Does it seem that the stores are displaying holiday items earlier and earlier each year? The term “Christmas Creep” was first used in the mid-1980s to describe the merchandising of goods and decorations before the day after Thanksgiving which had heretofore been the traditional start of Christmas shopping. Since then, the term “holiday creep” also came into play to describe early sales for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

If your company still observes the day after Thanksgiving as the official start of the Christmas shopping season, here are some things you might consider as you plan your strategy for this year.

In its most basic form, public relations are an act of coordinating with members of the media in the hopes of securing positive news stories for a brand and/or product. PR, then, can be either reactive or proactive: reacting to a piece of breaking headline news and hoping for inclusion in industry news, or proactively pitching a brand’s value proposition in the hopes of getting placement. This includes good cannabis PR.

The question on many executives’ lips, especially in the ever-so-slightly-skeptical cannabis industry, is “why?” Why should your brand aim to be covered in the news? Why does it help? For starters, research shows that 90% of people trust a news source as more credible than advertising. Having your company, product, event or spokesperson cited in a trade or mainstream news media creates a sense of confidence in your brand, resonates with potential customers, and tells a story. While there is always the risk that news placement may take a negative angle, the old adage still stands: “all publicity is good publicity.” Further still, with a good PR team, the chances of dealing with negative press are substantially reduced. This advice is especially pertinent to cannabis companies, who have so far been unable to advertise as mainstream businesses.

We live in a digital world. Everywhere we look, consumers are tied to smartphone, a TV, even a smart screen in the car. There is no way to escape the digital age, it seems. And as the world we live in is built around convenience, there is a lot of use for having so much information available on demand.

But there is still an argument for connecting with consumers off screen. It’s easy to forget about the importance of basic human connection, and this is an opportunity many brands are missing when it comes to marketing.

Gaining and maintaining consumer trust is the goal of every PR professional. Consumer trust is invaluable to brands. However, recent data suggests consumers are growing more and more distrusting of traditional media. Additionally, with the spread of ‘fake news’, consumers are more suspicious than ever.

In this very confusing media environment, PR professionals face hurdles when it comes to earning trust through media efforts. So, how do we navigate this maze in a world where trust on a downward spiral.

Social media has become a very good way in which brands can connect with consumers. It’s an unavoidable and mandatory medium for brands to keep their audience engaged. In the fashion tech industry, it’s more crucial than ever to have a strong social media game with competition at an all-time high. Platforms are becoming more and more saturated with each passing day and brands are in a constant war to stand out amongst the crowd.

In addition to this fight for exposure, the rules of social media are constantly in flux, with networking platforms regularly tweaking their algorithms or redesigning their interface, staying on top of the game has become more challenging than ever.