Lighting Up the Season: Brands Spreading Holiday Cheer Through Showmanship
The holiday season is synonymous with twinkling lights, cherished moments of togetherness, and indulgent feasts. While this time of year has certainly become more commercialized, it offers brands an incredible opportunity to create lasting impressions through innovative holiday engagements that aren’t necessarily sales-forward. Instead of focusing solely on retail sales, they can aim for a deeper connection by tapping into the joy and wonder of the season.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Fifth Avenue, a fitting occasion to explore some of New York City’s most dazzling holiday light displays. Although many were disappointed by Saks Fifth Avenue’s announcement that its iconic light show would not take place this year, the city still boasts an array of captivating displays that are lighting up the season.
Using System1’s Test Your Innovation platform, we harnessed the predictive power of consumer emotions to determine light displays with the greatest in-market potential. With a rating scale from 1.0 to 5.9 Stars, Test Your Innovation quantifies emotional responses while also providing verbatims from respondents on their reasons behind their emotions, main advantages of the ideas and how they can be improved.
Highlights of the Holiday Lights
A Perennial Favorite, Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center earned an “Exceptional” rating of 5.8 Stars out of a possible 5.9, bringing joy to nearly 60% of respondents. The 74-foot Norway Spruce, adorned with over 50,000 lights and crowned by a Swarovski star, remains a must-see destination.
While the towering tree takes center stage, brands have found creative ways to join in the festivities. For instance, the Swarovski star—a 900-pound masterpiece designed by artist Daniel Libeskind in 2018—sparkles with 3 million crystals, showcasing how brands can contribute to the holiday magic in a memorable way.
Ralph Lauren Adds a New Dimension
This season, AI-driven experiences are delighting consumers, even as they spark debate among marketers. Coca-Cola’s “Holidays Are Coming” campaign scored a 5.9 with consumers on System1’s Test Your Ad platform by expertly mixing AI with the brand’s distinctive assets. But AI isn’t only appearing in ads. Ralph Lauren has brought it to an interactive window display.
On Madison Avenue, the brand’s iconic tuxedo-clad bear comes to life, responding to spectators with delightful antics. From sipping a martini to playing the piano, dancing, and even posing for selfies, this AI-powered activation offers a charming twist on traditional holiday lights, adding an interactive element that Fifth Avenue typically lacks.
The Power of Brand Creative During the Holidays
While gift guides and sales promotions are standard fare during the holidays, creative activations like these capture the essence of the season. By evoking wonder and joy, brands not only enhance the holiday experience but also create positive, long-lasting impressions that resonate far beyond the season.
This festive period reminds brands that the purpose of the holidays isn’t just to drive sales—but also to build long-term relationships with consumers.
Create with Confidence
By diving into how consumers feel about an idea, understanding what they love, and identifying areas for improvement, we’ve assessed whether these festive moments excite consumers or are just another string of lights.
Here’s how we evaluated the contenders:
- Emotional Pull: Using our FaceTrace® tool, we measured the emotional resonance of each activation, capturing how effectively it connects with consumers on a personal and emotional level. After all, feelings drive festive cheer!
- Share Trading: We asked consumers whether they’d metaphorically “buy” or “sell” the idea, giving us clear insights into their enthusiasm for the activation and its alignment with their preferences and behaviours.
- Decision Speed: By tracking how quickly and instinctively consumers engaged with each concept, we uncovered how natural and immediate their reactions were. Faster responses indicated genuine enthusiasm, while slower ones revealed hesitations.
With a database of over 54,000 innovations to benchmark against, Test Your Innovation empowers brands to Create with Confidence and launch new innovations. So, which idea (or insect themed ornament) will be your next star? Use Test Your Innovation to predict your winner from an early stage and finetune it throughout the innovation process. We can’t wait to help you bring it to market!
