According to the Advertising Report 2023, the Czech marketing communications market will see a total growth of 12% in 2023, with growth in 2024 estimated at 8.4% at the time. Spending in the media space is continuously increasing. This is especially true for television and the internet - these two media continue to be strong marketing channels with sustained growth. Radio has also seen growth, while print and OOH advertising show only a slight improvement.
The top ten advertisers have been food chains for several years, competing with each other and steadily increasing their advertising investment. The largest advertiser in 2023 was Lidl, whose investments reached CZK 2.963 billion, followed by Kaufland with CZK 2.895 billion and Albert with CZK 2.581 billion.
Source: NielsenMajor Czech brands with international reach
Czech brands that are among the most successful and have earned a good reputation abroad include Kofola, Pilsner Urquel, Škoda or ETA. As far as consumers are concerned, according to this year’s Ipsos survey, Czechs have the closest relationship with brands such as Lidl, Youtube and Dr. Max:
Source: IpsosSurvey of the results of last year’s Christmas campaigns
According to Ipsos, Vodafone’s Christmas spot featuring actor Martin Hofmann was the best performing last year. The ad grabbed attention with the familiar face and its singing element, which captured more interest than the usual voice-over. Another strong campaign was the Penny ad, which relied on the popular entertainer duo Michal Suchánek and Richard Genzer and achieved high memorability thanks to the Italian melody. Both these ads had a recognition rate of almost 70%. At the other end of the ranking, Vivantis’s and Rohlík’s ads were remembered by only a few per cent of viewers, and neither of them was perceived as a typical Christmas ad.
An interesting phenomenon is Lidl, whose ad with a raccoon was considered appropriate for Christmas by 60% of people, although the raccoon is not a usual symbol of Czech holidays at all. Coca-Cola has traditionally pleased its customers. Its ad featuring Santa and a red truck has long been synonymous with Christmas. Another interesting trend is the localisation of advertisements, where foreign spots can be successfully adapted for the Czech market. However, T-Mobile’s campaign did not achieve great success; its attempt at a humorous carol aroused rather negative emotions among viewers, which was reflected in a low level of positive perception of the brand.
Source: IpsosAlthough last year’s Christmas did not bring any advertising stars, this year’s holidays may offer a new success that will engage viewers in all aspects. So, let’s take a look at how the famous Czech brands have armed themselves for this Christmas and the advertising spots they are using to excite consumers.
Alza
This Christmas, Alza’s mascot Alzák will have an important function as a sidekick. The brand has decided to make a change and has added a family to the green mascot, embodying the customers Alzák is happy to advise. Armada Films is behind the CGI animations with 3D studio RUR. The family in the ad is intended to expand the brand’s ecosystem. Marek Říha, brand strategist, said, "The family plays a key role in the evolution of our concept, and through it, we are moving the perception of the Alza brand closer to our customers. Alzák remains a guide and a helper, while the family helps us introduce our customers to how our services, such as 'Order by midnight, have it in AlzaBox in the morning' or 'AlzaPlus+', make everyday life easier and bring benefits. With the help of the family, we want to increase the emotional connection customers have with our brand. It offers stories and life situations in which customers can see themselves. That’s why the design of the characters and environments was created to reflect ordinary households.” The new family will remain part of the campaigns beyond Christmas and will continually evolve to reflect the changing needs of consumers.
Video: Alza
T-mobile
This year’s T-Mobile Christmas campaign, “Where Barriers End, Connections Begin”, focuses on overcoming the social and mental barriers that keep us apart. In this day and age, where people are more connected through technology, there are still ‘social bubbles’ where individuals only exchange views with like-minded people. The campaign calls for greater communication and understanding between people and appeals to the importance of tolerance and belonging to be key both within families and in wider society.
The story of the Christmas spot depicts two girls growing up in separate worlds, with mistrust between them, but a strong friendship developing despite the barriers. This relationship, which faces prejudice, culminates in an emotional scene where the girls symbolically break through the glass wall that separates them. The campaign shows that even small steps towards understanding can lead to big changes. The slogan #BetweenThemselves, which appears throughout the campaign, celebrates closeness and mutual understanding, which is in line with the main message of the campaign.
