Display ad best practices to sleigh the competition

Ah, it’s that time of year again—when retailers start swapping out Halloween decorations for inflatable Santas and menorahs, leaving you to ask, “Isn’t it too early for that?” But as a Marketer, you remember that if you’re not already planning your holiday season, you’re late to the party.

This holiday season is sure to look different than in previous years. With many big box retailers announcing they will be closed on Thanksgiving, it’s safe to say that more holiday shopping will be done online than ever before. With so many retailers crowding the market, you can expect the cost to reach your target audience in major media channels to increase. To avoid a resting Grinch face, it’s important to diversify your holiday media mix. Email advertising, for instance, allows you to take advantage of marquee placement across +2000 premium publishers. 

The fight does not end there though, because even the best seasonal campaign ideas can flop if they aren’t brought to life by the right ad creative. Spice up your ad creatives and stand out within the email environment with these best practices:

  • Use customized messaging. Write copy that addresses specific holiday interests, trends, and needs.
  • Capture spirit of the season. Use imagery that illustrates seasonal activities and settings.
  • Leverage lookalike modeling. Find new audiences based on your most active segments to increase conversions and engagement.
  • Build a seasonal landing page. Make sure the page matches your seasonal ad creative for a more intuitive customer experience.

Let’s take a look at real-world seasonal campaigns that sleigh the competition.

Allbirds captures the holiday spirit with:

Customized messaging

Allbirds uses a clever holiday pun that is sure to bring joy.

Simple concept

The design is very minimal,  leading with a clean product shot and using holiday imagery as a secondary element.

Strong colors

The deep blues and greens add to the holiday theme and make the product pop. 

Manscaped drives Black Friday sales with:

Mobile optimization

The large, bold text highlighting the sale translates on all devices and makes the ad pop.

Clear messaging

The ad copy showcases the core promotional offer for 25% off purchases across the entire website.

Strong colors

A bold, black-and-red color scheme draws attention to the ad and the playful call to action, “Get Manscaped.”

Thrive Causemetics inspires gift giving with:

Captures Holiday Spirit

By tying in present imagery, this ad communicates that these products would be a great gift. 

Simple concept

It can not get much more simple than this! Even though the ad only features the products and highlights the deal, it gets the point across!

Strong colors

The pastel background makes the bright products stand out. 

If you would like a deeper dive into display ad best practices and to see more real-world examples of high performing campaigns, download our eBook.