Selling Santa: the challenge of festive marketing

With this year’s Christmas ads coming thick and fast, brands are doing their seasonal best to stand out with distinctive messages that strike a chord with the nation. 

Easier said than done. So far, a lot of this year’s ads are about excess - Sainsbury’s asks if we want to go ‘BIG’, Lego’s creative features a literal mountain of its plastic bricks, and Argos simply focuses on ‘More’.  

There are growing concerns around ethical and sustainable shopping, as awareness of consumption’s impact on the planet grows. 

While the fine balance of stand-out versus relevance is a timeless challenge in the ad industry, a new festive complexity has emerged - how to promote responsible consumption while balancing the bottom line.  

Responsible consumption is increasingly becoming a major factor for brands, and it has multiple drivers. There are growing concerns around ethical and sustainable shopping, as awareness of consumption’s impact on the planet grows, and the continuing cost of living crisis means it's in most individuals’ interests to spend less.  

Couple that with consumer activism and the social currency gained from purchasing from responsible brands, and it seems like a no-brainer to tap into this.  

Sainsbury’s goes ‘big’ with a famous friendly giant this year.  

This Christmas, the UK’s key concern is staying within budget while making things feel special. Some brands are treading this balance by subtly communicating responsible consumption: Aldi’s Christmas ad signs off with a message about sharing goodwill, and Morrisons’ suggests ‘give a little love and it all comes back to you’, while each communicates abundance and joy.  

Our data shows that the reusability of the product is most important - this suggests that messages around product quality and durability will resonate strongly. 

Looking more deeply into the nation’s mindsets; attitudes to sustainable and ethical shopping remain at around the same levels at Christmas time vs other times within the year, and our data shows a slight inclination among UK consumers to pay more for eco-friendly or ethical gifts compared to a standard gift.  

But there is a sizeable minority who would not be at all willing to stump up extra cash. And when it comes to ethical or sustainable Christmas shopping, we can see that this year people are most likely to simply buy less. Making your own gifts or buying second hand are also significant strategies for shoppers this holiday season.  

Aldi, goodwill returns for Xmas 2024 spot 

So, with shoppers simply cutting down on the stuff they buy, brands must work harder than ever to cut through and strike a chord in a way that enables them to win, in an ever more competitive market. People are more likely to part with their cash if they feel like the thing they’re buying is the ‘better choice’.  

When choosing eco-friendly or ethical gifts for Christmas, our data shows that the reusability of the product is most important - this suggests that messages around product quality and durability will resonate strongly, as would messages around repurposing used objects, to increase their lifespan.  

This year [John Lewis is] suggesting that people ‘Give Knowingly’ - a way of signalling intentional, mindful consumption that gives kudos to the buyer. 

Barbour leverages this in an entertaining and joyful way at Christmas, with 2022’s Paddington ad selling restored jackets, and last year’s Shaun The Sheep ad focusing on its ‘Wax for Life’ product promise, which extends the life of the brand’s garments. Product quality that lasts is a mainstay of John Lewis’ creative strategy - this year it’s leveraging this approach by suggesting that people ‘Give Knowingly’ - a way of signalling intentional, mindful consumption that gives kudos to the buyer. 

Barbour – Shaun the Sheep 2023 festive ad 

Environmentally friendly packaging is the second most important factor that people consider when choosing eco-friendly or ethical gifts. Interestingly, eco-friendly packaging is much more important to consumers than if the product itself is made with natural or organic materials.  

This shows that people expect companies to be taking steps to reduce the negative impact they have on the environment, regardless of whether the product itself is seen as eco-friendly.  

With responsible consumption becoming more mainstream, brands must ensure environmentally friendly or ethical messages don’t come across as overly worthy. 

Brands with particularly innovative or interesting packaging could tell the story of how packaging is made, or how it could be repurposed or reused in order to put gift-worthy value into the spotlight at Christmas. Brands must also be transparent about whether packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable, so the consumer can get the ‘warm glow effect’ from doing their bit too.