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December 21, 2023 – Elf is celebrating its 20-year anniversary this year. Where has the time gone? It seems like it was just yesterday that Buddy introduced us to the four elf food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup.

In honor of this movie milestone, we checked in with Buddy on plans for this Christmas. It turns out that, after 20 years, the Kringle 3,000 (the 500 reindeer power jet engine designed by Papa Elf) finally gave out. This year, for the first time in decades, Santa will be depending on old-fashioned Christmas cheer to fly his sleigh.

To keep Santa’s sleigh flying high, Buddy and Team Elf leveraged the Integrated Marketing Communications process to spread their Christmas Spirit Campaign message. Here’s an insider’s look at the elves’ marketing strategy they shared with us:

  1. Identification From Behavioral Data:

    To target the Christmas Spirit Campaign efforts on the Nice List segment, Team Elf carefully reviewed Santa’s Naughty & Nice List to evaluate behavioral data, taking into account people’s actions throughout the year.

  1. Valuation Of Customers And Prospects:

    Next, Team Elf asked the tough questions to identify the most loyal Nice List members and the highest potential Nice List prospects: Which homes display the optimum levels of Christmas Cheer (e.g., set out the best Christmas cookies for Santa, trimmed their homes inside and out with Christmas decorations, sang carols loudly for all to hear, etc.)? 

  1. Creating And Delivering Messages And Incentives:

    From there, Team Elf leveraged consumer insights to understand where Nice List members spend their time on Christmas Eve so that the Christmas Spirit message is served through the optimal channels to maximize engagement and keep Santa’s sleigh flying high. 

  1. Estimating Return-On-Customer-Investment:

    On December 26, Santa holds the annual ROI meeting to evaluate the Christmas Spirit Campaign. Team Elf will prepare a presentation to walk Santa through key cheer metrics like reach, open rates, message relevance, and members forecast to remain on the Nice List next year.

  1. Budgeting, Allocation, Evaluation, and Recycling:

    Finally, following the annual ROI meeting, Team Elf plans how to allocate the Christmas Cheer marketing budget to enhance toy-making activities and keep current Nice List members’ spirits high, while working to attract new prospects.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our behind-the-scenes look at how Buddy and Team Elf use the IMC process to optimize their marketing campaigns and maximize the effectiveness of their activation on Christmas Eve.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Quantum Leap Insights and, remember, Enjoy the Journey!