Every year, holiday marketing becomes more crowded. Ad space gets booked quickly, people have less patience for ads, and “season’s greetings” without substance often get ignored.
The brands that get noticed don’t just start early—they have a clear reason for showing up. The strongest campaigns use honest stories, set business goals from the beginning, and rely on real data to reach the right people at the right moment.
Whether you run a small business, oversee marketing at a growing company, or handle media buys for clients, the main challenge isn’t visibility. It’s being memorable. Achieving that takes more than reds, greens, or big discounts.
High-Performing Holiday Ads in 2025
Holiday ads that perform well have three key qualities: clarity, real connection, and a consistent message.
Clarity starts with knowing what result you want—perhaps it's boosting sales, increasing engagement, or building loyalty. Connection means tuning in to what your audience cares about during the holidays and speaking to it honestly. Consistency ties your message together across social media, streaming, and local news.
McClatchy's AdManager puts control into your hands. You can plan, target, and run campaigns across multiple channels, all while maintaining your brand's visibility throughout the season. Its tools enable you to track performance, segment your audience, and refine creative assets as needed.
How Should You Define Success?
Before you write a single ad, get specific about what you want to achieve. Do you want more online sales? Are you trying to drive customers into your store? Is your focus on launching a new product or bringing back repeat shoppers?
Pick your main metric—for example, conversions, click-through, engagement, or average order value—before your campaign launches. If you don’t set a target, you won’t know when things are working or if something needs to change.
AdManager makes it easy to watch campaign performance with live dashboards. You can see quickly what’s working, what’s not, and make changes instead of waiting for results after the holiday rush.
How Do You Understand Your Audience’s Holiday Mindset?
Holiday shoppers don’t look the same. Some buy presents before Halloween. Others wait for last-minute deals. You’ll also find people who prefer experiences over things, and some who set a strict budget.
By digging into intent and behavior data, you can see who’s shopping early, who’s scrambling last minute, and who’s sticking close to home. Are they scrolling online or heading out to stores? What matters the most to them?
McClatchy's Premium Audience Network helps you target people by location, interests, and actual habits. Instead of guessing, you reach folks who are likely to connect with your message.
Matching Your Storytelling to Your Brand
Strong stories turn ads into moments people remember. The best holiday ads don’t just sell—they show your brand’s real role in the season.
Keep your message true to your brand. General “holiday spirit” slogans often blend together. Instead, focus on what makes you different. That could mean discussing the benefits of shopping local, sharing stories that highlight community traditions, or recommending helpful solutions for busy shoppers.
McClatchy’s creative team can keep your look and message coordinated everywhere—on digital ads, video pre-roll, sponsored content, and print.
Personalizing and Segmenting Holiday Campaigns
Customization works. Regular buyers and first-timers probably won’t respond to the same offer. Age groups and shopping styles vary a lot too.
Try breaking out your campaigns based on:
- What customers have bought before: Give repeat buyers special deals, or win back former shoppers.
- Where they live: Use messages that tie in with local traditions or current weather.
- How much they spend: Feature high-end products to premium shoppers, share discounts with bargain hunters.
- Device use: Create mobile-friendly ads for those always on their phones, but keep landing pages easy for desktop visitors.
AdManager helps you set up these segments and change creative on the fly. You can create different ad versions for each group, boost relevance, and achieve better results.
How Do You Make Engagement Easy, Especially on Mobile?
Interactive ads get more clicks during the holidays. Polls, quizzes, timers, and fun spins for discounts are simple ways to grab attention and encourage people to act fast.
These days, most people shop from their phones—especially adults under 50. If your ad takes too long to load or looks off on mobile, those viewers may move on.
AdManager’s placements adjust automatically, ensuring your ads look clean and load quickly, regardless of the device. It doesn’t matter if someone is scrolling through a store line or watching TV on a tablet at home; your campaign will appear sharp.
Wrap Up the Year On a High Note
Standing out during the holidays takes a thoughtful approach. Start with a clear goal, understand your audience, and maintain a consistent message across all channels. McClatchy's AdManager provides you with the tools to plan, run, and refine campaigns that resonate with your community and support your business as it grows.
Plan your holiday campaign with McClatchy AdManager and make this season your best yet.
Want more guidance for your holiday marketing? Download the 2025 holiday marketing sheet from McClatchy.
