Here's to a snack and 5 questions about the perfect Christmas campaign... with Lisa Rose

• On which three pillars is successful Christmas campaign planning based?
• And how can we improve collaboration between brands, agencies, and platforms?

The answers to these questions (and many more) are available once a month in our snack interview, the Kitchen Stories business questionnaire.

This time, answer Lisa Rose by Kitchen Stories. As Head of Sales & Strategic Partnerships, she is responsible for marketing the Kitchen Stories platform (Web/app) via direct customers and in cooperation with media agencies, the development of existing customers and cooperation with our key stakeholder BSH. By the way, your favorite snack is Bavarian snack 🥨

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It's August and tinsel is already hanging in our heads, as well as in those of many marketers and agencies. It feels like we've seen everything when it comes to Christmas campaigns: lots of emotions, very quirky, classic tradition, blatant sales, a new focus on values.

In your opinion, which three pillars is really good campaign planning based on so that the best time of the year is also the most successful?

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➡️ Creativity and originality

To stand out in the plethora of Christmas campaigns, it is crucial to be creative and original. Brands should avoid clichés and rely on innovative concepts and unexpected approaches that arouse emotions and attract the attention of their target group. Brand managers should think outside the traditional framework and try to create a unique story or message that will remember your brand.

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➡️ Target group orientation

A successful campaign must be tailored to the specific needs and interests of your target audience. It is important to take the time in advance to analyse and understand exactly what the target group is looking for during the Christmas season. The message should be relevant and appealing to the target group and therefore tailored to the needs and wishes of potential customers.

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➡️ Sustainability and social responsibility

In recent years, awareness of sustainability and social responsibility has grown ever stronger. A Christmas campaign that integrates these values can not only attract the interest of your target group, but also create a positive image for your brand. Consumers value companies that are actively working for a better world and may be more inclined to support their brand.

In summary, a really good Christmas campaign is based on creativity and originality, target group orientation, sustainability and social responsibility. If these pillars are strategically linked, the result can be a campaign that is not only in harmony with the best time of the year, but is also anchored in the minds of everyone, such as 'Last Christmas' by Wham!

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While we always want to have everything under control from a marketing perspective, surprises play an important role for consumers at Christmas time. What was the most surprising Christmas campaign in recent years for you — positive as well as negative?

positives I remember the Christmas campaigns that sparked huge emotions in me, such as Edeka's campaigns such as 'Coming Home” from 2015 or “The Special Christmas Story of Mr. Schmidt” from 2020 or Penny's Christmas campaign “The Wish” from 2021. They were all big movies and managed to charge their brand with great emotions.

Negative I didn't remember any campaigns, probably because I immediately forgot them.

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In your previous role as Head of Agency Partnerships, you were responsible for Agency Partnerships at Axel Springer subsidiary Media Impact. You can say that you combine all sides: the point of view of the marketer, that of the agencies and that of the publisher.

What challenges were you able to observe in the collaboration and how would you like to solve them at Kitchen Stories?

Short-termism

‍In marketing budget approvals from customers, the resulting campaign briefings from agencies to us marketers and the associated short implementation time for publishers. Even though the native advertising approach is our hobby horse, we must try to put together standardized products and packages for our partners, which can be implemented quickly, especially in content production.

Reduced budgets‍

From a purely technical point of view, Germany is in recession. We are also seeing this in the advertising market and among our partners. But especially in such difficult economic times, it is important to continue brand storytelling in order to continue to set your brand apart from the competition and to remain anchored in the minds of consumers.

We are aware of the reduced marketing budgets and try to put together packages for smaller budgets with Kitchen Stories, which recycle existing content in a creative way, but do not lose reach and impact.

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Lisa, you've been on board Kitchen Stories for a month now. As Head of Sales, you are responsible for marketing the Kitchen Stories platform for us. From your “new” perspective, what makes Kitchen Stories Business so attractive for brands, especially during the Christmas season?

We have a unique and passionate team of young talent who go out of their way to provide our Kitchen Stories community with an unforgettable cooking experience while subtly and relevant integration of our partners and their products. Kitchen Stories uses the pillars mentioned above and thus enables our partners to implement an emotional and unforgettable Christmas campaign.

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At what time of year and in which place is the best food in the world? And how did you discover it?

Plum dumplings in late summer with my family on the beautiful Lower Rhine. Every year, the extended family tries to get together to cook and eat plum dumplings together. There is nothing better!

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Thank you so much for the interview.