12 Best Holiday Marketing Campaigns of All Time

‘Tis the season to unwrap the very best marketing the holidays have to offer. Check back each day in December as we count down the 12 best holiday marketing campaigns of all time.

Successful holiday campaigns don’t just spread cheer; they build emotional connections, drive sales, and create memories that last generations. According to Marketing Week, nearly three in five consumers love Christmas ads, and 56% say they’re “really looking forward to seeing Christmas ads on TV”—an 8% increase from last year. 

From iconic commercials to campaigns that deck the halls for success, let’s revisit the best holiday marketing campaigns that have defined the season—dating as far back as 1874.

12. REI Opts Out(side) of Black Friday | (2015)

REI Co-op shook up the retail industry in 2015 when it announced they were closing its stores on Black Friday. REI encouraged its employees to #OptOutside on their paid day off and encouraged others nationwide to do the same. The response? Unprecedented. According to REI…

over 1.4 million people and 170 outdoor companies, nonprofits, and organizations joined in by closing their doors and spending Black Friday outdoors.

The iconic campaign earned the co-op many prestigious awards, including Best of Show at The One Show and the highly coveted Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions Festival for Creativity. 

Why studioID Loves It

What could have been just an inspiring marketing campaign turned into an inspiring movement. #OptOutside quadrupled the following year. Then, in 2022, the co-op made its boldest step yet: announcing it would permanently close its stores on Black Friday. For nearly a decade, the outdoor outfitter has been keeping its promise by keeping its doors shuttered on the most infamous day of overconsumption of the year. In a world rife with greenwashing and empty ESG attempts, we love REI’s genuine commitment to the cause — and so does their audience of eco-conscious crusaders. 

🌎 Related Reading: Crisis Fatigue + ESG Messaging: How to Recenter Trust in Your Brand’s Narrative

11. Folgers Brings Peter Home for Christmas (1985)  

Folgers’ memorable 1985 commercial “Peter Comes Home” features a college student (aptly named Peter) coming home for Christmas. He makes Folgers coffee with his little sister in tow, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee rouses the rest of the family, who finds Peter made it home. 

“Peter Comes Home” was such a hit that 1) The name “Peter” jumped in popularity the year following the commercials’ release, and 2) Folgers released a new edition in 2009 (yup, Peter was present). 

Why studioID Loves It

This Folgers’ spot tapped into a common experience — kids coming home for the holidays — thus creating a relatable connection among its target audience that would wind up serving the brand for years to come. By having the core message tap into the sense of magic and togetherness the holidays are all about, the actual product (a freshly brewed pot of Folgers’ coffee) takes on a more subliminal role. But the sentiment the audience is left with is clear: Warm & fuzzy holiday moments are to be cherished, and they start with a cup of Folgers.

10. Amazon Goes for a ‘Joy Ride’ (2023) 

Amazon’s 2023 holiday campaign, “Joy is shared,” tugged at the heartstrings by focusing on friendship and fond memories. The spot, set to an instrumental rendition of The Beatles’ “In My Life,” features three senior women who take a joy ride in the snow—thanks to a practical and fast-arriving purchase. 

The year the spot was released, Amazon announced record-breaking sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year, a Glossy survey shows that 74% of brands and retailers say Amazon will be a “more important” sales channel during the 2024 holiday season.

Why studioID Loves It

What’s so impressive about this ad is that the storytelling says so much—without having a word of dialogue. Add that to the subtle (and impressive!) product placement that serves as a gateway to a beautiful moment shared between long-time friends, and you’ve got a recipe for an instant holiday classic.

9. Campbell’s Soup Melts Our Hearts (1993)

Chances are high that 90s kids will remember this quintessential holiday commercial from their childhood. In this 30-second spot, we meet a chilly snowman who wanders into a home seeking warmth and finds himself a bowl of Campbell’s soup to defrost with. 

Surprise! Underneath all that snow, he’s actually a young boy. As one Instagram comment says, “You can feel, smell, and taste this commercial.” 

Why studioID Loves It

This spot was perfectly targeted to woo the final bosses of the grocery list — parents. A parent could easily envision their child coming in from a long day of playing in the bitter cold and warming them up with a piping-hot bowl of the ultimate comfort food. Equally hunger-inducing and heart-warming, “Never underestimate the power of soup” is an apt tagline, delightfully brought “to life” in this ad. Our spin? Never underestimate the power of simplistic and sincere storytelling.

📖 Related Reading: 4 Brands Upping the Ante on Creativity + Storytelling in 2024

8. M&M’S Experience a ‘Christmas Faint’ (1996) 

M&M’S is no stranger to memorable and entertaining commercials — and perhaps their magnum opus is this unforgettable 1996 holiday commercial. The dynamic duo (aka the yellow and red M&M) prepare to leave M&M’S out for Santa when—surprise—they have an unexpected encounter with the big man himself. 

