Christmas Marketing: Terrible Tips to Ruin Your Email Campaign

Every December, brands panic-write holiday emails hoping to stand out in inboxes packed with the same cheesy promotions. “Limited time!”, “Buy or you don’t love your family!”, “Exclusive deal just for you!” — nobody actually reads that stuff anymore. People are exhausted and scrolling right past it.

Below — a collection of brilliantly awful tips that will make sure your Christmas emails crash and burn. And yes, we’ll also break down what to do instead, so your messages make people spend money with your company, not the one above you in their inbox.

How to Make Sure No One Wants to Read Your Emails

Terrible Tip #1: Start As Early As Possible

If your ultimate goal is to annoy everyone before December even starts, launch your Christmas campaign in September.

Don’t worry that it’s still warm outside and the only “holiday spirit” anyone has is pumpkin spice and football. Send snowflakes, Santa emojis and “last chance before Christmas!” offers while Target is still selling backpacks.

By the time December arrives, people will be so burned out on holiday hype they won’t even see your email — which, according to this strategy, means mission accomplished.

Start preparing on November 13

Questionable Giveaways

Announce a massive contest with a hundred rules and requirements. Make sure participants fill out a ten-page form, submit a passport number, tax ID, and their grandmother’s maiden name. The more data you collect and the lower the chances of winning, the stronger the “intrigue.” Loyalty will skyrocket for sure.

Fake “Gifts”

Give people something absolutely useless. For example, a calendar from last year — let them feel a touch of nostalgia. Or offer a gift card for 50 cents when spending $200 — pure generosity. You can also throw in a branded sugar packet or a fridge magnet — tiny, yet unforgettable. The main goal is that the gift looks great in photos and instantly turns into clutter in real life.

Spam Relentlessly

The more emails, the better — send them every day, or even several times a day. Let inboxes overflow with discounts, promos, and coupons. Don’t waste time writing anything new, just copy yesterday’s email and send it again. The key is to make sure subscribers never have a chance to forget you exist.

Never Lower the Price

Fake Christmas discounts are everything. Raise the price first, then elegantly cross it out and write “70% OFF.” Customers care more about feeling like they’re getting a deal than actually checking the numbers. The more dramatic the “discount” looks, the more persuasive your marketing becomes. Let them believe they grabbed a bargain, even if the price never changed. The real holiday magic lies in illusion.

More Countdown Timers

Endless timers are the perfect way to keep customers on edge. Let your sale end in “3…2…1”… and like magic, the timer resets. Add a bit of panic: “Only 2 left!”, even if there’s a warehouse full. The more urgency and drama you create, the higher the chance someone clicks from fear of missing their “last chance.”

Here, the brand sent a genuinely useful reminder

Keep Creativity to a Minimum

Clichés are a must-have for every Christmas campaign. Use as many as possible: Santa with a gift sack, reindeer in the snow, twinkly lights, sleigh bells, and a cheerful “Time to make some magic!” Don’t forget a couple of rhymes like “Holiday cheer — big discounts here.” The cornier and sweeter it feels, the better.

Two different brands

Don’t Think About Tone

Send the exact same email to everyone: developers, corporate clients, parents, and people who don’t celebrate at all. Make sure to include a heartwarming line like “we all spend the holidays surrounded by family” — perfect for those working late or sitting home alone, really highlights that “togetherness.” Add a little baby-talk while you’re at it: “Well, my sweeties, are we getting ready for some Christmas magic?” Your customers will definitely be touched… or not.

The “Buy It If You Care” Pressure

Remind customers that the holidays only truly begin after they check out. Sprinkle in lines like “prove you care” and “real love means giving gifts.” Make them feel like not purchasing is basically ruining the holiday spirit for everyone.

Now for the Actually Useful Advice

Use Gamification

Create a similar interactive experience — a short quiz, a guessing game, a “find the gift” challenge. Set it up so that after completing it, the user sees their result or receives a promo code. The key is simple rules and clear rewards.

Another great format is an advent calendar — a series of emails or a mini-lottery with a surprise each day. Each message brings something new: a promo code, a useful tip, a fun task, or a mini-game. The campaign becomes a habit: people open emails daily, looking forward to their next gift.

Gamification really does work: it grabs attention and nudges people toward making a purchase. The key is not overdoing it. Too many interactive emails get old fast, so it’s better to send a few well-thought-out editions rather than daily challenges.

Share Something Useful

Help people get ready for the holiday and offer practical solutions — and they’ll be more inclined to buy from you.

Don’t forget creative tips and how-tos. Almost any business can share a seasonal life hack: a coffee shop — a recipe for ginger latte, a home decor store — a quick guide on decorating the house. The important part is connecting it to what your brand actually does.

And finally, a personalized year-in-review for each customer — memorable and meaningful. Banks or retailers often share statistics: how much a customer spent or saved, what milestones they reached. Instead of a generic “thanks for being with us,” show them the journey they had with your brand this year.

Charity and Social Impact

People value brands that address real issues, not just decorate storefronts. One option is a “one order = one good deed” campaign: for every purchase, the company donates an item to a charity. Be sure to share updates on how the initiative is going and who has already received help — this builds trust and a sense of real involvement.

What isn’t a good idea is asking customers to donate their own money or loyalty points while the brand takes the credit — it can look like you’re being generous with someone else’s wallet. It’s better to show that you’re contributing first, not shifting responsibility to the audience. If you do ask customers to donate to a cause, reward them with symbolic gifts, discounts, or bonus points.

Charity in marketing contributes not only to reputation but also to genuine interest in the brand. When a company does something truly meaningful, people talk about it — and they remember that brand more easily.

Use a Multichannel Approach

Don’t rely on just one marketing channel. Send holiday emails with greetings and a small gift offer or helpful content. Use push notifications to remind customers about deadlines — when they need to place an order to receive delivery on time. For the audience that prefers messaging apps, a personal holiday note with a special offer works well — for example, a store’s chatbot that sends a coupon.

Don’t stick to a single channel, but don’t overwhelm people by repeating the same message everywhere either. Identify where your audience responds best and shape your communication accordingly. Holiday marketing requires a clear plan: goals, budget, selected channels, and thoughtful ideas. With the right strategy, a campaign — whether via email, messaging, or push notifications — feels less like advertising and more like part of the holiday spirit.

Conclusion

Standing out among countless holiday emails and promotions is difficult — but absolutely possible. Instead of the blunt “buy it if you love,” focus on what’s valuable for the customer: comfort, entertainment, or emotion.

Remember that the holidays are associated with warmth and a sense of wonder, not with aggressive banners. Offer meaningful content (checklists, recipes, personalized recaps), invite people to play (quests, advent calendars, contests), and do good (charity campaigns).

By combining different marketing channels and thoughtful approaches, you can build a holiday campaign that doesn’t annoy people but feels like a pleasant surprise. And then the holiday spirit arrives not only for your customers but for your business as well — with natural sales growth and new brand loyalists.