Make This Holiday Season Count with Strategic Brand Partnerships

Unwrap Big Wins

Why the Holidays Are Prime Time for Brand Partnerships  

This year has flown by, and after wrapping our Halloween activation with Govee, it’s time to shift gears—what are your Christmas marketing plans? The holiday season is a dream for brand marketers, with consumer spending at its peak, media consumption soaring, and audiences actively seeking festive experiences and gifts. Whether it's cozy nights with holiday movies, browsing Instagram gift guides, or participating in PR stunts, the season provides endless opportunities to connect with consumers emotionally through joy, nostalgia, and generosity.

From product placements in holiday classics like Elf and A Christmas Story to influencer campaigns that spark social buzz, brands can harness this heightened engagement to boost visibility and drive sales. But to truly stand out, it takes a strategic blend of pop culture partnerships, influencer activations, and smart marketing efforts. This guide is packed with expert strategies and actionable ideas to help make your brand the highlight of the season—whether you're catching up with this year or laying the groundwork for next.

Photo Credit: The US Sun

Celebrity Partnerships: Make Your Brand the Star of the Holidays  

The holidays are a prime time for celebrities to shine - and for your brand to ride that wave of star power. Whether it’s a festive product line or a high-profile holiday event, celebs know how to captivate their audience during the most wonderful time of the year. Imagine your brand being part of that magic.

What You Can Do:

• Collaborate on a Holiday-Themed Product: Just like Mariah Carey’s 12 Days of Deals with McDonald’s, team up with a celebrity to create a limited-edition holiday product. These seasonal collaborations generate buzz and give consumers something to look forward to.
• Sponsor a Star-Studded Holiday Event: Think about iconic holiday events like the Kardashian family’s Christmas parties or charity galas where celebs gather to give back. Aligning your brand with these high-visibility moments gets you directly in front of millions.

How Hollywood Branded Helps:

• Celebrity Endorsements: We’ll match your brand with the perfect celebrity partner to elevate your holiday campaign and ensure it resonates with your target audience.
• Event Sponsorships: Our team knows how to place your brand front and center at the hottest holiday events, so your product is the talk of the party.

Product Placement: Embed Your Brand in Christmas Pop Culture  

Holiday films and TV specials have a unique staying power - they’re watched year after year by families who turn them into traditions. Placing your product in these beloved stories can give you that rare opportunity for ongoing exposure, long after the credits roll.

What You Can Do:

• Get Your Product Into Christmas Movies: Whether it’s a subtle cameo in a heartwarming Christmas movie or a fun feature in a holiday sitcom, your brand becomes part of the seasonal experience. Think of the iconic Red Ryder BB Gun in A Christmas Story or the Pop-Tarts appearance I worked on so many years ago in Elf.
• Leverage Streaming Platforms: With platforms like Netflix releasing hit holiday films like The Princess Switch and A Christmas Prince, your product can gain exposure to a massive, global audience on-demand. We're building out partnerships in other holiday movies for 2025 and even 2026 right now - there is no time like now to build a partnership that can be amplified throughout next holiday season in some really big ways.

How Hollywood Branded Helps:

• Product Placement in Movies and TV: Our team secures strategic placements in holiday films and specials, ensuring your brand is seamlessly integrated into scenes that viewers will watch over and over again.
• Virtual Product Placement: If you’re working with a tight timeline, we can even digitally insert your product into pre-existing content, keeping your brand fresh in the minds of holiday viewers. There are still options even now for THIS holiday season thanks to virtual product placement.

Influencer Marketing: Spread Holiday Cheer Across Social Media  

The holidays are a content goldmine for influencers. From festive home decor tutorials to gift unboxing and seasonal recipes, influencers provide the authenticity and reach that brands need to make an impact on social media.

What You Can Do:

• Create Holiday Gift Guides: Collaborate with influencers to feature your product in curated holiday gift guides. Beauty, tech, and home decor brands have seen success by partnering with influencers to highlight must-have gifts for the season.
• Launch a Festive Challenge: Engage with influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to create fun, seasonal challenges. Brands like Starbucks have nailed this with their annual red cup reveal campaigns that go viral every year.

How Hollywood Branded Helps:

• Influencer Seeding: We’ll connect your brand with influencers who are a perfect fit for your audience, helping you craft influencer kits that look amazing on-camera and drive engagement.
• Holiday Social Campaigns: From creating branded Instagram challenges to influencer-led content series, we can make your product a social media sensation this season.

Photo Credit: Placewise

PR Magic: Get Your Brand into Holiday Headlines  

Nothing captures media attention like a feel-good holiday campaign. Whether it’s a heartwarming PR stunt or a limited-edition product, the holidays are the perfect time to make headlines. The key is to create a moment that resonates with the seasonal sentiment of joy, kindness, and celebration.

What You Can Do:

• Launch a Holiday PR Stunt: Think along the lines of WestJet’s viral Christmas Miracle campaign, where they surprised passengers with their dream gifts. A well-executed PR stunt can generate millions of media impressions and get people talking about your brand for all the right reasons.
• Release a Festive Product: The holiday season is the ideal time to drop a special-edition product or collaboration. Take Starbucks’ seasonal drinks and cups as a blueprint - they create a whole narrative around the holiday season that fans eagerly anticipate each year.

