What will the UK's Christmas ads bring this year?

Laurent Simon, Chief Creative Officer, VMLY&R

Christmas briefs hit the creative table long before the first Christmas lights are hung up. The challenge for agencies, creatives and marketers is to perfectly predict and capture the mood of the nation, long before the anticipated season arrives. This year’s festivities will be marred by the cost-of-living crisis; consumer concern is already taking hold and, before the day arrives, I expect this sentiment to be even stronger. Creatively, brands will need to walk a very fine line between reality and escapism. They will need to reflect the individual circumstances of homes across the nation whilst deploying festive fantasy that we all crave during times of crisis. I expect the magic will come from those brands that offer small windows into moments that lift our spirits while supporting consumers to make their spending choices go further.

Paulo Salomao, Business Leader & Co-Founder, TheOr

Christmas has always been about giving, unity and love. And, for one day only, a dollop of abundance. Pretty much all the things none of us are getting right now. So, I suspect some brands will navigate the tension by telling us Christmas is a chance to bring cheer when we are all lacking it. And others may tell us it's the small things that matter so that a BIG Christmas isn’t a pressured necessity. 

[Brands] will need to reflect the individual circumstances of homes across the nation whilst deploying festive fantasy that we all crave during times of crisis.

The truth is, we are all deeply aware right now that, come Boxing Day, we will be broke and bluer than a oompa loompa. So, I don't expect the 'fuzzy wuzzy' ads to be the ones that crack Christmas. Instead I’m hoping there will be a brand that owns the hardship by finding a way of having us laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all. Because a good dollop of genuine laughter is what we all need right now, not a false sense of comfort, if we are going to dance in this rain. 

Above [clockwise from top left]: Neil Hourston, Laurent Simon, Charlotte Willcocks and Paulo Salomao.

Charlotte Willcocks, Head of Strategy, Impero

This Christmas will yet again be one like no other. We all try to predict the mood of the nation way back in July [us included], however, this year it feels clearer to me than most. We predicted that this Christmas will be the year of ‘Hopeful Pragmatism’. In real terms I believe that this means we’ll see two key trends appearing in this year’s ads:

Tech Integration: Instead of pulling on the heartstrings, brands will instead be pulling out the tech and providing consumers with real world support. We’ve already started to see this trend emerge in supermarkets with Sainsburys' ‘scan and shop’ and ASDA rewards receiving a big push in Q3. We anticipate festive integration into these apps being a main element of hero Christmas advertising as brands fight to prove they're on the side of consumers.

Instead of pulling on the heartstrings, brands will instead be pulling out the tech and providing consumers with real world support.

Catching feels: People will be looking to spend less on physical gifts, instead prioritising their overall Christmas experience with family and friends, leading us to believe that many brands will focus their creative on serving ‘the Christmas feeling’ rather than pushing product and consumption.

Above [clockwise from top]: Shaun McIlrath, Tom McGirr, Lorna Burt and Danielle Melia.

Neil Hourston, Founding Partner, The Corner

This Christmas will be the Christmas of the savvy, smart shopper. Pulling off a perfect Christmas, on a less than perfect budget. We can expect to see brands and retailers, navigating their way through the reality of their audience's world. Bringing joy, but acknowledging the challenge of creating wonder on a shoestring. The dominant theme will be value; the deals and promotions that will help us find value. Perhaps, with the time to see this coming and to think imaginatively about the challenge, we will see more spirit-lifting, conversation-starting or thought-provoking promotions than usual. Promotions that make you think more of the brand. That feel less like money-off deals, and more like gifts to the season. 

We will see campaigns trying to be more real, more inclusive, more authentic, trying to break beyond the norms and cliches of the season.

We can expect to see brands and retailers working harder to help. Offering up the tips, hacks, shortcuts and make-do suggestions that people really need to help them pull-it-off-wonderfully, despite everything. And, as that happens, maybe the dial will shift from advertising-as-information, to advertising-as-inspiration. 

We will see campaigns trying to be more real, more inclusive, more authentic, trying to break beyond the norms and cliches of the season. Most of them will fall short (they usually do). Which ones will make us think and smile as we see actual Christmas moments played back at us? We can certainly expect some brands to empathise with those that are suffering or working while others are celebrating. But which will back promises up with ideas and actions that make a real difference, which warm the heart at a time when we put our cynicism to one side and acknowledge the good deeds of others?

Tom McGirr, Executive Strategy Director, The Wild

I imagine we’ll see a big change in sentiment, with brands focusing on the small things and ultimately avoiding playing into the expectation/happiness gap. Joy will be realigned on the small delights of the Christmas period – spending time with family and friends. However, this wont stop brands capitalising where they can. We can expect a huge surge around online shopping-environments, and as consumers move online to find the best deals, so will brands, creating a perhaps panicked flurry of activity around events like Black Friday. With all that said, some things won’t change. When the Christmas stress is high, brands need to deliver on not only products and shopper experience, but the nation’s sentiment. It’s been a tough year for creatives!