Alisha Dunsford says seasonal aesthetics can support sophistication.

With Easter behind us, Christmas is just around the corner (yep, I went there) and in between there’s a number of other seasonal events, each bringing an opportunity for brands to reinvigorate their loyal customers, attract the interest of new ones, and noticeably increase their brand positioning and, importantly, drive sales.

With consumer mindset altered from the norm during these periods, if you’re in the FMCG industry your packaging and activation strategy can be reshaped to speak to what your customer seeks to mark the occasion. But for brands whose strategies don’t visually support eggs for Easter and candy canes for Christmas, the challenge remains: how can you tap into these heightened buying periods in a sophisticated way?

To get you started, here are three seasonal themes befitting of the discerning brand.

1. Nostalgia

With an aesthetic that is characterised by warm, muted colours, serif fonts, two-toned images and relatable, reflective language. You can visually represent positive memories of history, family, friends and the act of sharing during festive times – all key facets of the consumer mindset during major holiday periods.

Can you highlight your own brand story on your packaging and really hit home on your humble beginnings? Can you demonstrate through your activations how your product can be shared amongst loved ones?

By touching on these emotive messages, you create a powerful connection between your brand and consumers values during festive periods – without a bearded Santa needing to be in sight.

2. Luxury and limited edition

Seasonal times throughout the year are often paired with holidays and with these come a sense of reward and relaxation. Worked hard all year? You and your customer likewise deserve to be spoiled. Create strong visual messages through your product campaigns with rich, deep colours, minimal graphics and type, gold foiled finishes and impressive, expansive brand language to validate the customer’s vision of success.

Have the capacity to change your packaging substrate? Look to materials that are unusual in your category and have a bespoke presence to create high-end shelf presence.

And what if your product isn’t typically able to be aligned with a luxury status? Tap into this theme with a ‘limited edition’ angle instead. Even everyday commodity products such as milk and bread can be given an edge during seasonal periods by appearing in refreshed packaging presented with a limited edition look and feel. 

3. Energy and affirmation

Seasonal periods are also a time when people reflect on their own lives and make plans to create a better version of themselves – perhaps your product can be aligned with helping them to do just that? Tap into this consumer mindset with bright colours, vibrant and energetic patterns, aspirational photography (#lifegoals) and affirming and inspirational brand language through your packaging and promotional campaigns.

And don’t forget to continue to highlight the virtues of your product so that consumers can immediately validate the benefit it will provide to them, ensuring that even in a cluttered and competitive visual environment you can tick their aspirational boxes.

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And what’s the key to making all of this work? Planning and preparation. Capitalising on the heightened buying periods of seasonal events requires you to be thoroughly organised with product concepts and packaging, ready for buyers to review months in advance, and a good activation strategy to support the launch and product’s shelf life. So although you may have missed Easter, for your brand, Christmas is actually already on your doorstep!

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Alisha Dunsford is creative director at brand and packaging design agency, Studio Marché.

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