Christmas communications that do more than just advertise
Rachel Tucker and Daisy Atkins, associate and brand manager, customer and brand at Sayers, share their thoughts on local and global Christmas campaigns that have connected with consumers in more meaningful ways.
This is part of Mumbrella’s 2023 Christmas campaign coverage. Click here to see other articles in the series.
Every year, as the marketing, advertising, and comms industry wind down for a well-deserved break, we are blessed with an influx of Christmas ads that are often moving, emotive, fun and joyful. At Sayers, we spend 98% of the year at the intersection of commerciality, humanity, and imagination, with a focus on upstream business, customer, brand and marketing strategy work for clients of all shapes and sizes. It’s nice to spend some time stepping back and enjoying the unique creativity and insight involved in Christmas communications.
This year, we wanted to highlight some communications that do more than just advertise. We like these campaigns because they prompt consumers to think differently, behave differently, give differently, and interact with the brand in a different way. They effectively demonstrate how the application of brand and delivery of branded customer experience can be done in a meaningful way, beyond traditional communications.
John Lewis – Christmas might look a little different this year
For many families, Christmas traditions span multiple generations. From tried-and-tested family recipes to deciding who gets to put the star on top of the tree, these traditions are beautifully woven into the fabric of our families. However, for many this year, these traditions may feel financially out of reach.
Enter John Lewis, one of the world’s largest retailers, suggesting a rewrite of those traditions for families and individuals feeling the financial pinch. The film is well crafted and inclusive, intricately balancing the inherent joy of Christmas, with the globally understood and felt economic realities of 2023. It grants permissibility to rewrite the traditions of Christmas past, or start new traditions entirely, and proves that the happiness and belonging surrounding Christmas is not bound by these traditions.
Toyota – Christmas is coming home
Cars aren’t normally the first thing to come to mind during the Christmas period (unless you’ve asked Santa for one…) making Christmas a challenging time to advertise for automotive brands. However, Toyota’s has positioned themselves to be the vehicle to ‘come home’ to, demonstrating an understanding of the role their brand plays in the lives of their customers, particularly during the festive season.
Anyone who lives away from home or has loved ones abroad know that Christmas begins with that first hug from a family member. This approach feels similar to Qantas, through leveraging emotive occasions and the reunion moment, prompting consumers to feel excited with anticipation for this moment and to cherish it. And… let’s face it, who doesn’t love a Christmas airport arrivals scene? Cue Love Actually.
Not on the High Street – ‘tis the season of giving, better
We can all recount at least one lacklustre present we’ve received on Christmas morning. In the UK, over 3 million Christmas gifts each year end up as landfill. That’s a lot of socks and mugs! A campaign from British retailer Not on the High Street’s demonstrates the enormity of the issue with a series of three 3D special builds billboards, prompting people to question the impact of a thoughtless Christmas gift.
The innovative out-of-home (OOH) ads are supported through other consumer touchpoints including their ‘Don’t Gift Guide’, a curation of items from hundreds of small businesses to help consumers gift less, and better.
Similarly, a local campaign led by youth-focussed, Australian charities ‘Charity Cringle’ prompts Aussies to donate to charity instead of gifting premature landfill with over $164million each year wasted on unused Christmas Cringle gifts. These campaigns remind us to consider giving the gift of impact, and that a meaningful gift shouldn’t cost the earth.
Telstra – Hello, Christmas. Hello, Santa.
The reliance of basic yet taken for granted infrastructure such telecommunications, electricity, transport and postal services is certainly heightened over the Christmas period. Telstra has understood this need, leveraging their free phone boxes in this year’s Christmas communications. Not only are these boxes a distinctive brand asset, but they are also a symbol of reliability, footprint, accessibility, customer care and heritage.
The campaign is elevated further through wrapping all 15,000 phone boxes in local communities with campaign imagery and messaging, allowing the brand to get closer to consumers at the point of interaction. They have even offered free calls to Santa, tapping into the generation of phone users to come.
JD Sports UK – A brand (and bag) all life’s needs
JD Sports is a loved and proudly sported brand amongst UK youth. The brand has elevated their role in youth culture this Christmas through highlighting the way that their yellow duffle bags – a distinctive brand asset – are used beyond shopping during the holiday period. JD Sports have successfully reflected and built upon culture in an authentic way by showing the shopping bag used as a shoulder bag whilst skateboarding or riding, a rave bag, or a bag for Christmas leftovers for the family, solidifying its place in the lives of youth.
Although the ad was launched in the lead up to the holiday period, it’s clear that the brand made a strategic choice to discretely refer to Christmas rather than leaning into it entirely. Rather than using traditional Christmas audio, the brand has collaborated with UK rappers Central Cee and Kano. Rather than using tradition Christmas colours and grading, the brand has leant into a more muted, grunge tone to reflect the streets that youth so often roam. This makes the film more genuine and aspirational to their core audience.
The Galleries – Re-gift, and be rewarded
A Christmas campaign with perhaps a more tactical and interactive approach comes from The Galleries Sydney. They have partnered with Red Cross, prompting consumers to donate or re-gift items in exchange for a $20 The Galleries voucher. This partnership has likely been driven through an identified need to give back and support people in the community who are struggling this Christmas after an economically tough year.
This purposeful transaction is both beneficial for Red Cross as donated items will allow them to positively impact the festive season of those doing it tough, whilst The Galleries are giving people a reason to shop within their precinct.
PETA – Stuff the Turkey, go vegan!
Carols for audio, reflecting traditions and animation as an art direction approach are all common tropes of Christmas campaigns. PETA has leveraged all three of these conventions for their latest spot, but there is a twist.
What starts as a fun and joyful Christmas narrated by a likable, animated turkey, becomes a behaviour change campaign with our protagonist facing imminent slaughter. PETA have leant into shock-factor, prompting consumers to consider killing the tradition of Turkey on the dinner table, and having a vegan Christmas free of animal cruelty instead.
Rachel Tucker and Daisy Atkins are associate and brand manager, customer and brand at Sayers.
Nice to see Ella Toone in the JD Sports ad – a very low-key cameo from her.
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