The success of a Christmas campaign is by no means dependent on a large budget. What truly matters is crafting a message that resonates with the spirit of the season, captures the mood, and touches the audience’s heart. Christmas campaigns hold a truly unique place in the world of advertising, as they evoke deep emotions and create lasting memories. Each company, however, bets on a different strategy - be it storytelling, humour, sentimentality, meaningful messages, children, or adorable animals.
The highest viewership and effectiveness of TV ads during Christmas
At Christmas, many people watch considerably more television, especially Christmas-themed films, fairy tales and various entertainment programmes. This means that advertisements have a significantly greater reach and a higher chance of appealing to a wider audience. In addition, Christmas advertising campaigns have become a tradition, creating an annual expectation among consumers. People look forward to new and creative ads every year, which naturally increases the campaigns’ effectiveness.
The most iconic TV advert
The campaigns of certain brands are eagerly anticipated year after year -with great excitement not only from viewers but also from competing companies or brands looking to draw inspiration from the strategies of “the most awaited” for their future efforts. One of these undeniable benchmarks is John Lewis, which made a bold move this year by entrusting its campaign to Saatchi & Saatchi after 14 years of collaboration with Adam&EveDDB. The TV spot Snapper: The Perfect Tree with an emotional musical backdrop by Andrea Bocelli evokes strong feelings. On one hand, viewers appreciate the touching story of a carnivorous plant that dreams of becoming a Christmas tree. On the other hand, there has been some criticism, such as the absence of a father figure in the ad. Reportedly, the company aimed to highlight the reality in the UK, where nearly a quarter of families are single-parent households.
Critics even claim that John Lewis is no longer the alpha and omega of the Christmas advertising season and that the era when everyone imitated the John Lewis brand might be over. Nevertheless, the new ad with the message “Let your traditions grow” has sparked a lively debate -and that’s a good thing. After all, judge for yourself how well the brand has managed to defend its traditional position at the top of Christmas advertising:
Video: John Lewis – Snapper: The Perfect Tree
The most touching ads lead the way globally
Christmas is traditionally marked by fierce competition among brands. Each strives to strike the perfect balance between sincerity, humour, and nostalgia in their holiday campaigns. The winning ads usually stick to a reliable formula, blending elements of storytelling and sentimentality with touches of humour and surprise.
The first group certainly includes last year’s Christmas ad from John Lewis, highlighting the issue of foster care. The TV spot “The Beginner” depicts a middle-aged man trying to learn to skateboard during the pre-Christmas season. Despite constant mishaps, he refuses to give up and keeps practising. Viewers are kept in suspense until the very end, not knowing why this is so important to him. Only at the conclusion of the ad does it become clear: he simply wanted to find a shared interest with the teenage girl he and his wife are welcoming into their home as foster parents for Christmas.
Video: John Lewis – The Beginner
Czechs like humour the most
Czech viewers traditionally appreciate a mix of emotions, traditions, and humour. Some ads are simply unforgettable. Whether it is the 2003 Kofola ad about the golden pig “with its teeth up,” which was remade in 2019, the iconic 2020 Lidl ad featuring Václav Neckář, which responded to the need for slowing down, closeness, and simplicity, or the witty and concise 2010 T-Mobile ad with Chuck Norris. From the wave of positive reactions, it is clear that simple humour as an ingredient in a Christmas ad can triumph in the Czech Republic, even over the classic Christmas atmosphere.
This year, Penny also relied on humour and exaggeration, incorporating the successful duo Genzer and Suchánek into its Christmas campaign. Unlike most ads from other brands targeting emotions like togetherness and closeness, Penny’s campaign took a different approach. “We want to make people laugh and bring as many tears of joy to their eyes as possible. Our spring campaign with G+S was a big success, and the ad has almost 4 million views on YouTube. So, we decided to build on that but take it a step further. We believe that humour and exaggeration will resonate during this Christmas. We dedicated a separate campaign to our social responsibility activities in the autumn, which is why we wanted to do something different. For many, today’s world is not easy, and we hope that our Christmas ads will bring a smile to their faces,” said Vít Vojtěch, Head of Strategic Marketing at Penny, commenting on the campaign.
Video: Penny – At Penny, prices are falling like snow
Simply the best
Every year, many rankings of the best Christmas ads emerge. But the highlights can have many forms, which is why in this year’s Christmas special, we will take a closer look at various themes in Christmas advertising, helping to shorten the impatient wait for Christmas Eve. In the articles we will gradually publish until Christmas, you can look forward to the most touching, funniest, most animated, and star-studded TV spots, among others.
In the next one, we will take a look at which brands and agencies sharpened their claws the best in the pre-Christmas period – get ready for the world’s most feline-fantastic Christmas TV ads!
