Every holiday season, marketers face the same tension: drive revenue or protect margins. The default answer is usually discounts. But while they boost short-term sales, they also train customers to wait for markdowns, chip away at brand equity, and eat into profits year after year.

There’s a smarter play. The holidays don’t have to be a margin bloodbath, they can be a moment to deepen loyalty, collect valuable customer data, and strengthen long-term growth. The key is rethinking what “offers” really mean.

As holiday budgets tighten and performance teams look for smarter ways to grow, lessons from across paid media - from influencer strategies to AI automation - become more relevant than ever.

Why Strategic Branding Campaigns Fuel Performance During the Holiday Season

Brand Recall Drives Lower Acquisition Costs

Nielsen notes that in emerging media, brand recall is the single biggest driver of brand lift, contributing to 38.7% of lift - more than baseline awareness itself. When consumers remember your brand, you reduce the number of touchpoints needed to convert them. In other words, a strong upper-funnel presence primes buyers so your performance marketing works harder, faster, and with less waste.

Because recall reduces friction in the funnel, acquisition is cheaper. Recognizable brands require fewer reminders or retargeting steps, lowering cost per acquisition and amplifying the overall efficiency of holiday campaigns.

Emotional Storytelling Builds Long-Term Brand Equity

Emotion drives memory and loyalty more effectively than discounts ever can. Research from Kantar shows that digital ads evoking strong emotions are 4x more likely to build long-term brand equity than those with weak emotional impact. According to Forbes, emotionally connected customers have a 2x higher lifetime value compared to customers who are merely "highly satisfied."

When holiday campaigns connect emotionally, they build lasting relationships instead of one-time conversions and help the brand remain top of mind long after the promotional noise fades.

Relevant article: How to Craft a Brand Narrative That Drives Emotional Connection and Customer Loyalty

Brand Engagement Fuels First-Party Data Growth

Every interaction that starts with brand storytelling creates an opportunity to collect valuable first-party data. When consumers engage through videos, branded content, or interactive experiences, they willingly share preferences and intent signals that become critical for future targeting. Google’s first party data playbook for marketing notes that companies that link their first-party data across channels can generate up to 1.5 times higher revenue and 2.9 times stronger cost savings from their marketing efforts.

Holiday branding campaigns that invite participation, rather than transactions, build both recognition and data depth: two assets that strengthen every performance channel long after the season ends.

How to Turn Brand Momentum Into Measurable Performance

Brand campaigns set the stage; performance campaigns convert the intent. The real opportunity lies in connecting the two. Once your brand has built awareness, trust, and emotional relevance, every lower-funnel message performs better. The following approaches show how marketers can translate brand equity into action - strategies that maintain profitability, strengthen loyalty, and drive conversions throughout the holiday rush without relying on discounts.

1. Use Data-Backed Personalization to Create Holiday Shopping Experiences

Holiday shoppers are flooded with promotions, but what captures attention is relevance. Personalization based on browsing history, purchase patterns, or wishlists makes offers feel thoughtful instead of transactional. McKinsey reports that personalization efforts often deliver 10–15% revenue lift when properly executed.

Think of campaigns like “Your 2025 Holiday Edit” or “Picks Chosen Just for You” that give customers the sense that the brand understands them. At the same time, these campaigns drive stronger margins because they rely on precision, not price cuts.

They also deliver long-term value. Each personalized touchpoint strengthens first-party data and improves future audience insights, turning the holiday rush into an opportunity for long-term growth.

Relevant article: Personalization in Marketing with GenAI: Data-Driven Strategies for Better Engagement

2. Launch Limited-Edition Collaborations to Build Urgency  

Creating a sense of urgency is a useful marketing tool to drive sales, move stock or differentiate yourself from your competitors. Limited-edition collaborations or seasonal product drops create that urgency while elevating brand desirability. When executed well, they shift attention from price to exclusivity.  

Brands can partner with designers, creators, or complementary brands to refresh visibility during the holiday rush and give shoppers a reason to act immediately.  

