Doodle Inspirations – November 6
As our news cycles shifted from the election to holiday-related events, here are a few things that caught our attention this week:
Colonel Sanders shed his traditional beard in France this past week in support of the “Movember” movement in the region. Appearing on packaging and store fronts in Paris, additional activations could be found on social channels featuring a clean-shaven face. We love the brand’s adoption and participation in raising men’s health awareness. We think the Colonel is looking pretty good.
A staple of the holiday season – and lifeline for fretting turkey cookers everywhere – has officially opened for its 39th season. Butterball’s turkey hotline is officially open and ready to help turkey-cookers that find themselves in a pinch. While service options have expanded over the years to include text, chat, email, social media and Alexa, the hotline expects more phone calls this year as first-time cooks take on the holiday bird at home (vs traveling to their traditional family gatherings due to COVID concerns) as well as because the COVID-isolation of the holidays will most likely drive panicked cookers for a personal, humanized touch. Some of the stats from this article are really intriguing and provide some great information regarding direct-to-consumer experiences and how they are thriving.
Black Friday is going to look very different this year. While COVID has sped the need to change/adapt, it was only the latest factor in the need to change as other holiday shopping has shifted in recent years to include events like Cyber Monday and more online shopping than historically recorded. Retailers such as Walmart, Target, Lowe’s and the Gap have already started publicizing longer-lasting deals that remove the Black Friday only urgency/appeal. We’re interested to watch what other retailers shift their practices based on changing consumer behaviors and new shopping patterns.
Cue the holiday music – Amazon has released their 2020 ad that hits close to home. Featuring a young ballerina who was going to star in her school’s holiday show, the event is impacted by COVID resulting in cancellation. Her younger sister saves the day helping rally her neighbors in her apartment complex in order to help the show go on. With its recent debut in the US on Sunday Night Football, we can’t imagine there being someone watching who will not be able to relate to this on some level. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
While visiting Santa at your local mall/retailer has been a holiday staple for many families, not surprisingly, this year it’s going to look a little different. CNBC provided a great breakdown of some of the innovative ways to make this holiday tradition happen. From bubbles to plexiglass, to virtual meetings and even changing from Santa to the Grinch, we’re wondering if these efforts will be enough to offset the continued decline of holiday in-store shopping that will be harder hit because of COVID.