Public Relations Campaigns of Christmas Past
Published on November 30, 2020, at 5:15 p.m.
by Emie Garrett.
The twinkling lights get turned on, the elaborate trees go up, an explosion of red and green decorations cover houses and stores, and Christmas crooners start singing through the radio. It seems that nowadays the trick-or-treaters are barely out of their costumes before it’s the “most wonderful time of the year” again.
As someone who wholeheartedly believes in the magic of Christmas, spends a shameful amount of time watching those cheesy made-for-television holiday movies, and is one of the first in line to get a festive Starbucks cup every year, I have no problem with the Christmas season kicking off early!
I’m the person who gets excited when I spot my first Christmas advertisement — my personal favorite being the old Campbell’s soup commercial where the snowman turns back into a little boy once he eats a warm bowl of Campbell’s soup.
As you can tell, Scrooge and I probably wouldn’t make fast friends.
This year, my love of all things Christmas got me thinking about public relations campaigns of Christmas past, the good and the bad. There are many iconic holiday campaigns and advertisements that seem to spark lasting Yuletide cheer in audiences — like the aforementioned Campbell’s soup advert, “Let it Snow,” which has run since 1993, or the classic Hershey’s Kisses bell choir, which also began its run in the 1990s and can still be seen on televisions across the country today. But there are also those campaigns that didn’t quite resonate with audiences and those that can forever be found with the ghosts of Christmas past.
Here is an example of a hit and a miss:
Hit: KFC’s chicken-scented fire log
During the 2018 Christmas season, the fried chicken king of fast food shocked consumers by releasing its limited-edition chicken-scented fire log, seasoned with the Colonel’s special blend of 11 herbs and spices — which sold out in three hours. Yes, you read that correctly. The log was released again during the 2019 holiday season, and it quickly sold out once more.
While this “finger lickin’ good” fire log received some negative feedback from critics who felt that the smell of fried chicken, out of context, was not a good smell, many audiences and media received KFC’s holiday log with good spirit. The campaign earned 1,180 broadcast placements, 1,892 article spotlights, 1.5 billion social media impressions and $20 million in earned media coverage.
If you think the aroma of fried chicken wafting from your fireplace will set your Christmas spirit alight this season, the log is currently available for sale.
Miss: Bloomingdale’s creepy holiday party
In 2015, Bloomingdale’s released a holiday print campaign for Rebecca Minkoff clothing. The advertisement showed a picture of a female model and a male model dressed for a holiday party. The woman is looking off smiling, as if speaking to someone, while the man is suspiciously looking at the distracted woman. The text in between them reads, “Spike your best friend’s eggnog when they’re not looking.” Yikes!
This campaign was rightfully met with outrage and confusion from audiences, as many felt the company was making light of sexual assault. Bloomingdale’s issued an apology, but it’s hard to imagine how the ad got approved in the first place. This PR catastrophe serves as a cautionary tale to all brands — insinuated sexual assault, shockingly, doesn’t get people in the Christmas spirit.
It wouldn’t quite feel like Christmastime without the nostalgic, sweet and sometimes wacky holiday campaigns — I’m looking at you KFC — that start rolling out before the table can be set for Thanksgiving. While I hope there are no cringeworthy campaigns this year, I can’t wait to see what the PR professionals have in store to spread holiday cheer this season!
