Under the Christmas Tree

We are on the brink of Christmas. If you’ve been proactive, your house is probably filled with packages hidden in attics and various nooks, waiting to be delivered on the designated days of Christmas. If you haven’t, it’s time for you to venture out and buy what you still need.

No matter who you are, the truth is that during Christmas, you’re going to give gifts. It’s just the way it is, and we all do it. Moreover, during this time, emotions are more heightened, which seems to encourage shopping.

But is there any reason, beyond tradition, why we give more gifts at Christmas?

That’s what a group of neuroscientists in California set out to discover when they studied whether this “typical Christmas emotion” really boosted sales.

To do this, they worked with various groups of volunteers over the course of a year, studying their shopping habits and their “response” to different ads associating the brand with certain emotions during different times of the year using fMRI.

They found that ads that conveyed themes of solidarity, family, or friendship resonated much better with viewers during the holiday season. Subsequently, a test was conducted to study how well these brands were remembered by those viewers. It was observed that while the ads were more effective during this time, brand memorability was similar to other times of the year.

In essence, the emotions typical of Christmas are not what drive sales but rather our tradition and custom of increased consumption during this time

This means that in this more emotional period, it’s easier to emotionally connect with customers, but equally challenging to make them remember you. Therefore, the increase in consumption during these days is due to the tradition of gift-giving, rather than the way advertising impacts consumers.