The Power Of Promotional Advent Calendars In Your Campaigns

Christmas is coming - in fact, it's just 54 days away! Although it's not quite time to unpack the Christmas decorations just yet, it is time to order your custom Advent calendars - and now we're in November, you've not got very long to do so.

With less than a month until we can open the much anticipated first door, we wanted to see what people's opinions really are on branded Advent calendars. Over on our Instagram account (we're @totalmerchandise), we asked a few questions - read on to discover our findings...

Did you know? The largest Advent calendar was in 2017 at the St Panras train station in London? It stood an impressive 71 metres tall and 23 metres wide and celebrated the refurbishment of the station!

Where Did Advent Calendars Originate From?

No one is exactly sure when Advent - the start of the Christmas season that begins four Sundays before the big day - was first celebrated but it dates back to at least 567AD when monks were ordered to fast leading up to 25th December.

In the past, Christians used to count down the days to Christmas by making chalk marks on their door and rubbing them off one by one as each day passed. In 1908, the original advent calendars were first mass-produced by Gerhard Lang, who worked at the Reichold and Lang printing office in Munich.

Quick fact: the production of Advent Calendars were stopped during World War Two due to there being a shortage of paper, cardboard, and chocolate.

Chocolate Advent calendars first hit the mainstream in the 1980s - and their popularity has grown ever since! Advent calendars vary in different countries but the most popular and most common Advent calendars in the UK are made from paper or card and hidden behind each door is delicious chocolate.

In comparison, some European countries, such as Germany, use wreaths with 24 bags or boxes hanging from it, each filled with a small gift.

How Important Is The Branding Of An Advent Calendar?

With 1st December within touching distance, we wanted to find out what, exactly, are people's opinions on Advent calendars. Over on our Instagram Stories, we asked our followers: 'would you use a branded Advent calendar if you were given one?'

Of the people asked, 88% of respondents said yes, they would use (we assume eat) a branded Advent Calendar if gifted one. Just think of the advertising opportunities - your brand clearly visible and enjoyed during the whole of the countdown to Christmas!

Our Foil-Sealed Desktop Advent Calendars are the perfect way to advertise your brand for the full 24 days leading up to Christmas. Printed all over the front and back with your custom design, and in stunning full colour! Don't have a custom design to fill the whole Advent Calendar? No need to panic, you can choose from 10 stock designs.

Nowadays, we're not limited purely to chocolate-filled Advent calendars - rather, you can buy them filled with beauty products, candles, gin... The list goes on. With this in mind, we asked what type of filling do people prefer in their Advent calendars - and yet despite the range of choice available, chocolate was the clear winner with 94% of the votes! Sorry, beauty brands...

We may feel that some of the Advent calendars sold in supermarkets can be a little steep in price but they don't compare to the 2010 Advent calendar made by a jewellers in Belgium. It was made out of 24 glass tubes, each containing diamonds and silver. Diamonds are a girl's best friend but maybe not at a breath taking £2.1 million.

The third and final question we asked on our Instagram poll was how likely are you to notice the branding on an Advent Calendar? The answer: an average of 90%. This demonstrates just how much impact your branded Advent calendar can have on your audience.

A recent infographic published by the BPMA further emphasises this, with 96% of consumers saying promotional merchandise increases brand awareness and 79% stating they were more likely to do business with the company in the future.

Filled with UK-made milk chocolate behind 25 windows, these large promotional Advent Calendars just shout Christmas! Customised with your company design printed in full colour to the front and the back, they will certainly ensure your brand stays at the heart of the festive season.

So if you're looking for the perfect branded gifts to send to your clients and staff this winter, take a look through our range of corporate Christmas gift ideas. Be sure to fill in the Rapid Quote form to get your bespoke pricing or just give us a call!

Main image from Pexels.