Do you get excited about the holidays?
So do influencers.
Influencers play an essential role in grabbing eyeballs during this season. Because the holiday season offers an excellent opportunity to launch new campaigns, release products, and organize theme promotions to help customers get into the holiday mood and drive better sales.
Their presence becomes even more critical today, with chronological feeds becoming a thing of the past.
Rewarding influencers for the holiday season is a gesture towards the influencer community and a double promotion for the product or feature.
How do brands creatively execute reward campaigns for their influencers during the holiday season?
We have seen some stunning examples in recent times. Here they are :
A Influential Christmas with Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons, Canada’s much-loved coffee and doughnut cafe, went all out in their hometown for Christmas in 2016 when they decided to arrange giveaway contests through influencers. Not only did the influencers get their very own goodie bag, but they also got a massive boost in their social media following via this influencer campaign. Influencers held contests creatively and were pleased to be associated with the Tim Hortons brand.
#HappierDiwali with CitiBank
In 2013, CitiBank organized a giveaway of high-end technology products for their customers. They brought together ten technology bloggers for the first time in Indian advertising history and executed an excellent influencer campaign with them. These premier tech bloggers came together for a unique giveaway. Three bloggers gave away a brand new iPhone 5s, while the other seven promised an iPad Mini to their readers.
These events made the campaign look organic, gave the tech bloggers a load of exposure, and established them as leading bloggers in India. The Influencer campaign generated more than 28.7 million impressions, with over 8000 campaign shares on Social Media.
Toys for all with ToysRUs
ToysRUs decided to test-run thier new mobile wishlist feature to encourage mums to go shopping with their kids and use the wish list.
The influencers gave a smashing surprise to their kids, courtesy ToysRUs – and the mums did not forget to demonstrate their gratitude via Instagram posts.
This Influencer campaign was a huge success and got plenty of engagement.
A Ride to Remember with Mercedes
In the holiday season of 2014, the luxurious car company Mercedes-Benz sponsored a road trip before the holidays for the influencers.
Their team of social influencers told incredible stories based on their real-life journey in the vehicle. They drove the car around, took photos, and curated a tale that featured more than just the car and hashtags #MBPhotoPass.
The results of the Influencer campaign were massive. #MBPhotoPass generated over 173 million impressions, 2.3 million likes, $4 million worth of earned media, and 1,700 brand assets!
A Merry Christmas with Starbucks
With the raging success of their previous draw-on-the-Starbucks-cup Influencer campaign, Starbucks called all customers to create beautiful designs for their red Christmas cup. The famous coffee chain received over 1,200 submissions hailing from 13 countries across the globe. The winning entries were officially featured as Starbucks red cups for Winter 2016!
Happier Holidays with Hallmark
In 2016, Hallmark partnered with several family-friend Instagram influencers to promote their holiday 2016 collection of keepsake ornaments. While receiving a whole load of ornaments to jazz up their festive season, influencers offered their followers candid glimpses into their family holiday traditions. Evoking emotions, they shared personal, tender moments along with a link for their users to purchase their own keepsake ornament. While the Influencer campaign only lasted the holiday season, influencers boosted Hallmark’s brand awareness and increased sales.
It’s never a bad idea to thank the army of influencers that drive your brand forward, and what better time to do so than the holiday season? Go ahead and think of how creative you can get with your rewards.
