Single’s Day: The E-Commerce Powerhouse Holiday You’ve Never Heard Of
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Single’s Day: The E-Commerce Powerhouse Holiday You’ve Never Heard Of

February 18, 2016

Matt Paladino

With Valentine’s Day marketing efforts officially at a close, it’s time for marketers to turn attention to the new love-related holiday just around the corner. Follow these guidelines when planning for Single’s Day 2016 to ensure that you resonate with those who celebrate.

When it comes to holiday marketing campaigns, Valentine’s Day is arguably the easiest to master. The very essence of the day encourages consumers to buy as an expression of affection: activities, dinners, gifts, and (of course) lots and lots of sweets. But while February 14 might be easy for marketers to navigate, a new commerce-centric holiday is quickly permeating the global consciousness. Once an obscure Chinese celebration of bachelorhood, Singles’ Day (November 11th) has grown to be the largest online sales day globally, generating a whopping $14.3 Billion in China alone in 2015 (more than Cyber Monday and Black Friday combined). This amount is made all the more impressive when you consider that sales are up an astounding 60% just from 2014.

If trends are any indication, it’s only a matter of time before Singles’ Day invades the US. Marketers need to be ready with effective messaging in order to benefit from this new anti-holiday, which encourages major self-gifting and indulgence from singles of all ages. With Valentine’s Day marketing efforts officially at a close, it’s time for marketers to turn attention to the new love-related holiday just around the corner.

Follow these guidelines when planning for Single’s Day 2016 to ensure that you resonate with those who celebrate:

STAY TRUE TO YOUR CORE.

While traditional Valentine’s Day communications targets consumers with a “couples” mindset, Singles’ Day messaging must speak to a whole new portion of the population that might not relate to the sentiments of romance. Crafting messaging that speaks to multiple, diverse audiences with consistency can be challenging, but when executed correctly it can effectively generate new press and brand awareness.

It’s entirely possible to speak to these competing sentiments simultaneously, so long as both marketing campaigns tie back to the same brand truth. Remember: speak in the language of your brand at all times. Craft campaigns so that the holiday fits with your brand’s core message instead of the other way around, to avoid coming off as opportunistic.

LEARN FROM MILLENNIALS.

Single’s Day attracts a younger crowd in comparison to Valentine’s Day, which is widely celebrated by people of all ages. In order for your brand message to successfully resonate, it’s critical that you fully understand the Millennial consumer. Multiple studies show that younger generations prioritize personal wellbeing and happiness, and purchasing things for oneself is a natural extension of that belief. At the same time, this is a generation that is incredibly savvy about advertising. They want compelling content and interesting information, not gimmicks and blatant attention grabs. Craft your messaging with this generation in mind to make sure that your brand resonates for the right reasons.

REFRESH YOUR MESSAGING.

Rather than sticking on to the core messages and narratives that have been used – often many times over – for holiday campaigns, use this new audience to breathe life and perspective into your marketing efforts. Consider the competing and/or aligning needs between those who are single vs. those a relationship. What’s of primary importance to each group? Exploring the tensions between singles and couples can help to uncover new stories and information, generating fresh and impactful storylines. Crafting messaging with this level of comprehensive knowledge will help your brand reach Single’s Day celebrators on a much more authentic level.

Remember: speak in the language of your brand at all times.

As Marketers, Communication Execs and PR agencies look to resonate with more consumers, it’s imperative to address the needs of people who go against the grain and recognize ‘anti’ holidays like Single’s Day. By intentionally crafting messaging for those who do not conform to traditional holidays (the single folks on Valentine’s Day, those who host Friends-giving rather than Thanksgiving, or the costume-less on Halloween), you create more opportunities to connect with more people in a way that is personalized to their beliefs and behaviors. Crafting messaging that speaks to multiple, diverse audiences can be challenging, but when executed correctly it can effectively generate substantial new press and awareness of your brand.

Matt Paladino

Partner, Insights & Strategy

As Partner, Insights & Strategy, Matt leads quantitative and mixed method engagements to uncover solutions for Kelton's largest client and agency partners. Matt's diverse experience spans from...

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