Memo to Santa

Marc Sokol

To: S. Claus, CCO (Chief Christmas Officer)

From: North Pole Marketing Department

Dear Santa,

A few reminders as you get into the final stages of this year’s holiday push:

1.     New banner.  This year’s theme, “Santa knows his customers!” appears on a banner flying behind your sleigh.  If asked what’s different, just respond that we have newly appended files about children around the world.  This information was contained within the last set of WikiLeaks.  Ho, ho, ho!

2.     Enhanced segmentation.  For years you been singing that you know who is ‘naughty or nice”.  Our elf analytics team has identified more detailed segmentation for you to use.

Just so you know, we applied modified RFM analysis, prioritizing frequency of good behavior, followed by recency of good behavior, and lastly by the monetary impact of nice and naughty behavior. 

Segment	Description
Goody two-shoes (GTS)	Compulsively well behaved, these are your best customers in the way they carry your brand message throughout the year.  Consider a mix of toys for personal use and opportunities that enable them to keep doing good for others.
Seasonally behaved	Like promotionally sensitive customers, these children respond well to various marketing initiatives.  As a result some stores have begun to promote their Christmas displays as early as September.
Sibling selectives	For the most part, these are high potential customers who might be seasonally well behaved or even GTS, with one exception – they can’t remain nice to their siblings.  Most grow out if it by their mid 20s depending on the balance of positive vs. negative sibling experience.   For this group we suggest interactive family games with the hope that fun times will set the stage for more harmonious relations.  Think Wii.
Attention seekers	Often confused with naughty children, these customers are in fact seeking more attention throughout the year and act out to achieve that effect.  Consider toys that will be as appealing to parents as to children so they choose to spend more time together.
Just plain nasty	These are the naughty children who typically receive coal in their stockings.  It’s a small percentage, but a challenging one.  Be careful of mousetraps, thumbtacks, plastic cookies and other traps they may set for you by the fireplace.

3.     Social media. Don’t take it personally, but your number of followers pale compared to those of Lady Gaga or Oprah.  You’ve got to get out there and tweet or at least post on Facebook more often if you want kids to know you exist after January 1.   We signed you up with Foursquare, and expect you could claim a global badge on Christmas Eve if you remember to check in often enough.  Santa, you could be the mayor!

4.     Online reputation.  Sorry to say Santa, but there still exist many consumers who don’t believe in you or your message.  Just after Christmas we launch an early push into next year. The theme for 2011 will be  “Keep a little Christmas spirit all year round”.  With even a small lift in response, we could change the world!

From the elves in your marketing department, we wish you safe travel this holiday season.

Marc Sokol is an organizational psychologist with an eye for how people and teams can be more effective, even in a dysfunctional company. He is part of M Squared Group, a data-driven marketing consultancy.