No one can deny the amount of marketing noise that exists during November and December. It’s a busy time of year for shoppers and marketers alike. Here are a few creative concepts that stood out to me this season:

1. Etsy’s Gift Ideas for Facebook Friends. Everyone wants to give a unique, one-of-a-kind gift to that special someone, and Etsy’s community of crafters and specialty designers is the perfect place to find those gifts. That’s why the Facebook app on their site caught my attention. Here’s how it works: Use the app to select one of your Facebook friends. Etsy will then serve up a handful of suggested gifts based on the information from your friend’s profile. And, shhhh, it’s all secret so that your friends won’t know you’re shopping for them!
2. eBay’s Give-A-Toy Store. Now here’s a great idea that attracted both offline and online audiences. eBay set up interactive window displays in New York and San Francisco. Passersby used their eBay mobile app to scan the QR code on the toys shown in the display to make a direct donation to Toys for Tots. Users not in New York or San Francisco were able to make donations online.
3. American Express’ Small Business Saturday. Now in its second year, Small Business Saturday has become a mainstream movement – securing local TV coverage and even an official declaration from Mayor Bloomberg. The social media extensions for this campaign were endless. One cool thing they introduced this year: Sync your American Express card with either your Facebook or Foursquare profiles, and if you spend at least $25 at a small business, you’ll get a $25 credit on your statement.
4. Intel Partners with The Pioneer Woman. I think I’d be remiss in this post if I didn’t include a brief, shameless plug for a holiday campaign that the CMD team worked on this season … right? Knowing that gift givers are quite busy during the holidays, CMD and Intel went right to the source instead of trying to avert attention elsewhere. Intel and one of the most well-known female bloggers, The Pioneer Woman (aka Ree Drummond), teamed up to host a holiday card challenge where readers submitted their digital works of art for judging by Ree. The effort tied together Ree’s passion for digital photography along with the visual capabilities of Intel’s latest technology. Extensions on Twitter and through a charitable giving effort also helped drive momentum for a monthlong program that drove engagement in spades.

What are the creative concepts that you came across this past holiday season?