We read the big holiday advertising playbooks so you didn’t have to.
This post originally appeared in Issue #2 of Far From Shore, our newsletter focusing on hot takes and coffee breaks for digital marketers.
Did you notice how many of the big advertising players have started releasing annual holiday marketing playbooks?
This year, we got our hands on the advertising guides from four of the big players in the advertising space: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Meta.
Overall (and sorry for the spoilers), there wasn’t a lot of eye opening passages in these. About a third of the content is the usual fluff about data and holiday sales, the next third is trying to upsell us on AI or other campaign types, and the final third is actually stuff we can use – but it’s still slim.
In any event, we’ll go through with the main highlights and after each I’ll assign a totally, 100% not arbitrary letter grade to a couple of points about each so you know where they stand.
Microsoft
The first of our contenders, Microsoft, put together a slick and stylish holiday advertising guide this year around.
It’s heavy on facts and data (reminding us that Copilot can answer basic questions about marketing, in case we’ve forgotten), but if it’s not your first holiday rodeo, then there’s not a lot that’s in there is surprising (“people love discounts”).
The same goes for actionable insights. So, if you were hoping for some new idea to try out for your Microsoft Ads this holiday season, you’ll probably be left disappointed.
Still, it does include a checklist to walk you through getting set up on Microsoft Advertising that could be useful if you’re new to the platform or having tried expanding your reach there.
From our experience, Microsoft can be a useful secondary platform if you’re maxing out what you’re getting on Google or elsewhere. Don’t expect big numbers but if your target audience is in Canada or the USA you might be able to get a small trickle of additional sales or leads from it.
Rating
- Appearance: A-
- Actionable Insights: C-
- Ability to remind us that Microsoft Advertising Exists: A+
Google didn’t go flashy this year with a big PDF the way Microsoft did. Instead, you can find the Google Holiday Advertising guide on what I believe is the same URL as last time around.
First and foremost, let it be know that Google does the unthinkable by having its calendar start the week on Monday rather than a Sunday.
That aside, they take the approach of offering a checklist rather than a guide for your marketing teams to go through as they prep for the holidays.
Their checklist is far more substantial than expected and arguably has too many items in it – especially if you’re a small or solo marketing team running fairly straightforward campaigns.
Though one insight jumped out which I didn’t consider, is that they suggest holiday shoppers might be more worried about shipping and return policies this year than past ones (cost of living and all), so make sure those details are clear and easy to find.
Rating
- Appearance: B-
- Actionable Insights: B+
- Correctly starting their calendar week with Sunday: F
Meta
I never thought I’d say this, but Meta’s holiday guide offerings might be the most valuable of the bunch so far.
Meta has a big page that goes over the main highlights like Google did while also offering a snazzy PDF just like Microsoft.
The PDF goes over pretty much anything an advertising might need to consider (especially if this is their first time really going all out for holiday advertising).
They also offer quick ideas for video content, campaign structure tips, and data that supports cutoff dates for holiday campaigns which is worth looking over.
Like the other two players we covered, the guide also serves to remind us how great their AI tools like Advantage+ apparently are (which, as I wrote above, might be surprisingly better than initial expectations).
Rating
- Appearance: A
- Actionable Insights: A-
- Ability to soften my eternal grudge towards Meta: B-
Amazon
Oh Amazon. Why does your guide to help boost seasonal ads look so low key and very much like your brand used to be?
Amazon’s page clearly involved the least amount of effort of the big four and acts as little more than a landing page to get sign-ups for their advertising services (which they do have, in case you’ve missed it).
The bulk of what’s here are some graphical representations reminding us how much people like to shop in certain markets. More curious is their decision to include some mini-testimonial cards of seller personas talking about their tips and experiences selling on Amazon. So, again, more reason to sign up I guess.
Honestly, if you’re a small merchant planning on boosting your Amazon sales, this page will likely convince you to start boosting products. For everyone else, we’ve probably already made up our mind whether the platform can reach our audiences or not.
Rating
- Appearance: B
- Actionable Insights: C
- Ability to get new merchants advertising: B+
And there you have it. A quick run through of four of the biggest marketing playbooks for the 2024 Holiday Season. Did anyone have their minds blown or expectations out of the water? We’re not so certain. But for more stories like this, be sure to subscribe to Far From Shore.
