The best examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples brands actually used

Real examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples that actually worked

Let’s skip the theory and go straight into the fun stuff: real examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples that marketers still talk about in meetings, slack channels, and “we should do something like this” brainstorms.

1. Starbucks Red Cups & Seasonal Drinks – Owning the start of holiday season

Every November, Starbucks doesn’t just launch a product; it launches a cultural signal. The return of the red cup and seasonal drinks (Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, etc.) has become an unofficial marker of the holiday season.

Why this is a strong example of seasonal creativity:

• The cup design changes every year, giving fans something to photograph, share, and debate.
• Seasonal drinks are available for a limited time, creating urgency and FOMO.
• The campaign spills across channels: in-store, app, social, and email, all with consistent visual storytelling.

This is one of the best examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples where packaging, product, and social behavior are tightly linked. People literally announce, “It’s holiday season!” by posting a photo of a cup.

2. John Lewis Holiday Ads – Emotional storytelling as an annual event

In the UK, John Lewis has turned its annual Christmas ad into a national event. Each year, they release a high-production emotional mini-film around November, often focused on kindness, connection, or loneliness during the holidays.

Why it still matters in 2024:

• The ad drops once a year, but the anticipation builds for weeks.
• Music choice is strategic—cover songs often chart after the ad launches.
• The story is extended through in-store experiences, merchandising, and social content.

This is a textbook example of how a brand can turn seasonal advertising into a cultural ritual. When marketers look for real examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples built around pure storytelling, John Lewis is always on the mood board.

3. Coca-Cola’s Polar Bears & “Holidays Are Coming” – Consistency over decades

Coca-Cola has been running holiday campaigns for decades, but the polar bears and the “Holidays Are Coming” truck ads are the crown jewels. The brand leans hard into nostalgia, consistency, and a very specific visual world.

What makes this one of the best examples:

• The creative barely changes, which actually makes it stronger. Familiarity = comfort.
• The campaign appears in TV, out-of-home, digital video, and sometimes experiential stunts.
• The brand uses the seasonal halo to support cause marketing, such as donations or community programs.

If you’re looking for an example of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples that prove you don’t have to reinvent everything every year, Coca-Cola is your case study.

4. REI #OptOutside – Turning Black Friday on its head

When REI announced it would close stores on Black Friday and encourage people to go outside instead, it broke every unwritten retail rule. Instead of chasing doorbuster chaos, it told customers: go hike.

Why this was so effective:

• It flipped a shopping holiday into a values-based brand statement.
• The hashtag #OptOutside became a long-running platform, not just a one-day stunt.
• Customers and employees became the content engine, posting their outdoor adventures.

This is a powerful example of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples where the “ad” is actually a bold operational decision. It shows how seasonal strategy can be values-driven, not just discount-driven.

5. Spotify Wrapped – Year-end data as a seasonal ritual

Spotify Wrapped isn’t about a traditional holiday, but it is very much a seasonal campaign: it drops at the end of each year and now dominates social feeds for days.

Why marketers obsess over it:

• It turns user data into personalized, shareable stories.
• The design is bright, scroll-stopping, and optimized for vertical screens.
• It creates free user-generated promotion at massive scale.

This is one of the best examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples built on data storytelling. Every brand with an app or loyalty program now asks, “What’s our version of Wrapped?”

For a broader view of how consumer behavior clusters around seasons and events, the U.S. Census Bureau regularly publishes data on retail and holiday sales trends, which can inspire planning windows and category focus: https://www.census.gov/retail/index.html

6. Oreo’s Halloween & Limited-Edition Flavors – Seasonal product as social content

Oreo has quietly become a seasonal campaign machine. From Halloween orange creme cookies to collaborations tied to movie releases or sports events, Oreo treats its product as a canvas.

Why this works so well:

• Seasonal flavors are limited-time-only, which drives trial.
• The brand leans into playful visuals and short-form video content.
• Packaging becomes part of the ad, especially on shelves and in user photos.

If you’re looking for an example of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples that are product-first but still highly shareable, Oreo is a strong template.

7. Airbnb’s Summer & Major Event Campaigns – Selling moments, not rooms

Airbnb leans into summer travel, long weekends, and major global events (like the Olympics or big music festivals) to position stays as gateways to experiences.

Key moves:

• Seasonal creative focuses on specific travel mindsets: reunions, remote work getaways, road trips.
• Campaigns often highlight real hosts and guests, using storytelling and UGC.
• Timing aligns with search trends and booking windows.

This is a modern example of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples where timing and search behavior are the backbone. If you’re running digital-first campaigns, watch how Airbnb syncs its media with peak planning and booking periods.

8. Small Business Saturday – Seasonal campaigns for local brands

Launched in 2010 and supported by American Express, Small Business Saturday has grown into a widely recognized shopping day between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Why it matters for smaller brands:

• Provides a national moment for local and independent businesses to ride.
• Offers co-branded marketing materials, toolkits, and promotional support.
• Taps into consumer interest in supporting local economies.

For marketers who want real examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples on a smaller budget, look at how local shops use this day: Instagram-only promotions, neighborhood events, limited-edition products, and collaborations with nearby businesses.