Video: T-Mobile
Notino
Notino has already launched its Christmas campaign. The ad introduces the Gift Finder and Fragrance Finder tools. The faces of the campaign are the ambassadors Ewa Farna and Kristína Svarinská, who show how Notino’s technology helps them buy Christmas gifts. Ewa, a popular Czech singer, lets viewers in on her slightly chaotic Christmas preparations, while Kristína clearly doesn’t succumb to the Christmas stress and shops for gifts with ease on an exotic beach.
The campaign also highlights Notino’s additional services, such as engraving and gift wrapping. “With the visual style and our ambassadors, we can go almost anywhere and still be consistent. This time, we peeked backstage at a concert, took a look at Eva’s Christmas home and went with Kristína to an exotic beach. We are curious to see where we take you next,” said Jakub Havlík, Creative Group Head at Saatchi & Saatch, the agency behind the campaign.
Video: Notino
Video: Notino
Vodafone
Vodafone has enriched its Christmas campaign this year with a new mascot Flex, who becomes the partner of the energetic Martin Hofmann in the shopping rush. “The mascot symbolises Vodafone’s innovative Flex suite of services, which makes the latest technology easily accessible to all. Whether it is the ability to sell off old phones and tablets, discounted financing for new devices, carefree use of technology with Vodafone Care insurance or a one-number service for multiple devices, such as calling from a smartwatch,” explained the brand’s intention Zohar Weitz, Vodafone’s Vice President for Consumer Segment. The campaign, made by the creative agency McCann Prague, will run until the end of December on various platforms, including TV, radio and social media.
Video: Vodafone
Dr. Max
Dr. Max has launched its first fully integrated Christmas campaign, which aims to bring the Christmas spirit into pharmacies and remind the value of health as one of the most precious gifts. The campaign features the magical town of Zdravíkov, where people value their health the most. It is symbolised by the glass ball Zdravonka. The ad, brimming with Christmas spirit, features the Christmas wish “Healthy and Merry Christmas”, which highlights the central theme of the campaign.
The campaign focuses primarily on video and longer formats that allow the Zdravíkov story to be fully developed and strengthen the emotional connection with the brand. The filming took place in Prague’s Barrandov film studios - the creators also used drone footage. The main roles are played by actress Pavla Dostálová and Polish actor Hubert Kozuchowski. The creative was made by McCann Prague.
Video: Dr. Max
Kofola
Kofola used a classic this year, too - the “big upward teeth” are simply unbeatable. In this year’s Christmas campaign, the brand decided to give the gift of goodness, and that’s why it presents this year’s limited Christmas edition - Marlenka-flavoured Kofola - at the end of the spot, which was co-created by Wiktor Leo Burnett. “It’s a playful double entendre to say that we’re coming up with an original Christmas novelty, but at the same time, we’re encouraging people to be kind to each other,” explained Nikola Thomson, brand manager at Kofola. The Christmas campaign will be complemented this year by a consumer competition, the main prize of which is a voucher for an Amazing Places experience worth CZK 100,000.
Video: Kofola
Albert
The main idea of this year’s Christmas campaign of Albert is that Christmas doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. It builds on the "It's worth eating better" platform and highlights the Christmas delicacies from the Albert Excellent range. The main message of the campaign is that when food is excellent, any Christmas imperfection can be overcome with a smile.
The campaign uses the format of a family emotional story, starring real employees and other actors helping out at food banks. The story is supported by a musical soundtrack of Louis Armstrong’s song, highlighting that the real beauty of Christmas is in the time spent together and the quality of the food, not the perfection of the preparations. Creative agency VCCP has returned to the tradition of a strong emotional story that brings a human perspective to the Christmas season.
Video: Albert
The campaign includes an emphasis on social responsibility - Albert is donating 7.6 million portions of food through Food Banks this year, including a new fresh food item.
