Dasher, Dancer, Prancer and Vixen are back for another year…and to join, a whole sack of innovative tech gifts, excessive grocery shops and increasing online purchases.
Bring on the Barrage of Films
Personally, there is definitely no ‘Grinch’ behaviour tolerated, and I say all hail “The National Lampoons Vacation”. Netflix on the other hand, have precariously toyed with their ‘binge-watching’ data by playing on the emotions of those who have excessively streamed the same Christmas film, over and over again. And although raising queries of privacy, surveillance and ‘shaming’, it’s hard to neglect the tongue-and-cheek approach applied by the media giant – because who isn’t an addict of overindulging and inappropriate jokes at this time of year?
Nonetheless, taking data-driven insights to create entertaining content is always risky, and opens up the business for public scrutiny. Perhaps, the posts would have played out differently if they weren’t anonymised, but full transparency in this instance would have caused some defamatory judgements with legal battles to suit.
Hallelujah – it’s a transparency miracle!
This honesty and exposure is posing quite the opposite for the advertising industry, with ‘transparency’ hailed as the new ‘buzzword’ for the month of December. Instigating many advertising awards, agencies and clients to question the credibility of claims and the aptitude to justify what it truly means to deliver real-results.
If Mad Men’s ‘Don Draper’ is anything to go by, the industry is humming from sweet fabrication and bolstered lies. And we’ve sourced the perfect gift for those who have been arbitrarily naughty and dishonest.
The transparent gift of Coal.
Purchased online, it’s the perfect present for the millennial or the secret Santa that ‘has everything’. With its minimalist aesthetic, shique darkness and philanthropic feeling of warmth - it’s hard not be enticed. Especially as the company donates 10 pounds of fossil fuel to a country in need with every subscription.
Santa Buys Online Too
But this is not the only interesting gift that is competing for attention on the web, with e-commerce retailers adorning a bunch of additional services to separate them from the competition. For example, our much beloved Etsy, is fending off newest rival ‘Amazon Handmade’, with the inclusion of a gift finder service, gift-wrapping option, and free shipping on selected products.
But are we really surpassing those sardine packed shopping centres and getting the best bang for our buck by shopping online?
Forbes (2017), has warned customers to beware of shopping bots this Christmas, as they can automatically fill out personal details such as size, shipping and payment information – snagging up the best pressies in a fraction of a second and often re-selling at a ridiculously higher price.
Although unfair in terms of access and availability, there is still a demand for these high-ticketed items and adopting ‘bots’ as a path to purchase mechanism. And if you thought you were a serious shopper, individuals are even creating software script and utilising stock-monitoring sites to scan the web for popular products.
Crypto Christmas
With all the rage circulating around cryptocurrencies, it would be hard not to stumble upon giving the gift of bitcoin this Christmas. The most volatile and flexible surprise of all, which I find incredibly exciting for three reasons:
- The receiver can trade the gift and I would gracefully, not be offended
- The receiver can monitor it and feel the energy of watching it grow or depreciate
- You don’t have to spend $20,000+, with the ability to purchase in small or large segments
All in all, it’s the hectic rush, overeating with our friends and family, and watching the surprise on their faces as they gleefully unwrap those expensive gifts.
A very MERRY CHRISTMAS from the team here at AFFINITY.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a spectacular New Year!
