A mawkishly singing oven glove, a gift-guzzling plant and a toy elf flying off a roof.
Britain’s Christmas ads are having a midlife crisis.
The bizarre selection of commercials hitting our TV screens over the past weeks reflects the dislocation in the consumer sector ahead of the crucial trading season. Just what sort of Christmas will this be, and how will people celebrate and shop for it? That retailers are struggling to read the mood of their customers, and grappling with how to market their wares to them, is the real storyline.
To recap: The Christmas advertisement became a cultural phenomenon around a decade ago, when John Lewis department stores, part of John Lewis Partnership, broadcast a series of tear-jerking commercials, such as “The Long Wait,” in 2011, when a little boy counts down the days until he can give his parents a gift, all to a cover of “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths. Others featuring Monty the Penguin and Buster the Boxer Dog, not to mention countless imitations, helped the Christmas ad become the British equivalent of Super Bowl halftime commercials in the US. As we could buy everything at the tap of a smartphone, the medium became a way to differentiate retailers’ brands and maintain an emotional connection between store and shopper.
But the pandemic upended this formula.
After the Covid-19 lockdowns, which saw many families separated over the holidays, retailers aren’t sure whether they will get together again. Marks & Spencer Group’s Family Matters Index found that 34% of those surveyed planned to spend more time with loved ones, while 42% were looking forward to events on their calendars, indicating that they will be socialising once more.
Others are hedging their bets. Tesco is stocking more turkeys this year in anticipation of bigger celebrations. By contrast, privately held Asda Group Ltd. is providing more smaller Christmas main meals — and has enlisted crooner Michael Bublé to help sell them. Waitrose is showcasing a festive party with drinks and plenty of nibbles — with another celebrity guest in the form of talk-show host Graham Norton — as the grocer expects more people to entertain at home amid the cost-of-living crisis.
And what even constitutes a family? Amid the culture wars, the risk is that featuring any particular type of unit could alienate others. There have been relatively limited shots of households gathered around the festive table this year. John Lewis is one of the few that put a family at the heart of its offering — showing a grandmother, mother and two children.
Then there is the economic reality for many customers. The consumer has held up remarkably well this year, but the current crop of ads would have been developed not long after Christmas 2022, when things were looking much bleaker.
In tough times, Brits typically prioritize Christmas and often look to the past for comfort. Yet many companies have skipped the nostalgia or tried to put a modern twist on it.
Rather than the typical tear-jerker, John Lewis has opted to uplift and entertain with what it hopes will be a similarly heartwarming tale, but in a strikingly different style. This year’s storyline features a little boy, who, instead of a Christmas tree, grows “Snapper,” a mischievous Venus flytrap, set to a rock-opera tune sung by Andrea Bocelli.
Similarly, Marks & Spencer has chosen a playful look at what constitutes Christmas for its clothing campaign, pointing out that not everyone enjoys board games or making their own decorations. But it hasn’t struck a chord with all. Katharine Birbalsingh, dubbed Britain’s strictest head teacher, wrote to M&S saying that it “puts two fingers up” to traditional values.
Perhaps this year’s more lighthearted offerings have been influenced by Aldi’s successful Kevin the Carrot campaign, now in its eighth year, and showing no signs of losing popularity.
Other contributors to the marketing stalwart’s fracturing are that ads don’t just have to work on TV anymore. Commercials must be sliced and diced to create a slew of social media spinoffs. Indeed, it wasn’t the ad itself that caused a political storm for M&S. Instead, it was a still image shared on Instagram, which was criticized for depicting burning hats that appeared to resemble the colors of the Palestinian flag. M&S said the commercial was filmed in August and apologized for any unintentional hurt caused.
Then there is the associated merchandise. John Lewis, for example, will sell the biggest-ever linked range this year, from cuddly toys to Snapper pajamas. While this creates excitement — and sales — supporting a commercial ecosystem heaps yet more pressure on creative teams and adds complexity.
Yet among all the surrealism, most of this year’s offerings heavily feature the products that retailers are trying to sell. This isn’t always the case and underlines that companies must work hard for every penny through their checkouts.
After all, although the commercials are important for brand differentiation, they can’t compensate for poor strategic choices. Even those shoppers who love Snapper are unlikely to rescue sales at John Lewis, which is struggling.
Similarly, a duff campaign won’t knock a confident retailer off course. For all the controversy around the M&S clothing ad, the retailer sold 5,000 of the £59 ($72) black sparkly dress worn by Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham in the first week after it aired.
That’s a crumb of comfort for stores whose marketing hasn’t chimed with customers. Still, with concerns rising that the consumer pain has been deferred until 2024, not dissipated, don’t be surprised to see the kookiness of Christmas 2023 going out with the discarded wrapping paper.