Thanksgiving: The Middle Child of Q4
Thanksgiving is like that cousin who shows up uninvited but brings nothing to the party. You’ve got Halloween throwing a costume bash and Christmas rolling in with a sleigh full of gifts, while Thanksgiving is left awkwardly standing in the corner, clutching a turkey leg. One minute, stores are stocked with pumpkins, and the next, it’s all ornaments and tinsel. Mariah Carey defrosts on November 1, and marketers skip straight from spooky season to Santa season, leaving Thanksgiving in the dust. It’s a tough gig for the holiday that’s supposed to be all about gratitude.
Why Thanksgiving Lost Its Spot
So, what happened? Here’s the rundown on why Thanksgiving got shoved aside:
- Low Merch: Halloween and Christmas come with costumes, décor, gifts, and wrapping paper. Thanksgiving? Just turkey.
- Short Shelf Life: It’s a one-day event versus Christmas’s six-week takeover.
- Black Friday Cannibalization: Retailers turned Thanksgiving into Black Friday Eve, making it all about sales.
- Media Timing: Q4 ad budgets heavily favor holiday campaigns, leaving Thanksgiving in the cold.
- Cultural Shift: Friendsgiving is where the energy is, leaving traditional Thanksgiving in the rearview.
Walmart, Target, and Amazon jumped the gun with “Early Black Friday” promotions starting November 1. Starbucks pushes holiday cups before you’ve even had your last pumpkin spice. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is pretty much the only major Thanksgiving marketing moment left standing.
How Brands Accidentally Made It Worse
Marketers didn’t help the situation either. Here’s how they’ve pushed Thanksgiving further down the priority list:
- Retailers skipped Thanksgiving for the sake of revenue.
- TikTok culture favors Halloween aesthetics and Christmas nostalgia.
- Influencer content calendars jump straight from skeletons to Santa coziness.
- Streaming ads focus on Christmas movies, leaving Thanksgiving specials in the dust.
It’s a recipe for disaster – pun intended. Thanksgiving is becoming the forgotten holiday, and marketers are the ones wielding the knife.
The Thanksgiving “Rebrand” That’s Happening Now
But hold on – Thanksgiving isn’t dead yet. It’s quietly evolving, and here’s how brands are starting to give it a new lease on life:
- Friendsgiving Campaigns: Target, Whole Foods, and Pinterest are all in on the Friendsgiving trend.
- Kitchen Chaos UGC: User-generated content featuring real cooking disasters is going viral.
- Meal Kit Brands: They’re turning Thanksgiving into a conversation about convenience.
- NFL Takeover: Thanksgiving Day football is a major event, and advertisers are following suit.
- Brands Leaning into Humor: Forget tradition; it’s all about being real and relatable now.
Thanksgiving isn’t just hanging on; it’s finding new lanes and fresh angles.
The Future of Thanksgiving Marketing
Let’s get imaginative for a moment. Here are some playful predictions for the future of Thanksgiving marketing:
- AI-Personalized Recipe Ads: Imagine ads tailored to your cooking skills – or lack thereof.
- On-Demand “I Burned the Turkey” Kits: Emergency meal kits for those kitchen mishaps.
- Mid-Season Vibes: Brands creating a bridge between Halloween’s dark aesthetics and Christmas’s sparkle.
- Thanksgiving as a Content Holiday: Focus more on sharing stories than shopping.
- New AR Traditions: “Scan your table. Get recipes.” How’s that for tech-savvy?
These ideas aren’t just wishful thinking; they’re grounded in where the market is heading.
Thanksgiving may be the middle child of Q4, but middle children always learn how to get attention. It’s about time marketers stop skipping the stuffing and start giving this holiday the spotlight it deserves. Thanksgiving isn’t forgotten. It’s just waiting its turn between a witch and a man in a red suit.