These launches often generate social buzz, earned media, and strong engagement from loyal customers. They also introduce your brand to new audiences who share similar aesthetics or values, driving conversions without sacrificing margins.  

3. Run Value-Exchange Campaigns to Collect Zero-Party Data

Holiday campaigns are an ideal moment to collect meaningful customer data without resorting to discounts. Value-exchange campaigns offer shoppers something useful - early access, curated recommendations, or personalized gift guides - in return for zero-party data like preferences or wishlists. In fact, research shows that most consumers are willing to exchange zero-party data for rewards in a loyalty program.

When positioned as a service rather than a sales push, these campaigns make customers feel recognized and in control. They also strengthen CRM databases, improve audience modeling, and enhance targeting precision.

Over time, the insights gathered from these interactions become far more valuable than any short-term revenue boost a discount could deliver.

4. Introduce Sustainability or Circularity Incentives to Engage Conscious Shoppers

The holidays spark both excitement and guilt as shoppers try to celebrate responsibly. Brands that recognize this mindset can connect on a deeper level while maintaining strong sales. Incentives tied to sustainability or circularity - such as rewarding item returns, offering carbon-neutral shipping, or using minimal packaging - can make purchases feel like positive actions.  According to Capgemini, 64% of consumers have purchased products from organizations perceived to be sustainable.

These initiatives do more than enhance brand perception. They drive repeat engagement when customers return to redeem credits or loyalty points, building long-term attachment and smoother reactivation cycles. Measured over time, such campaigns often outperform traditional discounts in engagement and customer lifetime value.

5. Create Exclusive Membership Moments to Strengthen Loyalty

Loyalty programs often take a back seat during the holidays, even though this is when they matter most. Exclusive member experiences such as early access to limited stock, bonus points, or personalized gifting services can create the same excitement as discounts, with a much stronger emotional return.

These experiences remind loyal customers that their commitment is valued and attract new members who want to join something ongoing rather than transactional. Each engagement strengthens retention and enriches first-party data. Brands like Sephora, Nike, and Starbucks have mastered this approach, turning holiday moments into lasting relationships that protect margins and extend loyalty beyond the season.

Are Branding Strategies Enough to Drive Sales?

Branding sets the stage, but it doesn’t close the deal on its own. Awareness and emotional pull are powerful, but performance turns that interest into measurable growth. The best holiday strategies bring both worlds together, using paid media to deliver brand stories with precision, accountability, and scale.

Performance teams are the bridge. They take creative storytelling and make it work harder: activating first-party data to refine targeting, testing what actually converts, and sequencing messaging to move people from inspiration to purchase.

Paid media is also where strategy meets reality. Real-time insights reveal which narratives and collaborations actually shift behavior, helping teams double down on what drives impact. When brand and performance operate as one system, marketing feels authentic and performs. Brand builds the “why.” Performance delivers the “how.”

Holiday Marketing That Builds Long-Term Value

Discounts can move inventory, but they rarely build brand strength. The most effective holiday strategies connect brand storytelling with performance discipline. When personalization, exclusivity, sustainability, and loyalty are powered by data and delivered through paid media, brands can protect margins while driving measurable growth.

Branding builds familiarity and trust. Performance ensures that intent turns into action. Together, they create a continuous loop of awareness, engagement, and conversion that compounds over time. Marketers who look beyond short-term sales and treat the holidays as a platform for lasting brand and data growth set themselves up for stronger performance well into the new year.

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Relevant Insights

· Article: Brand Marketing in 2025: 8 Power Moves Every Marketer Must Master

· Article: Peak Season Checklist: How to Drive Full-Funnel Growth During the Holidays

· Article: Why Branding Is Key to Marketing Success in 2025 and Beyond

About Crealytics

Crealytics is an award-winning full-funnel digital marketing agency fueling the profitable growth of over 100 well-known B2C and B2B businesses, including ASOS, The Hut Group, Staples and Urban Outfitters. A global company with an inclusive team of 100+ international employees, we operate from our hubs in Berlin, New York, Chicago, London, and Mumbai.