Our beloved red M&M and the tall man dressed in red both faint, shocked at proof of each other’s existence, and the result is a commercial that hasn’t faded from our memories since. 

Why studioID Loves It

What we like about this ad is the “surprise factor,” or the silly idea that the existence of Santa and the M&M’S characters is equally unbelievable. Similarly, the interaction brilliantly nods to M&M’S possessing the same level of mystique and legendary status as Old St. Nick himself. More subtly, the spot works nicely to create an association between the hard-shelled candies and the holiday season. Brands everywhere can take notes — a combo of charm, humor, and a sweet surprise factor make for a winning recipe. 

🤪Related Reading: Marketers: Weird Is Back, Embrace the Absurd

7. Montgomery Ward Dreams Up Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1939)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (the one with a VERY shiny nose) was first dreamed up back in 1939 as part of a promotional item for Montgomery Ward, a department store based in Chicago. The department store was known for producing coloring books aimed at bringing children and their parents in for holiday shopping, and the retailer hired copywriter Robert L. May to create a new character for their 1939 edition.

Rudolph was born from May’s imagination (and based on some of May’s past experiences) and was an instant hit. Montgomery Ward distributed 2.4 million copies of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer during the 1939 Christmas season. Our red-nosed underdog would go on to become a cultural phenomenon and staple of holiday culture. The “Rudolph” song topped the charts a decade later, and the 1964 stop-motion story became TV history’s longest-running Christmas special.

Why studioID Loves It

Rudolph’s story is loveable in its own right, but what we admire about this example is what it shows us about storytelling—and lead generation. A character living rent-free in our hearts eight decades later was born from a branded coloring book, given away for free. It’s the ultimate proof point of the power of pure entertainment as a content marketing strategy. Rudolph wasn’t subliminally pushing the store’s latest kidswear line or slinging 20% off coupons. He didn’t have to. When you give your audience something of real value, trust and demand follow.

6. The Hess Truck Rolls into the Holidays (1988)

Leon Hess, the figure behind Hess, wasn’t just a builder, visionary, entrepreneur, and leader. Leon Hess was a father and a family man. So it came as little surprise that, just four years after opening the first Hess-branded gas station, he got the idea to offer families a fun, high-quality, and affordable holiday toy as a gesture of goodwill to his customers. 

In 1964, Hess created the very first (aptly named) Hess Toy Truck. With a new edition rolling in every year, the miniature machine has become a hallmark of the holiday season — but perhaps the jingle we all know and love is even more iconic than the toy itself. 

Why studioID Loves It

The Hess Truck isn’t just a toy; it’s a tradition. This campaign’s brilliance lies in its ability to turn a product into an emotional bond between the brand and its audience. In perhaps one of the best examples of sonic branding, the catchy jingle is seared into the memory of folks across generations and evokes joy whenever it flashes across our TV screens. Hess knows how to keep the nostalgia alive, and shows they’ve mastered the art of leveraging consistency and creativity to become a cherished part of its audience’s lives.

5. Macy’s Popularizes the Holiday Window Display (1874)

Did you know that the tradition of holiday window displays started way back in the 1800s? R. H. Macy Dry Goods installed its first “grand illumination” in December 1874 in New York City, and holiday window shopping hasn’t been the same since.

Professional window dressers or “trimmers,” assisted by gifted visual artists, were hired to fill the windows with one goal in mind: create holiday scenes so fanciful and festive, passersby couldn’t help but stop in their tracks to peer inside. Other department stores—like Lord & Taylor and Sak’s—quickly followed suit, even hiring artists like Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol to design their windows.

Why studioID Loves It

While many on our list are timeless classics, what we love about this example is that Macy’s and similar stores are always reinventing to deliver consumers a different windowscape every year. The scenes have become so iconic that they’ve emerged as a holiday tradition in their own right — with many people flocking to hot spots like NYC’s 5th Avenue solely to see what the artists dreamt up that year. Talk about a testament to the power of creating new and fresh content solely to delight your audience.

🎨 Related Reading: 10 Ways Marketers Can Overcome Creative Blocks and Get Unstuck

4. NORAD Tracks Santa’s Sleighride (1955) 

Who would’ve thought that in 1955, amid the Cold War, the military would become one of the primary sources of holiday joy for years to come? Today, millions worldwide visit NORAD’s Santa-tracking website to watch Santa’s epic journey to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

But did you know this tradition started with a phone call from a young girl looking for Santa? Little did she know that she’d reached the Continental Air Defense Command. (And little did the colonel answering know she got the number from a misprint in a local newspaper ad inviting kids to call Santa.)