Video: Albert
O2
This year’s O2 Christmas campaign is focused on encouraging the replacement of older mobile phones with new 5G models. The operator, which recently completed a major upgrade of its mobile network, wants to increase the availability of 5G to a wider range of customers. The campaign appeals to safety, highlighting the risks of outdated phones and showing situations where old devices leave users stranded, such as when making video calls or trying to connect to a fast 5G network. The creative concept of the campaign was prepared by Free Andy Agency, and the spots were created in the Slovak 3D studio Alien.
Video: O2
Coca-Cola
This year, Coca-Cola continues its “The World Needs More Santas” campaign, which evokes themes of kindness, goodwill and generosity. “The central idea of this year's Christmas campaign is that each of us can be Santa and that the true magic of Christmas lies in making someone happy through a good deed or act of kindness,” explains Kateřina Třísková, Marketing Manager for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. “This year, we are also using AI to allow people to chat with Santa and together create a unique virtual snow globe full of their memories to share with their loved ones,” she added. The Create Real Magic™ experience will be available via QR code and uses multimodal AI, including a 3D avatar of Santa, real-life conversation and the generation of unique images based on personal memories and experiences.
The brand is expanding its traditional Christmas roadshow, which includes an experiential truck this year transporting visitors to Lapland, and is supporting the Czech and Slovak Red Cross, which it will support by donating proceeds from the sale of refreshments and Christmas products. The campaign also comprises a competition with the main prize being a stay in Santa’s Town in Lapland. The marketing concept includes the iconic Christmas TV ad “Holidays are Coming”.
Video: Coca-Cola
Tesco
“We help you enjoy the Christmas holidays to the fullest. With Tesco, you always get something extra to make your festive experience truly unforgettable. For you, your family and all your loved ones.” This is the motto of this year’s Christmas campaign of Tesco. The campaign is running on a variety of platforms, including TV, digital channels, social media, radio and POS materials in stores. With this comprehensive support, Tesco believes it will help customers feel the true magic of Christmas in every step of their festive preparations. One of this year’s new features will be a digital Wheel of Fortune competition in December for Clubcard app users. With it, customers not only get the chance to win great prizes but also other benefits. The TV spot offers the chance to experience a magically generous Christmas - thanks to Tesco.
Video: Tesco
Lidl
When the bell rings, make a wish, says the emotional story that Lidl has incorporated into its Christmas advertising this year. And hand on heart, Lidl is good with Christmas stories. This year’s Christmas spot is a beautiful reminder that miracles are waiting for us at every corner.
Video: Lidl
Rohlík
“Forget the queues. Enjoy your time with those you care about,” is the main message of this year’s Christmas campaign launched by Rohlík. It promises customers that it will deliver everything they need for a carefree Christmas.
Video: Rohlík
Billa
For a change, Billa is betting on a verse and a generous range of treats to ensure that anyone in the household can eat without worry until Christmas arrives.
Video: Billa
Christmas competition is fierce
It remains to be seen how this year’s campaigns will fare. Christmas campaigns are challenging for advertisers for many reasons:
- High competition: There is a huge amount of advertising in the market during the Christmas period as most brands try to take advantage of the festive spirit and boost sales. This means that advertisers face intense competition for consumers’ attention, which can lead to ad overload and less effective campaigns.
- Emotional demands: Christmas is a highly emotional time, and advertising must evoke positive feelings such as joy, love and well-being. Achieving this without the ad becoming clichéd or manipulative is difficult. Advertisers must strike a balance between commercial objectives and an emotional message that appeals to the target audience.
- High expectations: Consumers have high expectations in this period, not only for products but also for advertising campaigns. They expect creativity, originality and memorable experiences. This increases the pressure on brands to make their campaigns unique and in line with the spirit of Christmas.
- Big budget demands: Christmas campaigns usually require bigger budgets, which means you need to plan and allocate resources carefully to get maximum results. High competition and the cost of media space make it difficult to achieve value for money.
Originality and creativity, support for good deeds, collaboration with influencers, and, to some extent, interactivity can help brands deal with these challenges. What kind of Christmas campaign will your brand launch into the world?