How Hollywood Branded Helps:

• PR Campaigns: Our expert team will craft a PR strategy that ensures your holiday campaign gets picked up by top media outlets, generating buzz at the most critical time.
• Event Planning & Execution: Whether it’s a star-studded holiday gala or an influencer-driven press event, we plan, manage, and execute unforgettable experiences that get your brand the media attention it deserves.

Event Sponsorships: Position Your Brand at Iconic Holiday Events  

From tree lightings to televised holiday concerts, the festive season is filled with high-profile events that offer brands the opportunity to take center stage. Being a part of these key moments ensures your brand is seen, shared, and remembered.

What You Can Do:

• Sponsor Major Holiday Events: Think of Coca-Cola’s legendary Christmas Caravan or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. By sponsoring iconic events like these, your brand can be in front of millions of festive and engaged viewers.
• Create Interactive Holiday Activations: Launch an immersive, branded experience that engages consumers directly. Whether it's a holiday pop-up shop or a branded photo opportunity at a winter festival, interactive experiences create lasting brand impressions.

How Hollywood Branded Helps:

• Event Sponsorships: We’ll get your brand placed in the most sought-after holiday events, connecting you with influencers, celebrities, and your target audience.
• Custom Activations: We design and execute one-of-a-kind holiday activations that ensure your brand becomes part of the seasonal celebration in a memorable, shareable way.

Photo Credit: Coca-Cola

Experiential Marketing: Create Memorable Holiday Experiences   

The holidays are all about creating moments that bring people together, and there’s no better way to engage consumers than through immersive, in-person or virtual brand experiences. Holiday markets, pop-up shops, and interactive displays allow consumers to interact with your brand on a personal level.

What You Can Do:

• Host a Branded Pop-Up Shop: Imagine creating a holiday-themed pop-up like Tiffany & Co.’s Blue Box Cafe or Target’s Bullseye’s Holiday pop-up experience. Consumers love exploring limited-time retail experiences that are immersive and Instagrammable.
• Create an Immersive Virtual Holiday Experience: With the rise of VR and AR, brands can create a holiday-themed virtual world where consumers can experience your product from home. Consider how LEGO partnered with Snapchat to launch a virtual fashion store that was fully shoppable within the app.

How Hollywood Branded Helps:

• Experiential Activations: We specialize in creating one-of-a-kind holiday experiences that draw in crowds and create a memorable connection to your brand. From pop-up shops to virtual reality activations, we’ll handle all the planning, project management and logistics to bring your holiday vision to life.
• Interactive Displays: Whether it’s an interactive or digital experience, we help build creative experiences that capture attention and drive engagement.

Collaborations & Co-Branding: Maximize Reach by Teaming Up  

Collaborating with another brand during the holidays can open up new audiences, create buzz, and add relevance to your campaign. The key is to partner with a brand that shares your values and appeals to the same audience.

What You Can Do:

• Partner with Complementary Brands: Consider how brands like Oreo and Dunkin’ have partnered on limited-edition holiday treats. Finding a brand whose product complements yours can create a win-win scenario, expanding your reach while giving consumers something unique and unexpected.
• Co-Create a Holiday-Themed Product: Think of how popular holiday-themed collabs like Starbucks x Spotify’s seasonal playlist cards or Disney’s branded holiday merchandise work. Pair up with another brand to create a co-branded, limited-time product that becomes a coveted item during the holidays.

How Hollywood Branded Helps:

• Strategic Partnerships: We’ll help you identify the perfect co-branding partners for the holidays and structure mutually beneficial collaborations that extend your reach and boost both brands’ visibility.
• Custom Co-Branded Campaigns: From ideation to execution, we design and execute co-branded campaigns that will create buzz, drive consumer engagement, and elevate both brands.

Make This Holiday Season Count

The holiday season is an unparalleled opportunity for your brand to shine, but a creative, well-executed strategy is key with so much competition for consumer attention. Whether it’s a celebrity collaboration, a memorable PR stunt, or a perfectly timed influencer campaign, there are endless ways to make your brand a household name this season.

Our team at Hollywood Branded is here to help! We’ll ensure your campaign runs seamlessly and strategically, so you can enjoy a holiday season packed with buzz, sales, and long-lasting consumer relationships.

Eager To Learn More?

If you're interested in diving deeper into how pop culture and product placement can elevate holiday campaigns, check out these additional articles from Hollywood Branded.

• Holiday Marketing Magic: How Pop Culture Transforms Holiday Marketing​
• The Power Of Holiday Movies For Brand Marketers​
• The Top 7 Holiday Product Placements​
• Leverage Classic Christmas Films In Ad Campaigns​
• How Brands Partner With Pop Culture To Create Licensed Products​

Want to stay in the know with all things pop culture? Look no further than our Hot in Hollywood newsletter! Each week, we compile a list of the most talked-about moments in the entertainment industry, all for you to enjoy!