Why studioID Loves It

Since NORAD’s Santa-tracking efforts started, they’ve become increasingly elaborate. Today, NORAD’s tracker consists of reindeer pulling a red sleigh over images of the Earth—naturally provided by NASA. You can also see Santa’s last stop, an ETA for his next stop, and a running tab of the number of gifts delivered. We love it because it shows that even conventional brands can deliver unconventional experiences to spread a little holiday cheer.  🌊 Related Reading: 6 Unexpected Brand Partnerships Making Waves in 2024

3. Spotify Gives the Gift of Data (2015)

In 2015, Spotify unknowingly started a movement when they launched the first prototype of what would go on to become the music streaming services’ greatest hit. In 2016, Spotify officially gave it the name we know and love today — Wrapped. The integrated campaign brilliantly used data mining to highlight the weird and wonderful ways people listened to music. The Spotify campaign included funny and somewhat embarrassing outdoor ads (like the one below) and unexpected lists like the top songs about food (that weren’t really about food at all).

Most notably, more than 30 million people opened the 2016 Wrapped email, enabling them to relive their year through the music that uniquely defined it.

Why studioID Loves It

This holiday content marketing example has layers. Spotify’s Global Head of Marketing Experience, Louisa Ferguson, has said, “Originally, we believed these experiences needed to be short and sweet. But we’ve found that there’s a cohort of fans that really want to go a level deeper.” By gifting users a data-drawn picture of something so deeply personal — their music taste and listening habits — it’s no surprise the campaign caught on like wildfire. Nearly a decade later, users everywhere eagerly await their annual ‘Wrapped’ summary so they can compare and share with friends and followers far and wide. 

🔮 Related Reading: Don’t React to Audience Trends. Predict Them.

2. Starbucks Coins Holiday Cups (1997) 

You know you’ve made it when your brand is an emblem of the holiday season.

Starbucks’ first holiday cup debuted in 1997 and came in four colors: a deep magenta and three jewel tones. (Only in 1999 did it get released in red.) Each year since, Starbucks has released a new design alongside its holiday menu, marking the unofficial start of the holidays. 

Why studioID Loves It

We especially love Red Cup Day, an annual tradition where Starbucks offers customers a free reusable holiday cup with a qualifying drink order. This strategy uses the scarcity principle to increase value and desirability with limited availability. And it works—Forbes reports that, from 2020 to 2022, Red Cup Day saw increases in foot traffic as high as 81% above the typical daily average in the lead-up to the event. 

🧠 Related Reading: The Psychology of Conversions: 5 Consumer Behavior Insights for 2024

1. Coca-Cola Shapes the Image of Santa (1931) 

So, who clinches the the #1 spot on our countdown? Well, Santa Claus himself, of course. But did you know today’s loveable depiction of Santa Claus didn’t always look that way? Earlier versions of Santa Claus were, well, let’s say, a little less jolly.

Until 1931, when a new version of Santa emerged in a Coca‑Cola ad in The Saturday Evening Post. The figure we know and love today was first reimagined by illustrator Haddon Sundblom, whom Coca-Cola hired to create advertising images using a more wholesome Santa Claus. The company continues to lean into the figure, with their ad “The World Needs More Santas” dubbed the best of 2023.

Why studioID Loves It

We love this example because it shows just how far a holiday campaign can go. Ask the average person the first holiday marketing campaign that comes to their mind, and chances are, you’ll hear some variation of Coca-Cola — whether it’s the campaigns with the big man himself sipping on a cold one, or the Coca-Cola polar bears that have burrowed their way into the hearts of millions. Coca-Cola has managed to make themselves synonymous with the holiday season — a feat that many marketers dream of. And instead of resting on their laurels, Coca-Cola has done anything but remain stagnant over the last century. The fizzy soda slinger continually evolves to hold tight to this association, and so should your brand. 

As hard as it is to determine what direction to go in next, there are strategies to creating a perpetual idea machine — so you’re ripe with content at all times.

Holiday Bonus Campaign

What’s that hiding under the tree? An honorable mention campaign that deserves just as many flowers: John Lewis ’Man on the Moon (2015).

No one knows Christmas like John Lewis. (Department stores are onto something, aren’t they?) The UK retail giant is well known for releasing holiday ads that pull at the heartstrings and have become a holiday season staple. Marketers and media often jump to review each year’s ad and rank the full collection.

One of John Lewis’s most emotional ads was its 2015 spot, “The Man on the Moon.” The ad follows a young girl using the family telescope to find a man living alone on the moon. The ad, also a Cannes Lions winner, aimed to raise awareness of loneliness, especially among older individuals during the holidays.

Why studioID Loves It

To explain why we love this one, we turn to a famous quote from Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” The feeling from this ad is what truly makes it memorable.