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For generations, families have struggled with gingerbread house kits that are messy, complicated, and, more often than not, inedible. The Tomte Cake reinvented this tradition, offering a story-driven, mess-free, and delicious alternative designed to bring families together. Inspired by Scandinavian folklore, The Tomte Cake blends baking, storytelling, and holiday magic into a single experience. The challenge was introducing an entirely new tradition to an audience that already had established holiday rituals.
Watson partnered with The Tomte Cake team to craft a strategic brand, digital, and marketing plan that would position the product as a must-have seasonal tradition. Our goal was to take a small startup idea and turn it into a scalable national brand.
To build credibility and emotional resonance, Watson developed The Tomte Cake’s brand around three core messages: reclaiming the joy of tradition, simplifying the season while savoring the moment, and creating a gift that sparks joy and connection. These guiding principles helped differentiate The Tomte Cake from standard gingerbread kits, positioning it as a whimsical, premium experience that would stand the test of time.
We refined the tagline to “Find Tomte. Find the Joy.” reinforcing the excitement of the hidden gnome figurine and the interactive nature of the baking experience. The brand voice was designed to be playful, inclusive, and confident, mirroring the warmth and wonder of the product itself.
The Tomte Cake’s website had strong engagement but needed improvements in conversion optimization, user flow, and mobile responsiveness. Watson restructured the site to enhance the checkout experience, improve page speed, and optimize calls to action.
Personalized landing pages were developed for key customer personas—The Choir, The Trier, and The Giver—ensuring messaging resonated with parents looking to establish traditions, simplify the holiday season, or give meaningful gifts. Product pages were refined to include stronger storytelling, improved visuals, and social proof elements like reviews and user-generated content.
Subscription-based purchasing and upsells were integrated into the e-commerce flow, allowing customers to bundle additional baking pans, Tomte figurines, and pre-made baking mixes for a seamless gifting experience.
To successfully introduce The Tomte Cake to a national audience, Watson developed a multi-channel marketing strategy blending social media, influencer partnerships, paid media, PR, and email marketing.
The campaign leaned heavily on visual storytelling, bringing The Tomte Cake’s whimsical world to life through video and photography. Influencer marketing played a major role, with strategic partnerships from family-focused creators and celebrity endorsements, including Joe Rogan and Tim Ferriss, helping drive credibility and organic awareness.
Google Search and Shopping campaigns were optimized around high-intent seasonal keywords like “Christmas baking tradition,” “easy gingerbread house,” and “family holiday activity.” A mix of Meta and Pinterest ads showcased the product in action, targeting parents and grandparents looking for new ways to engage kids during the holidays.
Retargeting campaigns focused on cart abandonment recovery, driving conversions from users who had expressed interest but not yet purchased.
Email flows were overhauled with a warm, engaging welcome series, targeted holiday promotions, and post-purchase retention sequences that encouraged repeat purchases. A tradition-based referral program was introduced, rewarding customers for sharing The Tomte Cake experience with friends and family.
The Tomte Cake’s first major holiday campaign exceeded expectations, driving both brand awareness and direct sales growth.
Paid campaigns generated a 609% return on ad spend, with the best-performing ads centered on family bonding and the thrill of finding Tomte.
Website conversions increased by 22% after checkout optimizations and improved product storytelling.
Subscription and bundle sales grew as customers embraced the multi-year tradition approach, purchasing additional figurines and accessories for repeat holiday use.
Organic search traffic increased as SEO-optimized blog content and influencer partnerships drove visibility in holiday gift guides and seasonal baking searches.
Matt Watson, CEO of Watson, reflected on the success of the campaign:
“The Tomte Cake had all the right ingredients—a compelling story, a beautiful product, and a mission to create lasting traditions. Our job was to package it in a way that resonated with modern families and positioned it for long-term success. This wasn’t just about selling a seasonal product. It was about building a movement around a tradition people will come back to year after year.”
With a thoughtful brand strategy, optimized digital experience, and targeted multi-channel marketing, The Tomte Cake has established itself as a new holiday staple, proving that traditions don’t just happen—they’re created.
Build from insight. Strategy isn’t guesswork—it’s groundwork. We listen, research, and distill what matters to guide smarter decisions and set a solid creative direction.
Make it meaningful. From naming to narratives, we create content that speaks with purpose—rooted in truth, tuned to your audience, and built to connect.
Design for behavior. We craft digital experiences that are intuitive, scalable, and aligned with how real people move, click, swipe, and search.
Bring brands to life. Physical spaces, moments, and memories matter. We design experiences that feel human—and stay with you long after the lights go out.
Drive connection. Our marketing approach blends data and instinct—getting the right message to the right people, in ways that actually move them.
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