The Secret to Holiday Campaign Success: Rewards, UGC and Paid Social That Actually Work

The holiday season is the biggest opportunity of the year for brands. From Black Friday through to Christmas, the competition for consumer attention is fierce. The challenge is clear: how can your brand cut through the noise, capture engagement, and convert festive enthusiasm into loyalty that lasts beyond January?

The answer lies in choosing the right mix of rewards, UGC strategies and paid media tactics. Below, we explore what really works for brands looking to launch holiday campaigns in 2025.

‍

Why Rewards Are the Heart of Holiday Engagement

Rewards are one of the most powerful drivers of festive success. The best-performing campaigns combine immediate gratification, exclusivity, and personalisation to spark emotional connections while driving action.

The Reward Types That Work Best

• Exclusive and experiential perks: Limited-edition products, VIP events, or early access sales create scarcity and delight.
• Instant gratification rewards: Discounts, gift-with-purchase offers and instant-win games deliver quick value.
• Tiered loyalty bonuses: Extra points or multiplier events during the holidays encourage repeat purchases.
• Gamification: Holiday-themed challenges, quizzes or games sustain excitement.
• Personalised gifts and festive swag: Customised merchandise or heartfelt branded gifts strengthen ties.
• Free shipping: Still one of the most powerful conversion levers during peak shopping weeks.
• Social recognition: Featuring customer content or rewarding contributors fosters community.

By layering instant rewards with exclusive experiences, brands can achieve both high engagement and deeper loyalty.

‍

Motivating Customers to Create Holiday UGC

User-generated content (UGC) is gold for festive marketing. It is authentic, trusted, and proven to drive both reach and conversions. Campaigns with UGC consistently achieve stronger engagement compared to brand-only content.

Rewards That Inspire Customers to Share

• Discounts and coupons
• Giveaways and prize contests
• Exclusive early access
• Public recognition
• Experiential opportunities
• Personalised gifts
• Loyalty points or credit

The most effective brands keep entry pathways simple, combine incentives with heartfelt messaging, and make customers feel like valued co-creators.

‍

Best Practices for Running Holiday UGC Campaigns

To maximise UGC contributions, brands should:

• Keep participation fun and straightforward.
• Embrace authenticity with real customer stories.
• Use tiered incentives to engage wider audiences.
• Highlight standout UGC across channels.
• Promote campaigns cross-channel for reach.
• Respect creator rights and always give credit.
• Add interactive elements like polls, quizzes and countdowns.

Done well, UGC boosts festive participation, builds community spirit and increases campaign impact.

‍

How UGC Boosts Campaign Performance

Holiday campaigns backed by UGC consistently outperform traditional branded ads. Why?

• Authenticity and trust: Real stories resonate far more than polished adverts.
• Higher engagement: UGC campaigns can lift engagement by nearly 30%.
• Social proof: Reviews, photos and testimonials reduce buyer hesitation.
• Cost-effectiveness: UGC reduces production costs while increasing content supply.
• Emotional resonance: Festive UGC taps into joy, generosity and family connections.

UGC transforms customers into co-creators of your brand’s festive story.

‍

Why Company-Led UGC Is Powerful and Cost-Effective

Generating company-led UGC is a powerful strategy because it combines the authenticity of customer content with the control of brand management, making it more reliable and affordable than relying solely on influencers or waiting for organic UGC.

Key Benefits of Company-Led UGC

• Authenticity with brand control: Real customers or employees share genuine experiences, while the brand guides content quality and alignment with marketing goals.
• Cost efficiency: Leveraging customer and employee-created content reduces the need for expensive influencer fees or production costs.
• Scalability and reliability: Unlike organic UGC, company-led initiatives ensure a steady stream of content at the right times.
• Stronger community and engagement: Contributors feel seen and valued, fostering loyalty and repeat participation.
• Expanded reach and impact: Employee-generated content often outperforms brand posts because staff networks amplify the message more authentically.
• Versatility across channels: Company-led UGC can be repurposed across social media, email, websites, product pages, and ads, maximising ROI.

In essence, company-led UGC blends the trust of authentic content with the consistency of brand oversight, making it one of the most effective and affordable strategies for festive campaigns in 2025.

‍

Paid Media: Making Holiday Ads Stand Out in 2025

The festive ad space is crowded. To break through, brands need to combine creativity, interactivity, and urgency-driven messaging.

High-Performing Ad Formats

• Interactive video and shoppable story ads
• Branded hashtag challenges
• Influencer collaborations
• UGC contests
• Polls, quizzes and countdowns
• Urgency banners and delivery cut-off messages
• Cause-driven campaigns

Tactics That Deliver Results

• Festive urgency messaging can lift click-through rates by over 20%.
• Emotional storytelling raises purchase intent by nearly 25%.
• Shoppable formats convert up to 30% more.
• AI-powered targeting delivers over 30% higher ROAS.
• Festive colour palettes with rich reds and greens boost engagement by nearly 70%.

The data shows that creativity plus smart optimisation equals festive ROI.

‍

Bringing It All Together

To launch a successful holiday campaign in 2025, brands should:

1. Offer smart rewards: Combine instant value with exclusivity and personalisation.
2. Harness UGC: Incentivise authentic customer content and experiment with company-led UGC.
3. Optimise paid media: Invest in engaging formats, influencer voices, and urgency-driven messaging.
4. Focus on connection: The most successful campaigns feel human and heartfelt.

The reward for getting this right? Not just a December sales spike but stronger loyalty, richer communities, and customers who stick with your brand long after the holiday lights fade.