The Client
Launched in 2024, the Winnipeg Christmas Market became a staple in the local community and a new holiday tradition for attendees of all ages.
The Challenge
How do we turn a humble craft sale into Winnipeg’s next holiday wonderland, with lines out the door?
If you build it, they will come. That is if they know it exists… While craft fairs abound in Winnipeg, our client saw a big lack in Christmas markets. We were tasked with giving the local market scene a festive glow-up and making sure the city knew all about their newest holiday tradition.
We worked with our client on their small, beloved artisan show and expanded it into the Winnipeg Christmas Market: a holiday experience for the whole family equipped with festive workshops, photos with St. Nick, light installations, a live music stage, food vendors, a yuletide cocktail bar, and more! In its inaugural year, the new market got picked up from local channels, media partners, and national platforms like CTV news. But the biggest win? Getting local Winnipegers in the doors!
The Objectives
1
Help brand and build a new holiday market.
Establishing the Winnipeg Christmas Market brand, partnerships and activations, offering a different experience than competitor markets in the area.
2
Normalize a paid ticket model for longtime fans.
Promoting the event as an indoor holiday wonderland, equipped with tons of yuletide activities included in the ticket price. It’s not just a craft sale, it’s a full festive day out.
3
Grow engagement with new audiences.
Engaging local influencers, launching social accounts, and geo-targeting ad campaigns to create demand in young shoppers, while bringing the traditional base back.
OUR APPROACH
Branding & Website |
Our creative team settled on a name… then built a brand from scratch. We went with a friendly Christmassy font, a winter fresh colour palette, and custom icons for a uniquely Winnipeg feel. We wove the branding and a festive, fun brand voice in through our custom-coded website, bringing new-age whimsy into a nostalgic holiday framework.
Creative Marketing |
We went hard out of the holiday gates, running digital performance campaigns two months in advance, and working with radio (Bell Media & Rogers), billboards (Pattiso Outdoor) and the Winnipeg Free Press to make sure the message was LOUD and CLEAR. We wanted this inaugural event to become a new tradition for Winnipegers, so we partnered with local staples like the Manitoba Hydro Santa Parade to help get the word out.
Social Media |
New brand, new socials. We launched our Instagram feed at the start of the season, and amassed over 2,000 followers by market end. Influencer collaboration, lively graphics, artisan spotlights, and free activity promotions caught the attention of locals in our desired demographics.
Event Planning |
We’ve worked on a Christmas event or two. We were perfectly positioned to help conceptualize and plan this event’s expansion from a small-time craft hub into an all-ages holiday adventure. Upgraded decor, festive workshops and fun promotional signage positioned the market as a unique place to sip, savour, and stroll the festive grounds.
Newsletters |
Sips & bites, kids’ entertainment, festive displays, photo ops with St. Nick, live music, free workshops and more graced the scroll of 7 colourful newsletters. Blasted out to 33,000+ local folks, receiving 40% (average open rate.)
The Results
2.2 million
media impressions
83,000
New Website Users
44.6%
Highest open rate on newsletters (Industry standards? around 20-25%!)
Our newsletters went out to 33,000+ recipients, with open rates consistently above 40% and click-through rates as high as 7.8% (against a 2.5% industry average!)
