2013 Christmas Advertising – Who’s Doing What?

There may only be 5 weeks left until Christmas, but that hasn’t stopped high street retailers, supermarkets and food and drink brands going on the festive attack. The launching of the Christmas campaigns is now an event in itself, with millions of people turning on the TV just to watch the adverts…. we also fall into this category unashamedly; and because of this we’re taking a simple look at who’s doing what this year!

Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s is pulling out all the stops this year. It has teamed up with Oscar-winning director Kevin McDonald to create a 50-minute feature film that aims to show how Britain spends Christmas day using home videos sent in by customers.
The campaign is part of a wider trend for brands to use content to create buzz and interest on social media. Nevertheless, the supermarket has taken a risk here by moving away from the usual ads bonanza and focusing its Christmas attention on a film.

John Lewis
The launch of the John Lewis ad has got everyone talking; rivalling Super Bowl ads in terms of expectation, hype and social buzz and chatter. This year it even managed to convince Simon Cowell to reschedule the X Factor to allow it to take over a whole ad break during programme and created a projection on the South Bank.

Positioned around “thoughtful giving”, John Lewis has managed to convince the British population that spending money on the perfect gift is the way to a successful Christmas. A marketing coup if ever there was one.

Tesco
Like rival Sainsbury’s, Tesco is trying to portray the reality of Christmas for families, rather than a “perfect airbrushed one”. It focuses on one family, using cinefilm and videocam footage to show their experience of the festive season over the past 50 years.

The idea isn’t particularly new, but it is well executed and manages to create an emotional connection with the viewer. The supermarket will be hoping the ad helps it continue its recent modest sales revival.
Last, but by at no means least…

Royal Mail
It’s a time for giving so where would Christmas be without the Royal Mail?

The company has released its second advert in over six years to mark the crucial role they play in delivering our cards and presents over the festive period. The advert is called “We Love Parcels” and features real-life postal workers delivering gifts to excited families across the land.

The firm deliver one billion items of mail each year – of which hundreds of millions will be over Christmas.

The 30-second track is accompanied by a special version of the iconic Beatles song “All You Need is Love”, sung by the official Royal Mail choir.

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