Arrowhead Promotion has advised brands and retailers to coordinate holiday campaigns early with suppliers and retail partners, highlighting gift cards and promotional prepaid cards among the available reward options.

Its July 30, 2024 guidance addressed the shorter interval between Thanksgiving and Christmas that year: 27 days, compared with 32 in 2023. The agency said timing matters both for sourcing a reward and for securing space in retailers’ planned communications.

For gift-with-purchase promotions, Arrowhead described choices such as domestic sourcing, an alternative premium or faster freight when the original item cannot arrive in time. Gift cards or promotional prepaid cards were presented as alternatives to a physical merchandise premium.

The agency also outlined rebate delivery through digital payments, emailed gift cards or codes. It noted that a branded physical gift card can require additional production time, even when a cash-back campaign is otherwise relatively quick to arrange.

Arrowhead recommended allowing time for coupon production and distribution and involving specialist support when developing sweepstakes rules. It emphasized that retail circulars may be planned months ahead, while online placements still require coordination.

The guidance treats fulfillment, promotion mechanics and retailer communication as connected decisions. A campaign’s reward choice needs to fit the delivery deadline as well as the offer being presented to shoppers.