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As we step into December, the festive season kicks up a gear and brands are ramping up their annual Christmas ad campaigns.This week, we’re bringing you the second of our 2 part series unpacking holiday advertising in the UK and the US! 🇬🇧 🇺🇸
So next up – the US! Coca-Cola (The World Needs More Santas) and Amazon (Joy Ride) have both invested in big national televised Christmas campaigns this year – but has the investment paid off? Are they leaving both young and old full of that elusive Christmas spirit? Or was the reception more frosty?
BoltChatAI – the World’s First AI-Powered Qualitative Research Tool uncovers the top must know insights, as we head towards the home stretch of Christmas 2023!
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM US
Generational Cheers: What do all generations have in common?
Emotional Connection and Nostalgia:
These Christmas ads struck a chord, eliciting nostalgia, happiness, and warmth across both Gen Z and older demographics.
Influence on Purchases:
: Both age groups reported positive impacts on their likelihood to purchase from the brands featured in the commercials. The ads acted as effective reminders, boosting brand awareness and influencing consumer decisions during the holiday season.
Target Audience:
The commercials successfully appealed to a wide audience, capturing the attention of Christmas celebrants and holiday shoppers alike. Inclusivity, featuring diverse characters, contributed to the broad appeal of the ads.
Gen Z vs. Older Audiences:
Gen Z preferred Coca-Cola for its festive spirit and nostalgia, while older consumers had diverse opinions. Older viewers appreciated Coca-Cola’s traditional vibe and Amazon’s creative portrayal of friendship. Coca-Cola’s ad aligned well with its brand image, fostering positive perceptions, while Amazon’s ad generated mixed reviews on representing brand values.
Festive Notes: Impactful Branding:
Both age groups found the ads emotionally impactful, underscoring the potency of nostalgia and positive messaging in holiday advertising. Gen Z leaned towards human-centricity and inclusivity , showcasing a clear preference, while older viewers displayed diverse opinions, highlighting the subjective nature of emotional connections in advertising. The influence on purchasing decisions was evident in both reports, emphasizing the commercials’ role in brand awareness and consumer considerations during the festive season.
The Key Insights for Christmas Campaigns
Even though digital media is becoming more popular than TV, our research revealed that large national TV Christmas campaigns are still a great way for brands to create positive connections and associations with audiences across different age groups.
Christmas is universal among age groups, and if brands get it right – it’s a great way of positively impacting and connecting with a broad audience: but brands have to be careful to create campaigns that align with their brand image and values – as we saw with Amazon, their campaign created some dissonance among consumers.
Our research showed Christmas transcends generational boundaries – bringing happiness and good feelings to both young and old. But while for Gen-Z, it makes them look forward in excitement and anticipation, older generations tend to look back in happy nostalgia. The brands that understand this dynamic can connect more authentically and effectively with their target demographics in their future Christmas campaigns.
Here’s to the magic of Christmas commercials and the joy they bring us, across the generations!
Quotes:
• “Christmas ads get me in a festive mood and I look forward to them each year” – Age 28 Male
• “Christmas ads make me more interested in purchasing from a brand because of the appealing products and the creativity and Christmas theme to go with it.” – Age 25, female
• “Both commercials made me happy because it reminded me that I can see my family for the holidays.” – Age 26, male
• “They each had very good points and emotional elements and really made you feel in tune with the Christmas spirit.” – Age 27, female
• ”The first one made me feel happy and nostalgic like a child and the second one made me think about my grandparents and my own childhood too. And how I will grow up and be old and reminisce about my childhood too.” – Age 18, female
