Gift-hunt early, but market your brand even earlier, this Christmas!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Yes, we’re aware it’s only October. But for the Philippines, the Christmas season already began in September, with Christmas-related searches on Google starting then and peaking in December. That’s a four-month runway in the lead up to Christmas!
Not only is the Christmas season celebrated for a long time, but it’s also celebrated in a big way — and it’s only getting bigger. Last year, there were 20% more Christmas-related searches as compared to 2017, and these are projected to increase by a whopping 50% this year. But people are not just searching passively: they’re on the go.
There are things to do, places to be, parties to plan and gifts to hunt down. And that’s why the peak Christmas period sees the most amount of travel in the Philippines for the entire year.
More people are on the road, traveling longer distances and spending more time on the road because of the inevitable gridlock. From November to December, there’s a 10% increase in the amount of active Waze users on the road and a 16% increase in the amount of distance covered.
With all this time spent on the road, there’s an unprecedented opportunity to reach out to drivers, who are not just primed for purchase, but are actively searching. The most competitive brands across industries are developing frictionless omnichannel methods to serve the on-the-go consumer, because while online shopping continues to grow, a large majority still make their purchases at brick and mortar stores.
The holiday season translates into more navigations to stores, with a 23.5% increase in Waze navigation to shopping malls during the November to December period. And you’d be surprised — people don’t just visit physical stores as a last resort because of last-minute shopping! In fact, that’s the least cited reason according to a survey by Deloitte, who found that most consumers plan for in-store shopping intentionally.
Most don’t even mind the braving the traffic or distance — not if it gets them the best deal in town.
Here’s where Waze comes in to give your brand the competitive edge: by providing direct and targeted access to the on-the-go captive audience, turning your location into their destination.
Waze has ad formats that tackle each and every step of the decision-making process, from branded pins that highlight your location, takeovers that prompt consideration and promoted searches that lead directly to navigations. For Christmas, there are even more customisable options apart from these standalone ad formats.
First, you can put your brand on the map and spread some good ol’ holiday cheer at the same time with our branded pins.
Next, you can drive consideration from shoppers that are enroute to stores, with our takeovers.
You can further drive consideration with extreme takeovers and by owning tentpole days in the leadup to Christmas.
Lastly, as part of our seasonal offerings, we can even give your brand the jolly voice of Santa to guide Wazers on their hunt for the perfect gift, their pit stops for fuel and food, and everything in between.
The Waze map is the place to be this festive season, no matter whether you’re looking to outsmart holiday traffic, find the best gift, or reach out to a primed audience with your amazing promotion.
We’ll see you on the road!
