Issue 96: A Bulletin for Big Ideas and Better Business

OPINION/ Christmas Ads

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – for Advertising

💬 Sir John Hegarty

I had a great chat recently with Miranda Sawyer and Liv Little on their podcast for The Observer. The subject, Christmas advertising. That time of year when every major supermarket brand pulls on a festive jumper and goes to war on your television.

It’s fascinating for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s all on TV. Yes, that same medium everyone keeps saying is finished. The one nobody watches anymore.

Yet here we are. Every major news outlet is running editorials on their favourite ads. People are talking about them, dissecting them. Asking “Why was the baby in the club?” over Christmas pints. The nation pays attention.

Lesson one: TV works.

It reaches people. It engages them. It entertains. And when the work is good, it becomes part of the culture.

Just look at the work this year. Joe from The Traitors turning up in Waitrose was a brilliant bit of casting. Whether planned or lucky, it landed perfectly. He’s now lodged in the public imagination.

John Lewis delivered something more traditional. It did three things right. It celebrated what Christmas means to people. It brought the brand into the story in a way that felt natural. And it made you feel something. That’s their formula – and they’ve delivered it again.

Asda played the celebrity card. The Grinch was good. The ad worked. But there’s always a chance people remember the character more than the product. You must always try to make the brand’s purpose the thing that everyone remembers.

And Tesco zagged, making lots of 30 second spots with humorous observations on the festive season. Rather than one big extravaganza. 

It’s curious, isn’t it? Each year, the Christmas ad season rolls around and brands suddenly rediscover the power of creativity. Suddenly, once again, it becomes the most vital ingredient in your communication. Without which your audience will toss your ad in the bin faster than the losing scratchcard from your Christmas cracker. As if it’s been tucked away in a cupboard with the baubles. But why does it take this annual battle royale of the nation’s biggest brands to remind us that standout ideas are what truly move people?

For a few short weeks, the industry steps back from dashboards and data points. CLVs, AOVs, RFMs and remembers that the ultimate goal transcends narrow targeting in favour of broad connection. It’s not about slicing audiences into thinner and thinner segments. It’s about speaking to what unites us.

Christmas advertising works because it sells participation, not just the products. Food, family, anticipation, generosity. That’s the emotional currency. And for once, brands tell stories that tap into that collective consciousness.

You’d think we’d want more of that, more often.

A clear idea, cultural relevance, and emotional truth. Delivered on a platform that people still gather around.

The Christmas gift for marketers this year is simple. TV works. Especially when the work is funny, captivating and powerful.

The smart thing to do would be to remember that throughout the year.

The best Easter commercials?

In the spirit of Christmas, here are a few of the ads the TBOC team have loved over the years:

1. John Lewis – “The Long Wait” 2011

2. Irn Bru – “Snowman” 2006

3. Bauli – “A Natale puoi” 2005