‘Tis the season
Christmas is often referred to as “the most wonderful time of the year” despite the queues, busyness, and huge to-do lists in everybody’s pockets. During this time, the retail industry experiences one of its most busy times of the year, behind the likes of Easter and the January sales.
Although the festive time of year may come at the dismay of those who work throughout the entire holiday period, it’s important to remember the reason why the time of year is so busy.
The end of the year is often remembered for its chain of events that come year after year, creating fantastic experiences for families and friends. With summer over and the nights getting darker and colder, the public is more open than ever to spending money and celebrating the year gone by.
Sign-makers can take advantage of events such as Halloween, Christmas, and Black Friday to demonstrate to potential customers they are not only up-to-date with the latest trends, but also understand events that may well be booked in people’s diaries months in advance.
Holidays and seasonal events take place all through the year, so for many, it is only natural to ebb and flow with the yearly calendar. Advertisements for products like Halloween decorations or Easter signage might be perfectly timed for potential customers planning their own Halloween or Easter parties.
Bookmarking key seasons and events through the year can be an effective way for sign-makers to get ahead of the curve
Christmas is of course the big event of the year, but it is testament to the importance of capturing the peaks and trends of the year. Capturing when the public is spending money, or when businesses are looking to transform themselves into winter wonderlands or spooky ghost houses is a clever way to get ahead of the crowd when drumming up revenue.
Soft signage promoting cocktail nights and beach parties would be ill-timed any other period of the year other than summer, so tailoring your services for the season is crucial for attracting more customers and expanding your range of products.
A surge in advertising
Seasonal periods are a prime time for companies and brands to sell themselves to the public. Almost everyone knows the classic M&S or John Lewis television adverts, which year on year extend from simple advertising campaigns, to talking points throughout the media and general public.
Adverts for supermarkets like Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s, have stuck in the minds of viewers with their fun and creepy Halloween campaigns. While promotions for chocolate eggs have led to many a child pleading with their parents for a chocolate-filled Easter Sunday.
Signage and advertising companies can not only learn from these approaches but also work with businesses in selling their products.
One company that helps deliver countless campaigns and advertisements, through its out-of-home (OOH) portfolio, is Talon Group. The company sees budgets coincide with several big holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Easter. The increased popularity of sales events like Cyber Monday, Black Friday, and Boxing Day, have meant retailers and brands need effective point-of-sale advertising like banners, boards, and graphic inserts.
Retail experiences some of the busiest periods at Christmas, Easter, and Black Friday, all seasons which need support from sign-makers
With advertising budgets peaking at the end of the year and companies keen to clear stock, sign and print companies are well placed to work closely with retailers to provide constant sales supplies.
Speaking about 2021 advertising, head of marketing at Talon, Lisa Portman, says: “This year is no different to others, the latest ad spend projections just released by AA/WARC predict the total advertising investment into Q4 2021 will hit £7.9bn, the highest level ever recorded.
“OOH is on track to continue building momentum lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with growth into 2022 anticipated to reach 27.7%.”
O Factoid: Factoid
Talon predicts OOH advertising will keep building momentum lost due to
the Covid-19 pandemic, with growth anticipated to reach 27.7% in 2022 O
OOH campaigns not only demonstrate ways that companies can use advertising to create stories and imagery for their brand, but also how they can come to the forefront during certain periods of the year.
Adverts for premium products or certain food and drinks can become a lot more prevalent at the festive period. A surge that OOH, digital out-of-home (DOOH), and sign companies can take advantage of.
Portman says: “OOH is the proven broadcast channel delivering reach and effectively building brand fame. With the evolution of data and technology, there are more options now to effectively understand and segment audiences and thus deliver contextual and dynamic messaging to deliver, cut through, and increase relevance.
“Helping clients deliver the right message, to their intended audience at the right time is now a tried and tested science. Looking for ways to be flexible, supporting messaging that activates and changes around conditions or environment gives consumers confidence in brands.”
She adds: “Our own research showed that people are more positive and confident in brand messages delivered in the public space, saying that the advertising makes them feel like they can trust the brand (+14%) and they perceive the brand as successful (+15%).”
Helping business
The last two years have meant the hardworking staff of the NHS have been appreciated more than ever, especially as they work through seasonal times of the year.
Many in the retail industry have also called out for the larger protection and respect for their workers, who also have to work extended hours through busy times of the year.
The impact of Covid on the world has meant many sectors have been affected differently, with some experiencing periods of quietness during lockdowns, and others describing 2020 as like ‘Christmas every week’ due to increased demand on products and services.
