Holiday 2025: 4 Brands That Will Win Big

As the 2025 holiday season kicks off, marketers are bracing for one of the most competitive years yet.

Consumers are shopping earlier, turning to social platforms for inspiration and purchase, and demanding seamless, omnichannel experiences. According to Bazaarvoice, 89% of shoppers say brand content will influence their holiday purchases.

Brands that rise above the noise this year will be those combining creativity, cultural relevance, and integrated execution across every touchpoint. From TikTok to Times Square, from loyalty apps to live shopping, the brands that know how to ride the waves will shine bright this 2025 season. 

Here are four brands, a mix of retail giants and agile disruptors, that we see winning this holiday season.

Walmart: Turning Commerce into Entertainment

Ah yes, we all know Walmart as our household staple. Our go-to mega store has mastered the art of making shopping an event. In 2024, the retailer launched a 10-part “Deals of Desire” campaign that parodied hit TV genres like teen dramas and Westerns, starring celebrities like Taye Diggs and Walton Goggins alongside TikTok star Jake Shane. Episodes ran on TikTok, YouTube, and TV, while OOH ads mimicked show posters, blurring the line between content and commerce.

The campaign coincided with Walmart’s strongest holiday e-commerce performance ever: during the Black Friday to Cyber Monday week, Walmart recorded its biggest sales day on record, while third-party marketplace seller sales spiked 43% YoY. Its overall e-commerce sales rose 22% that quarter. Notably, Walmart also drew in higher-income households: customers earning $100K+ accounted for 75% of its market share gains.

By fusing entertainment with retail and offering omnichannel convenience (from live shopping events to curbside pickup), Walmart is capturing attention. We’re expecting it to double down on full-funnel content-meets-commerce this year.

Lesson for marketers: Pair relevant entertainment with convenience to capture both attention and sales during the holiday shopping season.

Starbucks: Owning Holiday Rituals

If Walmart is making shopping cinematic, Starbucks is making coffee ritualistic. The coffee chain’s holiday marketing is a cultural event unto itself anchored by its annual red cup launch and seasonal menu. In 2024, Starbucks pushed its “Merrier Together” theme, encouraging fans to share their #RedCupSeason moments across social platforms.

That buzz pays off in hard numbers. Starbucks’ Red Cup Day 2024 drove a 42.4% spike in foot traffic compared to a typical Thursday, with a 9.4% weekly lift outperforming the year prior. It even surpassed the traffic generated during Pumpkin Spice Latte launch week, showing the power of its holiday ritual.

Omnichannel convenience is core to Starbucks’ strategy: customers could snag their cup via in-store, drive-thru, app order-ahead, or even delivery apps. By blending collectibility, social shareability, and accessibility, Starbucks sells more than just your favorite seasonal latte. The brand sells tradition. In 2025, look for it to push further into gamified loyalty and social-driven activations to fuel both engagement and visits.

Lesson for marketers: Create compelling traditions and leverage social shareability to build strong emotional connections with consumers during the holidays.

Coca-Cola: Nostalgia Meets Next-Gen Tech

Coca-Cola has owned holiday nostalgia for decades, from Santa Claus ads to its iconic truck caravans. But in 2024, Coke proved it could evolve by mixing tradition with cutting-edge tech.

The brand launched its “Create Real Magic” campaign, letting consumers generate AI-powered holiday e-cards featuring classic Coke imagery like Santa and the polar bears . Fans could remix visuals via generative AI, and some creations appeared on digital billboards like Times Square. Coke also rolled out an AI-powered “Santa” chatbot that let fans chat in 45+ languages and receive a personalized snow globe animation: a first-of-its-kind digital experience. The campaign drove over 1 million consumer engagements across 43 markets in just weeks.

At the same time, Coca-Cola stayed rooted in tradition: its Christmas Caravan of illuminated red trucks marked its 30th year, hosting pop-up events, live music, and sampling across U.S. cities. This dual strategy, mixing digital magic with real-world community experiences, reinforces Coca-Cola as a holiday staple. Expect 2025 to bring even more ambitious tech-meets-tradition activations.

Lesson for marketers: Blend timeless storytelling with innovative technology to create engaging and memorable holiday experiences.

Etsy: Personalization at Scale

Not all holiday winners are mega-retailers. In 2024, Etsy positioned itself as the destination for unique, heartfelt gifts through its “Give ‘I Get You’ gifts” campaign. The hero ad featured Waldo (yes, that Waldo) finally feeling seen when he receives a custom gift, a metaphor for Etsy’s promise of personalized presents.

The campaign scaled impressively: Etsy created hundreds of ad variations tailored to different buyer needs, activated influencer tastemakers like Drew Barrymore and Naomi Osaka as “Chief Gifting Officers,” and ran across TV, OOH, podcasts, and social. The strategy worked: Etsy delivered its highest-ever quarterly revenue in Q4 2024 despite retail headwinds.

By highlighting its seller community and the emotional resonance of personalized gifts, Etsy tapped into consumers’ desire for meaning in their purchases. Heading into 2025, as shoppers prioritize thoughtful, authentic gifting over mass-produced items, Etsy is perfectly positioned to win again.

Lesson for marketers: Emphasize personalization and community storytelling to resonate with consumers seeking meaningful holiday gifts.

Who Will Shine the Brightest?

We think the brands that will own Holiday 2025 are those that integrate culture, commerce, and community into one cohesive strategy. Walmart turns deal-hunting into entertainment. Starbucks makes holiday coffee a collectible ritual. Coca-Cola blends timeless storytelling with AI-driven innovation. Etsy proves that personalization and community storytelling can scale.

For marketers, winning this holiday season requires strategy, but also, SOUL. Data proves that seamless omnichannel execution, creator partnerships, and tech-enhanced experiences drive ROI. But it’s the emotional connection, through joy, nostalgia, community, and tradition, that will turn campaigns into real, consumable, cultural moments.

The brands above understand this balance. And in a year where consumers are demanding both value and meaning, they’re the ones to watch (and learn from) this holiday season.