{"id":7111,"date":"2022-11-18T14:28:06","date_gmt":"2022-11-18T13:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?post_type=insight&p=5816"},"modified":"2023-01-06T10:29:29","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T10:29:29","slug":"citizen-brands-serve-up-meaningful-fun-for-life-not-just-for-christmas","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/citizen-brands-serve-up-meaningful-fun-for-life-not-just-for-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"Citizen brands serve up meaningful fun – for life, not just for Christmas\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

So there we have it.  The deluge of festive ads has well and truly dropped.  Landing a Christmas campaign this year was probably one of the toughest gigs in recent memory for CMOs.<\/span><\/p>\n

There have been plenty of big calls to make. Firstly, what\u2019s the right balance of brand vs performance? Sure, we all buy Ritson\u2019s golden rule of \u201cbothism\u201d but what\u2019s the best mix in these \u2018unprecedented\u2019 (drink) times.  Secondly, what do people really want to see and hear from us this year? What\u2019s the right tone? Can we really take another John Lewis emotional blockbuster? (spoiler alert: we can, but only because it\u2019s a different mix of emotions). <\/span><\/p>\n

This year we\u2019ve seen more brands ditch the purposeful earnestness play – dubbed \u201csadvertising\u201d – in favour of \u2018meaningful fun\u2019. Showing they can act and communicate as citizens rather than simply identify a problem and position themselves as the solution, whether it\u2019s Lidl creating a fake celebrity bear, Tesco a tongue-in-cheek \u2018Manifesto for Christmas\u2019 or Iceland paying homage to Netflix\u2019s The Crown. Brands are using joyful creatives to land messages of long-term support for citizens and communities. Even John Lewis – with its tear-jerker twist on children in care – serves up some smiles at the start of the ad. <\/span><\/p>\n

But to reap rewards in the long term, this approach shouldn\u2019t just be for Christmas.  Our research shows younger citizens are almost twice as likely to be optimistic about the future than older generations despite one in three thinking they\u2019ll be worse off over the next 12 months. It signals an opportunity for citizen brands to bring moments of lightness and positivity, through experiences and content. <\/span><\/p>\n

It also begs the question: what are the cultural moments for different communities where brands can show up and serve some joy in a meaningful way. Do something that earns a place in that community or person\u2019s life. It could be related to religious festivals or moments that bring different groups together through a particular passion point or shared experience. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the retailers reached for partnership plays. Silver bullet? Think again.  A badging exercise on a shiny new ad or piece of POS isn\u2019t going to earn you a place. Citizen brands create new ways to participate. That means giving people ways to get involved or to take action on the things they care about.  From the brand or business it means a shift in mindset – away from \u201cleading\u201d and instead focusing on \u201cjoining in\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Credit to John Lewis for a genuine, multi-layered partnership with Action for Children – not just a shiny ad – that genuinely contributes (awareness and action through donation) and provides ways for citizens to do the same. If we had one grumble about The Beginner it is that the owned channel comms could have made a clearer connection between foster care and John Lewis\u2019 purpose of \u201cWorking in Partnership for a Happier World\u201d. Unlocking the full potential of the campaign will come from subsequent moments under this platform through 2023. Those need to include further action through its business decision making, and creating new ways for people to continue to participate.  <\/span><\/p>\n

As for the success of this year\u2019s selection of ads, the proof won\u2019t just be in the (Christmas) pudding when the January trading updates drop – it\u2019ll be in their ability to create lasting connections with citizens. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So there we have it.  The deluge of festive ads has well and truly dropped.  Landing a Christmas campaign this year was probably one of the toughest gigs in recent memory for CMOs. There have been plenty of big calls to make. Firstly, what\u2019s the right balance of brand vs performance? Sure, we all buy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":7232,"menu_order":0,"template":"","services":[23],"sectors":[],"class_list":["post-7111","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","services-campaigning"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nCitizen brands serve up meaningful fun - for life, not just for Christmas\u00a0 - Headland International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Citizen brands serve up meaningful fun - for life, not just for Christmas\u00a0 - Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"So there we have it.  The deluge of festive ads has well and truly dropped.  Landing a Christmas campaign this year was probably one of the toughest gigs in recent memory for CMOs. 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