. It has not lost its charm at all and has become an American holiday tradition.

7. Outback: Koala on Walla

When I talk about traditions, I love Outback Steakhouse’s watch threatening alternative to elf on the shelf: Koala on Walla. The jingle of this sweet Marsupial-A says, “He knows all your secrets. Any rule you have defied.” This koala always sees and denies you steak if you’ve been bad.

I am personally rooted to Koala at Walla to finally kick out the ramped elves that appear to adorn each shelf.

What I like: Despite his threatening nature, Koala on Walla is just too sweet, and I certainly wouldn’t mind having him around the house, despite the risk of his pearl -like eyes maybe spying on me inside the washing machine.

8. GAP: Holiday ’24

This ad is not flashy, but its simplicity is what makes it so effective. For this campaign, Gap gathered a different chorus of talented musicians and social media stars, their beautiful voices mixed together while singing Janet Jackson’s Together again a cappella.

It is a great reminder that sometimes you do not need smart animation or a detailed story. A simple ad can resonate just as well.

What I like: I like how the overall different voices and styles, and how beautiful the song was arranged to make each singer shine.

9. LEGO: Realing home for the holiday

LEGO hasn’t made a holiday movie this time, but if they did, they think it would be the goat it would have literal (LEGO) goats.

While some brands have created beautiful cinematic masterpieces for their holiday marketing campaigns, including some on this list, LEGO has made a trailer for a movie that doesn’t actually exist. Called Crew for the holidaysThe fake film tells the story of a city go-getting that goes back to the farm to become a goat-getter, and it has a strongly characteristic Christmas movie Vibber. Lego, it’s not too late to make this happen!

What I like: Tons and tons of goats and lego. What’s not to love?

10. Coca-Cola: Secret Santa

A list of the best holiday marketing campaigns would not be complete without talking about the AI-generated ad that Coca-Cola released in 2024. Although I wouldn’t say this ad is tops when it comes to technique or quite honestly, aesthetics, it was one of the best at evoking commitment, albeit.

The ad was inspired by an ad from 1995 that used real trucks and real people. This latest ad was a collaboration between three AI -Studios and used four AI models, according to Forbes. And yet the result is a series of clips that extend so close to the cliff over the creepy valley.

Backlash to the ads were quick. Article by article talked about the pushback facing the company after the advertisement was released. Critics called the ad “Soulless.”

What I like: I like that it’s a real -time test of the old saying, “There’s no such thing as bad advertising.” After all, when was the last time the news cycle was taken by a Coca-Cola ad? While all the negative advertising is likely to make a real bend about the sale of coke, I look forward to seeing if they will hire a human Santa for the next holiday campaign.

What I don’t like: You can argue that AI is just one step with the help of CGI, but the technology is really not there yet. Zoom in and you can see that the suitcases look so crazy, some of the wheels don’t even spin. Even the Coca-Cola logo itself is off in some places. I think it’s unfortunate that the three companies and the four AI models couldn’t perfect the logo in each shot.

Go forward and be happy

As these examples show, there are many ways to incorporate holidaymakers into your marketing campaigns. Holiday ads no longer fit into a form, but as cheesy as it sounds what the most effective ones have in common is heart.

Think about what makes the holiday so special to you and tell that story. I’m pretty basic, so what usually gets me is ads that show a hint of the 90s nostalgia or a lavish family spread. You know I’m noting from Kroger’s ad and doing beef Wellington this year.

The editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2015 and has been updated for understanding.