The need to support retailers, emergency services, and small businesses is greater than ever. Companies in the sign industry can increase workflow and income in order to support these industries by creating signage to help with increased workflow and inform visitors about Covid protocols to avoid frustrated visitors.
Signs Express, a specialist in signage and graphics, has helped customers through 60 centres in the UK and Ireland for over 30 years. Speaking about the increased workflow experienced at seasonal periods national public relations and content co-ordinator for Signs Express, Lara Nuthall, says: “With signs and graphics you tend to find two main streams of work, one of those being temporary signage for events, and advertising seasonal promotions or offers.
“In terms of what we see in our centres, especially in the run up to Christmas, is a really busy period, so it’s definitely an important time of year for sign companies.”
Christmas showcases when many businesses are at their best, but also most busy
Nuthall adds: “In such a reactive and fast paced world, seasonal events are one of the most powerful advertising opportunities for businesses, specifically those in the retail, hospitality and leisure industries. We are committed to supporting local businesses and sharing our knowledge to help them make the most of increased footfall and spending by consumers.
“Even if a shop or restaurant for example was to simply display a Christmas message this means a lot to customers and passers-by.”
With the rise in popularity of e-commerce, many companies now have to adapt and think of new offerings for their customers.
With the rise in popularity of e-commerce, many companies now have to adapt and think of new offerings for their customers”
Speaking about the changing landscape of signage, Nuthall says: “Although there has been a decline in high-street shops in favour of online, the businesses that are still present almost need to make their premises even more attractive to potential customers in order to draw them in.
“Directional signage is still present and with much focus still being on Covid-19 and social distancing there is a lot of importance in getting this right. Especially for large events and in busy shopping areas we’ve seen directional signage remain. Businesses also shouldn’t forget that although directional signage is largely functional it can be designed to be interactive and eye-catching with branding and messaging included. “
Adapting to change
With the increased importance of branding and creating customer experiences, sign companies are constantly evolving to offer new solutions like labels, vehicle wrapping, and even branded stationary.
Seasonal times of the year also mean a large range of materials and products can be offered. Whether it be foil and metal solutions to add to a Halloween themed installation, or soft signage for a festive grotto, seasonal work can also make use of the many materials sign-makers have at their disposal.
One company that has made use of its soft signage solutions, is Your Print Partner (YPP), which has worked with companies such as Morrisons, Cancer Research UK, and Silverstone. Chief executive officer, and founder of YPP, Stuart Maclaren says: “We started life as a fabric print company and mainly stuck to that. We now have UV printers and flatbeds on site to keep up with demand. Ten years on, our core business is still the same however we have added a lot more products to our range, which are outside of what we would have ever dreamed of doing years ago.
“The last 18 months I would say the business dramatically changed as we were only producing about 10% of what we usually created, largely due to the market demand. Over the coming months I would expect us to ease back into our old way of working and offering previous products and solutions.”
To make use of the materials YPP was working with and to add to its range, the group started a festive themed offering, to increase work at what was usually a less busy time of year for the company.
“A few years ago, we created the brand Santa Sacks which produced personalised hessian Santa sacks, meaning the previously off season time of year very quickly became busy.
“The main problem was we had gone from processing large orders with an average value of £145 to thousands of orders with an average order value of £17. As all the orders were all business to consumer, the customers were very quick to chase up their orders.”
Maclaren’s example is an important reminder to ensure staff levels and equipment are ready for the increase in workflow. Working with other businesses and partners can always be a good solution to combat this, especially at busy times of the year.
Seasonal work can be a great way to increase your output, but Maclaren reminds businesses of the importance of being prepared.
He says: “I think it’s always a tough one as we all want to get work in, especially considering how hard the last year has been with print losing most of its core business. I think it’s always good to have a few print partners that can help you out, so you don’t lose work. If you can make a small margin while keeping the customer happy, sometimes outsourcing is a good idea.”
The last two years have undoubtedly meant that businesses have had to change the way they operate. Being flexible, but also relevant is more important than ever. With this in mind, Nuthall adds: “Don’t expect work to come to you, marketing is key to letting other businesses know what you can offer.
“Sectors such as retail, hospitality and leisure are your key areas to target for seasonal solutions in particular and remember they often plan several months in advance so start your campaigns in plenty of time.”
The last year has meant many companies and industries have given a sigh of relief as business has picked back up following the reopening of high streets and venues following months of lockdowns.
Families and friends are all looking to spend time together and celebrate the festive periods of the year. Creating fun and high-quality work to add to these seasonal experiences can not only increase customers, but also change your company image for the better.
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