Too early to start thinking Santa and shopping? Think Again.

We're just stepping out of summer into the first chills of winter, with recent memories of Easter Egg hunts and the spicy wafts of hot-cross buns - so why rush over the remaining months of 2009 and wish ourselves into the Festive Season? For the consumer retail market and business to business companies the Christmas period holds the busiest and most successful months in the economic year. However, the recipe to achieving that success is mixed together well before spring turns to summer again.

Successful Christmas and year-end marketing campaigns are launched from mid-August onwards with subtle promptings for consumers and clients to start thinking about giving again. However, to deliver marketing strategies in August, it is reasonable to allow for a good three months of planning and preparation - which brings us to May.

Year-end and Christmas marketing campaigns may range from a soft approach with slight changes to packaging materials and retail space decoration for a bit of festive season spirit to a concentrated target on consumers using retail space, packaging and in-store advertising that motivate purchases with the desire to fulfil created needs. The approach will depend on your product and marketing strategy.

Another angle is to focus on encouraging consumers to remain loyal to your brand or alternatively, choose your brand over another by using discounts, rewards and incentives. This approach would see customers being rewarded for spending a certain amount of money on your brand; repeatedly purchasing your brand; or choosing to purchase a specific product on offer. Rewards may be allocated on a point system with definite prizes; on the basis of a lucky draw; and with the promise of additional products as giveaways or extra spending money in your retail space.

Rewarding consumers, however, has become a difficult task as the retail caters increasingly for niche markets. How do you guarantee that your consumers will be interested and satisfied with the rewards that you have placed on offer? How do you ensure that your marketing strategy is successful in fulfilling the needs of the consumer?

In the current economic climate, consumers are more prudent than usual in their decision-making processes. They want to know and realise the benefits of their purchases. Furthermore, where certain consumers seek to satisfy their desire for small luxuries, there are large numbers that have real needs to fulfil. The most sophisticated, and by far the simplest, means to answer the needs of each consumer directly is through a gift card.

The Compliments MasterCard Gift Card is the perfect prepaid gifting solution for consumers, and can be co-branded with your brand for additional brand awareness and advertising.

Ensure that your year-end marketing campaign is on form for mid-August - contact Accor Services for advice and options on marketing campaigns and Gift Card solutions.