As we creep ever closer to the festive season, brands have dropped their Christmas ads in the race to secure some Christmas customers. However, in yet another year of financial instability for the UK, the thought of all this spending might be leaving a bad taste in the mouths of Brits – or is that the overboiled sprouts?

The UK’s staggering Christmas spend

Despite Brits pinching pennies, struggling to get on the property ladder and wondering whether retirement will even exist by the time they reach an appropriate age, UK brands are forecast to spend £10.5 billion on advertising over the Christmas season. That’s up from £9.7 billion last year.

While it might seem that British retailers aren’t feeling the same financial pressures that we are, stats suggest that one thing us Brits will still spend money on is Christmas. According to financial comparison site Finder, Brits are projected to spend an average of £923 per person on gifts, food, travel and socialising this Christmas. That’s a total of £46.4 billion across the whole of the UK.

Should tradition trump integrity at Christmas?

When talking about the amount of money spent by brands on Christmas advertising, Prof Helen Wheatley, a historian of television, told BBC News: “The tradition continues, partly because it’s an absolutely prime time for retailers to be speaking to potential consumers, and partly because it’s entrenched and it’s something they’ve always done.”

Someone once said that tradition is just peer pressure from the dead, and while it’s not a particularly festive take, I’m inclined to agree. Times, values and attitudes are continually changing, and “that’s the way we’ve always done it” isn’t always a good enough reason to continue doing something. That’s not to say that I think we should get rid of Christmas ads altogether; just that it might be time to take a step back and think about what’s actually important.

Kindness and connections have been increasingly important themes in Christmas ads over the years, most notably in 2020, when global consumers were understandably feeling pretty low in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. With most brands focusing on the true meaning of Christmas, there was more of a warm and fuzzy community feel that reminded us that we’re all humans, and we’re all in this together.

However, last year, I talked about whether Christmas ads were still relevant, as backlash, controversy and claims of anti-Palestine propaganda ran rife, so it’s clearly very possible for brands to still completely miss the mark. Some people seem to love the ads that eschew the glitz and glamour to highlight an important cause, while others find them unfestive and overly political. Unfortunately, you’re never going to be able to please everyone, and that’s not really the goal for most brands.

It’s beginning to look a lot like AI

One of the most beloved Christmas traditions is the return of the Coca-Cola trucks, covered in lights and rolling through snowy scenery on their way to deliver tasty drinks for the festivities. This year, however, audiences were shocked to find that this Christmas staple has been tainted by the scourge of AI. The fully AI generated offering features the same format we’ve been enjoying since the classic ‘Holidays are coming’ advert of 1995 but with creepy, uncanny valley smiles and unsettlingly perfect animals watching from the snow.

The disclaimer “Created by Real Magic AI” feels very unfestive, and there’s something so funny about this AI creation being paired with the classic Coca-Cola Christmas jingle “Tis the season, it’s always the real thing.” It fascinates me to think how many people were involved in this process but they didn’t think to change the jingle to something a little less ironic. Although, to be fair, “Tis the season, we ruined the environment to make this advert” isn’t very festive either.

Javier Meza, the EU chief marketing officer at Coca-Cola, told MarketingWeek “We didn’t start by saying: ‘OK, we need to do this with AI.’ The brief was, we want to bring Holidays Are Coming into the present and then we explored AI as a solution to that.” Reindeershit. Coca-Cola has also said that using AI was “efficient” and saved them both time and money, but I guess that’s just an added benefit of embracing the technology of future. Fair enough if they used that saved money to address some of the (many) issues they’ve been criticised for over the years, but if that’s the plan then they’re staying pretty quiet about it.

Tackling the big issues at Christmas

On a different note, I want to talk about the Big Issue’s ‘12 Days of Homelessness’ campaign. Reimagining the classic Twelve Days of Christmas carol, this poignant advert not only calls out the ongoing cost of living crisis, but highlights the struggles of the people the charity supports. The juxtaposition of the familiar carol and the (hopefully for many) unfamiliar situations these Big Issue vendors have faced really makes the message stand out.

From ‘twelve people in a two-bed’ to ‘six months sober, over’ these short yet powerful statements really made me think about how fortunate I am, and how, even during a period of festivity, there are so many people out there suffering. The ad then moves into what ‘the Big Issue gave to me’ on the twelfth day of Christmas, sharing the ways the organisation helps people to get back on their feet. Two that really stuck with me are ‘Help with my vision’ and ‘A sense of pride and worth’ – things that I’m sure we all take for granted, but that many people find themselves without.

Is the campaign particularly heartwarming and festive? Does it feature a fun song or a cute character? Does it encourage you to buy decadent food and expensive gifts? No. And that’s why it stands out. There are often debates about what the ‘real’ meaning of Christmas is, but it certainly isn’t consumerism. ‘Peace on earth and goodwill to all men’ has long been associated with Christmas, and I think the Big Issue ad nails this concept perfectly.

Balancing creativity with the Christmas spirit

Don’t get me wrong; I love the creativity and storytelling that comes with the annual crop of Christmas adverts. From John Lewis’ Narnia-like exploration through two sisters’ relationship in search of the perfect present to Disney’s quirky boy-and-octopus friendship, there’s lots to enjoy this year. However, I do think that brands might need to read the room a little and put their budgets to something more worthwhile than pushing their wares.

Last year, Iceland made a statement by not making a Christmas ad at all. Executive Chairman Richard Walker said: “As a business we were faced with a decision: Do we spend millions creating and sharing a TV advert or do we invest the money supporting our customers during the cost-of-living crisis? This was a no-brainer.” Co-op also chose to forego the traditional Christmas ad in 2023 and asked members and customers to donate to local community groups, which they matched up to £1 million.

Interestingly, Iceland’s 2024 Christmas offering is an advert starring Big Brother alum Josie Gibson, who cheerfully points out that the festive period isn’t just about buying food for one big meal, but also for lots of other meals as well. So… Christmas isn’t just about going to Iceland to buy your turkey, but also to buy curry, chicken strips and pizza for the days either side. I’m not sure how much they paid Josie for this four-part campaign but I’m confident that it would have been better appreciated by the Big Issue vendors.

Let’s be more nice and less naughty – even after Christmas

In the conclusion of last year’s Christmas advert article, I said the following: “The fun and glitz and tradition of the Christmas ad season is a compelling reason to keep things going, but one look at your local highstreet with its empty storefronts and increasing homeless population might make you think again.” 12 months on, I don’t feel any different, but I do still think there’s a place for the festivity of the annual Christmas ad drop.

For me, the importance lies in integrity. What a brand says and does as part of its Christmas campaign is one thing; whether it stands by these statements for the other 11 months of the year is another matter. In a Christmas advert, Amazon can give a janitor recognition for having a professional-grade singing voice, but in real life, they’re giving the gift of oppressive working conditions. It just feels a little gross.

Finder’s research found that millennials are planning to spend an average of £871 on gifts this year. Making up the largest percentage of global consumers, this demographic (and their generous gift-giving budget – even during an economic crisis) is hugely important for brands. With generational buying habits showing that advocating for social issues like racial justice, income equality and climate change has a huge impact on millennial purchasing decisions, brands need to pay more attention to nailing the Christmas spirit, and following through on their promises year round.