For more on small business trends and seasonal retail behavior, the U.S. Small Business Administration offers data and resources at https://www.sba.gov.

How to spot patterns in the best examples of creative seasonal advertising

Once you’ve scrolled through enough examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples, patterns start to pop.

They pick a very specific moment, not just a month.
The strongest campaigns don’t just say “holiday” or “summer.” They latch onto:

• The first snow
• The last day of school
• The Sunday before Halloween
• The week Spotify Wrapped drops

The narrower the moment, the sharper the creative.

They choose one emotional lane and commit.
John Lewis goes for tear-jerking warmth. REI chooses defiant calm. Oreo chooses playful chaos. The best examples don’t try to be everything—just very, very good at one feeling.

They design for sharing, not just seeing.
Spotify Wrapped and Starbucks red cups are built to be photographed and posted. The creative is almost incomplete until a user adds themselves to it.

If you want your next example of seasonal advertising to land in the “best examples” category, ask: Why would someone share this voluntarily? If the answer is “because there’s 20% off,” go back to the whiteboard.

For insight into consumer psychology around holidays and emotions, the American Psychological Association often publishes research on stress, spending, and social behavior during seasonal periods: https://www.apa.org.

Turning inspiration into your own seasonal campaign concept

Looking at real examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples is great, but the real value is in how you translate them into your own context.

Start with your calendar, not your product.
Lay out:

• Cultural holidays (Christmas, Lunar New Year, Diwali, Ramadan, Pride Month, etc.).
• Local events (sports seasons, festivals, school calendars).
• Category-specific seasons (tax season for financial apps, flu season for health products, back-to-school for edtech).

Then circle the windows where your audience’s mindset changes in your favor.

Decide your seasonal “character.”
Ask: if your brand were a person showing up to this season, who are they?

• The sentimental aunt with the photo albums (John Lewis).
• The outdoorsy friend who hates malls (REI).
• The data nerd with perfect playlists (Spotify).

Your tone, visuals, and offers should all match that seasonal character.

Make one bold choice.
In almost every standout example of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples, there’s one bold, memorable choice:

• Closing on Black Friday.
• Releasing a film-length ad.
• Turning user data into posters.
• Changing the product color or flavor for a month.

If your concept feels like “regular ad, but with snow,” you probably haven’t found the bold choice yet.

Digital trends shaping seasonal campaigns in 2024–2025

Seasonal advertising isn’t just TV spots and window displays anymore. A few trends are shaping the best examples right now:

Short-form video as the primary canvas.
TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts are where seasonal memes, challenges, and product moments live. Many of the best examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples now start as vertical video concepts, then expand into other channels.

AI-assisted personalization.
Brands are using AI to:

• Generate personalized holiday greetings.
• Recommend seasonal bundles based on past behavior.
• Create thousands of ad variations for different micro-segments.

Used well, this makes campaigns feel more relevant without being creepy. Used badly, it feels like spam in a Santa hat.

Sustainability as a seasonal story.
More consumers are wary of overconsumption, especially during holidays. Campaigns that highlight repair, reuse, or responsible gifting are gaining traction. Think of this as the values-driven cousin of REI’s #OptOutside.

Always-on measurement.
Because seasonal windows are short, brands are leaning hard into real-time optimization—shifting budget between creatives and audiences mid-flight based on performance.

For marketers who want to go deeper into media and consumer trends, universities like Harvard often publish research and case studies on marketing and consumer behavior: https://www.hbs.edu.

FAQ: Seasonal advertising campaign examples, answered

Q: What are some easy-to-execute examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples for small businesses?
A: Think small but specific. A bakery can run a “First Snow Day Cookie Box” special announced only when local temperatures drop below a certain point. A gym can offer a “Back-to-School Reset Week” with free classes for parents. A salon might introduce a “Heat Wave Rescue” treatment every time temps cross 90°F. These are simple examples of seasonal advertising that tie directly to real moments.

Q: Can you give an example of a seasonal campaign that doesn’t rely on discounts?
A: REI’s #OptOutside is the poster child. Instead of slashing prices, REI closed stores on Black Friday and invited people outdoors. Another example of this approach is Spotify Wrapped, which doesn’t offer a discount but gives users a free, emotionally satisfying recap of their year.

Q: Do seasonal campaigns always need big budgets like John Lewis or Coca-Cola?
A: Not at all. Many of the best examples come from smaller brands that pick one channel and one strong idea. A local coffee shop that prints limited-run holiday cup sleeves designed by a local artist and promotes them on Instagram is running a seasonal campaign—just on a smaller stage.

Q: How many seasonal campaigns should a brand run per year?
A: It depends on your category and resources, but most brands overdo it. Instead of chasing every holiday, pick two to four moments where your product is genuinely more relevant. Focus on making those your standout examples of creative seasonal advertising campaign examples rather than scattering your energy across the entire calendar.

Q: What metrics should I track to know if my seasonal campaign worked?
A: Beyond standard metrics like revenue and ROAS, look at:

• Lift in branded search during the campaign window.
• Social mentions and user-generated content.
• Email or app re-engagement from lapsed customers.
• New vs. returning customer mix.

The best examples don’t just spike sales; they pull more people into your brand’s orbit and give them a reason to stick around after the season ends.