Christmas in July

Be First In Their World™

The gifts people remember in December are the ones chosen now.

We're months away from the holidays.
That's exactly why I'm thinking about them.
The gifts that get remembered aren't the ones that arrive on time.
They're the ones chosen with care.
And care needs a head start.

By December, there's no room left to be thoughtful.
Whatever can ship by Friday wins.
The gift stops being about the person and becomes about the deadline.

July is the opposite.
No clock. No scramble.
Just time to ask the question that actually matters.

The right gift, chosen while there's still time to get it right.

Don't Ask What to Send. Ask What They'll Keep.

In December, the only question you have time for is: what can we send before it's too late?

In July, you can ask the better one: what would they genuinely love to receive?

Those produce two very different gifts.
One ends up in a drawer.
The other becomes part of someone's life -
the Carhartt beanie worn all winter,
the North Face jacket that goes everywhere,
the Cuisinart tool that earns a spot on the counter.

And when a gift fits someone's life, they keep it.
When they keep it, they remember who sent it.
And when they remember you, they're the first to bring your name up to someone else.

That's the whole point.

Holiday appreciation isn't about being seen one more time before the year closes.
It's about being remembered into the next one.

Starting now is what makes that possible.
It's the difference between a catalog and a choice -
between whatever's still available, and the right thing for the right person, chosen and branded well while there's still time to get it right.

Good, better, best - with room to actually compare.

The companies that feel thoughtful in December are the ones who started thinking in July.

So consider this my early nudge.
Not to buy - to plan.

The best appreciation of the year is decided in the quiet months,
by the people who won't let a deadline choose for them.

Most companies invest heavily in being seen.
I help them be remembered.

Be remembered, not just seen.
And to be remembered at the holidays, start before everyone else does.

Lasting Ideas™

Stop asking, "What can we send in time?"

Start asking:

• Which few relationships do we most want to strengthen this year?
• What would they genuinely love to receive - and actually keep?
• What feeling should attach to our name when they use it?
• What's our plan to have it chosen and branded well before the rush?

Answer those now, while there's still time, and the right gift almost chooses itself.

That's how thoughtful December brands are built - in July.

Let's plan a gift they'll remember.

Be First In Their World™
Janet McNaughton
Lasting Impressions
Branded Merchandise & Strategic Marketing Campaigns