Advent Calendar: Why Does Every Brand Have One Now?

glamour.com:

had begun. That month, influencers began to post unboxing videos of advent calendars, revealing 25 little samples of , , candy, and .If you’re flummoxed by how early in the year we’re seeing this type of , you’re not alone.“Why are ALREADY coming out?” a commenter posted on an influencer’s of an Anthropologie beauty set on September 23.Traditionally, advent calendars were a fun but low-key holiday gimmick.

Each day, you open a new section of the calendar as you countdown to Christmas, and there's usually a piece of chocolate or candy inside.

But now, it seems everyone has and they’re getting more and more over the top. This year—in addition to the dozens of beauty and skincare versions that have been cropping up—we saw advent calendars from , , and even .Why have advent calendars become such a craze?

Marketing experts told Glamour that it’s pretty simple: they serve as brilliant branding tools. While many companies may not yield a significant return on investment, the calendar serves as a fun, cheeky way to engage their most loyal customers and to acquire new ones who want to dip a toe into their products.