{"id":8965,"date":"2023-12-06T09:46:20","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T09:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/?post_type=insight&p=8965"},"modified":"2023-12-06T13:23:52","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T13:23:52","slug":"the-true-meaning-of-this-years-christmas-ads","status":"publish","type":"insight","link":"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/the-true-meaning-of-this-years-christmas-ads\/","title":{"rendered":"The true meaning of this year\u2019s Christmas ads\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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In the words of Mariah Carey, it\u2019s time. And for many of us, it has been since early November\u2026  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No sooner than the pumpkins started to turn did the festive lights switch on, the shopfront displays go up and the mega media buy come to fruition. Yes, it\u2019s Christmas ad season. You might say it has been for weeks \u2013 but we had to wait until they were all out to see how they landed, of course\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subtle shade about slow editors to one side, what does this year\u2019s offering tell us about the mood of the nation \u2013 and how brands can best earn their place with customers, citizens, and communities in the New Year? Here are three trends driving this year\u2019s festive offering and how they\u2019ll impact us in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Entertainment, not earnestness <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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This year, a slew of ads have focused on sharing festive and joyful content to get us excited for Christmas. Think relatable recreations of family dinners with debates about when to eat cheese from Asda, or eye roll-inducing scenarios where guests arrive earlier than expected from Waitrose. We\u2019ve even seen some new traditions mooted – from Duracell\u2019s \u2018Bunny Saves Christmas\u2019<\/a> to Boots\u2019 \u2018Who Gives Presents to Santa<\/a>\u2019.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Celebs and entertainment crossovers are also a clear example of this trend towards fabulousness. Whether it\u2019s Micheal Bubl\u00e9 and Graham Norton, or festive remakes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it feels like the sparkle is back.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a clear shift from previous years, where ads have tugged on heartstrings and primarily focused on what Contagious<\/a> has called \u2018purposeful earnestness\u2019. In 2023 and beyond, we are seeing a shift to entertainment around big cultural moments.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2. All I want for Christmas is authenticity<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Authenticity has become a major buzzword in our industry, but it is often overlooked in practice. Not surprising when so many practitioners operate in a privileged London bubble. We need to get out into communities and understand lived experience to create meaningful content. Easier said than done, particularly at busy times of the year, but two ads stood out for getting it right this year, in my view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First up, Shelter\u2019s<\/a> ad uses \u2018traditional\u2019 Christmas good-time tropes to set us up for an emotional fall: revealing what it\u2019s really like for kids stuck in temporary accommodation. The protagonist is Maddy, played by an actor, but the creatives behind the campaign worked directly with people with lived experiences of homelessness and temporary accommodation to really understand what their lives are, or were, like. The result is an emotional, powerful statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, JD<\/a> with what many are calling this year\u2019s \u2018winner\u2019. The sportswear brand shows up with a mix of cultural nostalgia and an appreciation of what Christmas is like for diverse communities \u2013 brought to life through its bag for life<\/em>. The ad features working-class and Afro-Caribbean communities who show off cultural quirks in simple ways. Kano also adds some celeb sparkle to what feels like a nod to Nike\u2019s Nothing Beats A Londoner<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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3. It\u2019s giving Nostalgia<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Remember Tesco\u2019s 2007 Christmas ad<\/a> featuring the Spice Girls and John Lewis\u2019 Christmas ad<\/a> featuring music by The Smiths? These ads cut through not only for their talkability but because they evoke a sense of nostalgia, sparking debate and laughter. Nostalgia isn\u2019t just a feature of Christmas \u2013 the nineties and noughties are back in a big way, from the return of Girls Aloud to the massive success of documentaries like Beckham and Robbie Williams on Netflix.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re seeing brands respond accordingly, with M&S Food<\/a> and Aldi<\/a> featuring characters from earlier festive campaigns \u2013 and Coca-Cola\u2019s unwavering commitment to \u2018Holidays Are Coming\u2019<\/a>. System 1\u2019s<\/a> Test Your Ad platform scored these ads the highest possible long-term effectiveness rating of 5.9 stars, proof of the power of nostalgia.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What it all means<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cookie-cutter approaches are never good, but there are some broad learnings for brand and comms professionals. Brits are living in their pessimistic eras about what\u2019s going on in the world \u2013 but are more optimistic about their personal lives and local communities \u2013 as my colleague Lisa Mai referenced in an earlier blog<\/a>. They want to feel seen and understood, not patronised with generic doom and gloom. Nostalgia and authentic representation of specific communities go a long way in the right direction and will continue to be important in 2024. For me, that\u2019s the real lesson of this year\u2019s Christmas ad offering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more <\/em>Insights & News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the words of Mariah Carey, it\u2019s time. And for many of us, it has been since early November\u2026   No sooner than the pumpkins started to turn did the festive lights switch on, the shopfront displays go up and the mega media buy come to fruition. Yes, it\u2019s Christmas ad season. You might say it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8974,"menu_order":0,"template":"","services":[23],"sectors":[],"class_list":["post-8965","insight","type-insight","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","services-campaigning"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe true meaning of this year\u2019s Christmas ads\u00a0 - Headland International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here are three trends driving this year\u2019s Christmas ads offering and how they\u2019ll impact us in 2024.\u00a0\" \/>\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=\"The true meaning of this year\u2019s Christmas ads\u00a0 - Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here are three trends driving this year\u2019s Christmas ads offering and how they\u2019ll impact us in 2024.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/the-true-meaning-of-this-years-christmas-ads\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Headland International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-12-06T13:23:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/12\/shutterstock_733836241-resized.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"548\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/the-true-meaning-of-this-years-christmas-ads\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.headlandconsultancy.com\/international\/insight\/the-true-meaning-of-this-years-christmas-ads\/\",\"name\":\"The true meaning of this year\u2019s Christmas ads\u00a0 - 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