Best Christmas Marketing Campaigns of 2016
We’ve gathered the best Christmas marketing campaigns of 2016 to inspire you to create your own powerful festive masterpieces.
Christmas is the perfect time to tap into a new audience and solidify your relationship with your existing customers. Whether you have the biggest or smallest marketing budget in the world, the most important thing to remember about festive marketing is that it’s emotive. Tap into the nation’s mood or make them feel a certain way, and you’ll soon see the benefits.
Here's some of our favourite festive campaigns of the year...
John Lewis – Buster the Boxer
Every year, the public waits with baited breath for the John Lewis Christmas advert. It has become an accepted holiday tradition.
This year’s advert does not disappoint. We watch as a boxer dog named Buster and his young companion dream of jumping high in the sky. The little girl’s parents buy her a trampoline for Christmas. Her dad sets it up on Christmas Eve ready for the big day, then in the night all manner of woodland creatures take turns trying the trampoline out.
Meanwhile, Buster watches, awaiting his chance to experience the fun. On Christmas Day, the little girl gets her new present, only for Buster to enjoy his long-awaited moment on the trampoline.
It’s magical and taps into the joy that people feel when they’re given a present that really means something to them.
Aldi – Kevin The Carrot
In the leading supermarket’s 2016 Christmas advert, we follow a humble carrot on his quest to meet Santa. In the end his dream comes true and Kevin the Carrot helps Father Christmas deliver presents in an unusual way in this festive tale.
The advert, created by McCann UK, is set on Christmas Eve, and we see Kevin waiting anxiously to meet jolly old Saint Nick. He makes his way through a plethora of Christmas food to find the best place to meet the big man himself, only to fall asleep. When he wakes up, Kevin finds himself on the end of a reindeer’s antler, helping guide Santa to his next present drop.
The narrative, music and nostalgic feel of the advert tap into the childlike wonder we all had at Christmas time, and it is very powerful.
Littlewoods – The Christmas Walk
The age-old tradition of the Christmas walk gets a 21st-century makeover this year thanks to Littlewoods. We watch a family don their Christmas glad rags, toys and tech and head on out for their annual Christmas walk. The punchy soundtrack makes it seem more like they’re setting off on a big night out than going for a quick one at the local pub.
True to form, the weather outside is frightful, but nothing is going to stop this family showing off their new goodies. Then they bump into another family also testing out their Christmas presents.
The advert taps into something that we can all relate to. We all have our Christmas traditions, and even if we don’t venture out for a Christmas Day walk, we know a family that does. Nostalgia is a powerful emotion to tap into and Littlewoods has managed to do so successfully while bringing the advert back to its business model in a natural way.
TK Maxx – The Sing-Song Commercial
Retailer TK Maxx have surprised audiences across the UK, Ireland, Germany and Poland this year with a Christmas ad called ‘The Sing-Song’. We watch as a family gathers to sing a Christmas carol around the piano, with unexpected results.
They all break into an acappella chorus of "Misirlou," best known as the theme music from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. Everyone joins in, from the dog to the baby; they all have a silly part to play.
The use of surprise and humour has a direct link back to the brand. TK Maxx knows that its offering can often be random, and it is embracing that wholeheartedly here. In fact, TK Maxx’s a cappella Christmas ad 'sing-song' puts a gurgling grandma front and centre.
The ad reminders you of the childhood fun of ripping open a present to find a fantastic surprise inside. Using the long-standing Christmas tradition of carols, the brand hopes to get shoppers to go ‘off-list’ to handpick gifts that are out of the ordinary, just like the ad.
Burberry – The Tale of Thomas Burberry
Fashion brand Burberry recently released its 2016 Christmas advert celebrating its 160th anniversary. The Tale of Thomas Burberry is a story 160 years in the making. It tells the inspiring story of its founder, Thomas Burberry, and his pioneering discoveries.
We watch as key events in Burberry’s life are reimagined and see how they have shaped the brand. These include the designer’s invention of the weatherproof fabric gabardine, dressing the British military and kitting out polar explorers and pilots.
The three-minute advert is a star-studded piece directed by Academy Award-winning film-maker Asif Kapadia and featuring Sienna Miller, Lily James, Dominic West and Domhnall Gleeson.
The advert captures the founder’s spirit and his vision for the brand, which remain at the heart of everything Burberry does today. It isn’t overly sales-focused, which helps the story, its actors and the message of Burberry’s brand values shine through.
Spread The Christmas Cheer
So what are you waiting for? Isn’t it time you created your own Christmas masterpiece? A-level student Nick Jablonka recently showed how a Christmas marketing campaign doesn’t have to cost the earth.
His John Lewis-themed Christmas advert was so good that it fooled people into thinking it was the real deal.
It just goes to show that you don’t need the biggest budget in the world to create a powerful message that connects with people.
Fluid Branding stocks a wide range of promotional Christmas products designed to get your brand seen. Speak to our team and download our Christmas brochure today.
