Have you noticed that every year seasonal events seem to be promoted earlier and earlier? Christmas is an obvious example with marketing starting as early as September, and as soon as Christmas is done it seems that businesses suddenly turn their attention to Easter. So, why exactly is this?
Sell More Products
The most obvious explanation is that it is simply a way for shops and other businesses to sell more products. The longer that items are promoted, the more units will be sold so it does make a lot of sense from a business standpoint. Additionally, it is a way for businesses to capture a large share of early sales which means that they are beating the competition (driving businesses to start marketing earlier and earlier).
A Fine Line
Of course, the problem with this is that it starts earlier and earlier each year which means that soon businesses could be promoting Christmas goods in the summer! This has been called Christmas Creep and this can actually create a strain between consumers and businesses if they are not careful as people may not want to be reminded about Christmas when it is so far off and it can come across as an aggressive marketing technique.
Easter Marketing in January
It is not just Christmas marketing that starts early either. It is now common for Easter chocolate to start advertising in January and many are finding themselves arranging Easter egg delivery earlier and earlier each year. From a business standpoint, it makes a lot of sense and can have a significant impact on sales while building excitement for an event which is still some way off.
The Psychology of Promoting Future Events
From the consumer standpoint, buying Easter chocolate now perhaps suggests that people are not currently in the present and are looking ahead. This is the case with many people right now, especially after a forgettable Christmas where people were not able to spend time with loved ones. Understandably, many people are now turning their attention to Easter and hoping that there will be some kind of normality at this time so buying Easter chocolate now could be helping them to look forward to this.
It is clear why businesses start promoting seasonal products so far in advance, especially in a time like this where people are looking ahead and putting so much stock in future events. It can be an intelligent marketing strategy, but businesses must avoid being overly aggressive with this tactic because it can easily backfire.