Vancouver Christmas Market
The Client
Since 2010, Vancouver’s largest outdoor holiday market has delighted locals and guests with authentic German-inspired festivities. The annual 4-week event fills Jack Poole Plaza (downtown Vancouver) with colourful décor, artisan gifts, food and drink, and live daily entertainment.
The Challenge
How does Vancouver’s original Christmas Market stand out among increasing holiday event competition, enticing both repeat and new visitors?
Vancouver’s holiday event landscape is not what it once was — it’s much, much bigger. With over ten direct competitor markets in the Lower Mainland (think Noel, Glow, PNE Winter Fair, the Shipyards Christmas Market) and dozens more festive pop-ups, the Vancouver Christmas Market was up against it like never before. Plus, an ill-timed bomb cyclone and 28% increase in rainy days over the six-week event run (it was Raincouv-ier than usual!) didn’t help.
But with St. Nick on our side, we were up for the challenge. Through an intentional and cohesive multi-channel marketing strategy, leveraging print, radio, television, OOH, and digital channels, the Vancouver Christmas Market achieved exciting growth across several metrics.
The Objectives
1
Expand the pool of Market visitors to sell more tickets.
Extending ad reach into untapped demographics, welcoming back loyal patrons while creating new fans.
2
Communicate new initiatives and unique Market differentiators.
Utilizing multiple channels to effectively spread the word about new vendors, partnerships, activities, and the Market’s authentic German flare.
3
Grow our social media engagement with daily video content.
Meeting our audience where they’re at (Instagram) with creative content and authentic video reels from Market start to finish.
OUR APPROACH
Creative Branding |
Drawing on iconic festive expressions, we gave the Market a creative makeover full of “Comfort & Joy” and “Sugar & Spice” that was “Merry & Bright, Day & Night”. Additional micro-campaigns, like “For Them / For You” layered witty messaging over eye-catching designs featuring photos of real Market offerings like Glühwein and grilled bratwurst.
Media Buy |
Our strategy balanced out-of-home advertising (OOH), traditional ads and digital marketing, for an even spread of cheer. We had an exclusive Television Partnership on Global BC News, where VCM was a main prize provider for the annual Season of Giving Contest, which received 387,629 entries & 5,130,200 co-branded impressions. We ran Pattison Billboards achieving 7,800,109 OOO impressions, Lamar bus ads achieving 3,645,000 impressions, and festive radio ads on Move 103.5, Z95.3, 104.3 The Breeze, and 94.5 Virgin Radio. Ad buys with 604Now, Daily Hive & Dished Vancouver, Curiocity, Stir Vancouver, and Vancouver’s Best Places, Family Media, Vancouver Sun & Province and more! lit up the internet with event listings, festive stories, contests, and sharable content.
Social Media |
Building off the Market’s sturdy online presence, we rolled in more engaging Reels, relatable UGC, fawn-worthy influencer collabs, and holly jolly brand partnerships. Through creative curation and phased posting, we achieved considerable growth in followers and impressions.
Partnerships & Sponsorships |
Our partnerships and sponsorships team starts celebrating Christmas as early as February! Earlier in the year, we started reaching out to potential partners who could add an extra touch of magic to the Market. From Air Canada to the Grey Cup Festival and Chevrolet to Chevron, we collaborated with stellar brands to take the Vancouver Christmas Market to the next level.
PR |
Kipling’s PR team worked tirelessly from June until season’s end, securing 397 media mentions from 225 publications, including international platforms like US News, People, & World Report, and local notable outlets such as Elle Canada, Montecristo, CBC, Vancouver Sun/The Province, CTV, and Georgia Straight. We also hosted a revamped Media Day, welcoming over 200 media and influencers to an authentic German Market experience.
Newsletters |
We delivered 22 newsletters to a whopping 235,000+ subscribers. Regularly achieving 66,000+ opens, these colourfully-wrapped gifts to your inbox revealed the new spread of ticket options, emphasized special events, boosted promotions, and noted partners and sponsors.
30,000
Increase in tickets sold
732 million
Media Hits in 2024
104% growth
IN @vanchristmas INstagram Followers
“The Vancouver Christmas Market is a must-visit during the holiday season! A charming mix of festive lights, delicious German-inspired food, and unique artisan shops. The atmosphere is magical...”