Earlier this year I was asked to step in to support my long-term PR client Otter Garden Centres with social media, as a team member had left. I’ve managed their social media before, so am very familiar with their tone of voice, customer base and the range of services, from seasonal plants, gardening products, indoor plants, food for wildlife, clothing, homewares (the list is endless!).
We started talking about Christmas in the summer. Otter was upping its game for the coming season with a complete revamp of the Christmas shops and displays. I’ve seen these for many years, both from a professional perspective and as a customer. But nothing prepared me for the upgrades.
I walked into the Ottery store recently and I swear my jaw dropped. I was there to take photos and videos for socials, but by the end of my session my head was spinning, there was so much to see. And so beautifully displayed. I chatted to an older couple who were looking around. They said they’d come for a plant but were completely distracted by the displays. I heard one say to the other that it reminded them of when they used to take their children to Harrods. Praise indeed!
In Ottery there are 12 different themes, from Frosted Lake and Woodland Tales to a whole display devoted to the Gruffalo. It’s easy to get lost in the magic, the choice of decorations seems endless. And of course there’s more, from Christmas cards to Advent calendars, festive foods to delightful gift ideas.
I’m thoroughly enjoying putting together posts and reels, not just with content from Ottery but also the other branches, who all have plenty of Christmas joy to spread. With the earliest posts there were a few grumbles about it being ‘too soon’, but these were balanced by the excitement from other followers. I’ve been careful to balance out Christmas with other seasonal content, autumn/winter clothing, planted up containers, autumn garden plants and trees, plus blogs on feeding birds and planting in autumn to ensure your spring garden looks its best. But there’s no getting away from the fact that Christmas is what’s getting the engagement!
I’m looking forward to attending the Christmas Shopping Event on October 21st (where I’m also singing with Rock Choir) and going along to the wonderful Festive Adventure for families in December, which raises money for our local charity, Hospiscare.
In all honesty, I’ve always been a bit ‘bah humbug’ about Christmas coming so early. But this year, I’m feeling very sparkly about it!
