Earlier this week, I wanted to log some steps but when it’s triple digits (hello, summer in the desert), heading outside into the open-air sauna isn’t really appealing. So, instead, I went to the apartment complex’s gym (there are actual days when I don’t leave my building in the summer!).
Walking outside provides mountain views, fresh air, and an occasional bunny sighting (although it’s been a while – I suspect they’ve migrated north for the season). Exercising indoors means staring at the treadmill or the lobster-red people choosing to simmer at the pool.
As has become my routine, I opened my Hulu app to find something to make the miles fly (well… meander) by. And, yes! I still had a few new-to-me episodes of Home Economics to watch (good character development, bummed it got cancelled). I clicked “play” and the pre-show ad came on and it was… a Christmas spot.
Christmas.
On August 10.
Seeing this in Arizona where it was triple-digits outside.
Impossible to get into a chestnuts-roasting-on-an-open-fire frame of mind, because I was already roasting.
A little boy announced that for the holiday he wanted a puppy, a castle and a huge tree.
A castle? Interesting choice of real estate…
Turns out, the ad was for Disney.
We eventually see him with Pluto, presumably representing the “puppy” portion of his wish list. (Not to age-shame, but Pluto has been around since 1930.)
However, my immediate reaction was less about the definition of puppy vs. dog and more:
Christmas? In AUGUST?
But as my step count increased, I started to wonder if this exact moment was the sweet spot (or even too late?)
Disney isn’t peddling candy canes. They’re selling an experience usually planned months in advance. Schedules need to get coordinated, flights booked, and hotels figured out (monorail adjacency is a real consideration!)
And, to be fair, using my ‘it’s too hot to think about Santa yet’ mindset as the barometer is probably flawed… It’s warm here even AT Christmas. But, I personally am just not ready for reindeer.
In advertising, we talk about getting the right message to the right audience at the right time. But that implies there’s only one clock. Maybe there’s a right time for the company and a right time for the customer:
Sometimes they’re perfectly aligned. (Biz: Plan your trip now! / Consumer: I’m dreaming of a Mickey Christmas!)
Sometimes they’re months apart. (Biz: It’s August, Christmas is coming! / Consumer: What should I do for Labor Day weekend?)
And for all my “What is Disney doing?” protesting, I have to give the ad this: I noticed it.
I have no idea what that brand considers a win for this particular ad campaign, and presumably “lady in Arizona spends several days thinking about whether owning a castle is a good investment” isn’t the primary goal. But here I am, days later, still mentally re-playing the ad – and now writing about it.
Which only makes the timing question messier. I may not have been ready for the message, but I apparently heard it.
So, is there actually a sweet spot? Wait too long and the buying window starts to close. Start too early and some of us aren’t ready to listen yet.
Well, consumer-me wants to take a beat before thinking that far ahead. In the meantime, I’m off to buy a pumpkin spice milkshake!
Happy almost Halloween 🙂
