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Christmas MarketingCampaigns 2024

Account Executive Paddy Crossan gets into the festive spirit by looking at whether some famous brands have hit the mark with their Christmas marketing campaigns this year.

09/02/2025

All AI Want For Christmas Is You

Before we look into which companies and brands have taken the Christmas crown this year with their adverts and marketing campaigns, we need to know how they ideate, produce and deliver them.

As it turns out, they don’t. Data from a digital experience platform has revealed that over half of UK marketers have put their faith in Artificial Intelligence to spark the ideas for them. Gone are the days of the office brainstorm it seems, AI has us covered!

However, the question now looms over how AI can truly understand the spirit of Christmas, is it not more than just facts and figures? Apparently not! It turns out AI knows us, and Christmas, rather well. As a result, 43% of UK marketers are using the tool to personalise the content you see over the Festive season.

Flat reception for Coca-Cola

Despite being a staple of Christmas with their famous red and white colours, Coca-Cola felt the need to turn to AI this year and have paid the price for it. Those hoping to see the usual parade of festively-lit trucks with Holidays Are Coming chiming out were left disappointed this year, as the soft drinks giant were accused by some of “ruining Christmas” with their selection of AI ads.

Whilst they’ve tried to stick to traditions in some sense, we’re just not sure they quite hit the mark this year.

John Lewis… obviously!

Can you really have a blog on Christmas marketing without including what is the most eagerly anticipated advert every year? John Lewis has to get a mention as they seem to have pulled it out of the bag once again.

This year’s ad wasn’t the tear-jerker that a lot of people want, but it certainly captured one of the most important parts of Christmas, giving. Following the story of an older sister frantically trying to find the perfect gift for her younger sibling, it will resonate most with those who pride themselves on their gift-giving abilities.

Grandparents, parents, siblings, friends – everyone wants to be considered a good gift giver. The theme of shared memories throughout the advert is something that always comes into play when trying to find the perfect gift. Instead of focusing on having the perfect Christmas dinner or receiving the perfect gift, the emphasis on giving here certainly hit the mark.

Cadbury: Very, Very Secret Santa

If you have switched on your television in December even once since 2018 you will likely have seen Cadbury advertising their Secret Santa campaign. Now in its seventh year, it offers people the chance to send a free bar of Cadbury chocolate to a special someone, in the style of the increasingly popular ‘Secret Santa’.

Whilst it is a great idea, the one flaw with this is just how secret it is. The walk from London Waterloo to Chancery Lane certainly isn’t a quiet one, passing countless bus stops and points of interest, yet Cadbury’s Secret Santa posters seem to avoid that route altogether.

Nonetheless, the scarcity of these posters has led me to their website where you can find posters near you (if there are any), so I suppose it has worked from their point of view. On a lighter note, chocolate really is a staple of Christmas, and Cadbury is a staple of chocolate, so the idea of sending a loved one a surprise bar of their favourite treat is really what the festive season is all about, giving.

All AI Want For Christmas Is You

Before we look into which companies and brands have taken the Christmas crown this year with their adverts and marketing campaigns, we need to know how they ideate, produce and deliver them.

As it turns out, they don’t. Data from a digital experience platform has revealed that over half of UK marketers have put their faith in Artificial Intelligence to spark the ideas for them. Gone are the days of the office brainstorm it seems, AI has us covered!

However, the question now looms over how AI can truly understand the spirit of Christmas, is it not more than just facts and figures? Apparently not! It turns out AI knows us, and Christmas, rather well. As a result, 43% of UK marketers are using the tool to personalise the content you see over the Festive season.

John Lewis… obviously!

Can you really have a blog on Christmas marketing without including what is the most eagerly anticipated advert every year? John Lewis has to get a mention as they seem to have pulled it out of the bag once again.

This year’s ad wasn’t the tear-jerker that a lot of people want, but it certainly captured one of the most important parts of Christmas, giving. Following the story of an older sister frantically trying to find the perfect gift for her younger sibling, it will resonate most with those who pride themselves on their gift-giving abilities.

Grandparents, parents, siblings, friends – everyone wants to be considered a good gift giver. The theme of shared memories throughout the advert is something that always comes into play when trying to find the perfect gift. Instead of focusing on having the perfect Christmas dinner or receiving the perfect gift, the emphasis on giving here certainly hit the mark.

Flat reception for Coca-Cola

Despite being a staple of Christmas with their famous red and white colours, Coca-Cola felt the need to turn to AI this year and have paid the price for it. Those hoping to see the usual parade of festively-lit trucks with Holidays Are Coming chiming out were left disappointed this year, as the soft drinks giant were accused by some of “ruining Christmas” with their selection of AI ads.

Whilst they’ve tried to stick to traditions in some sense, we’re just not sure they quite hit the mark this year.

Cadbury: Very, Very Secret Santa

If you have switched on your television in December even once since 2018 you will likely have seen Cadbury advertising their Secret Santa campaign. Now in its seventh year, it offers people the chance to send a free bar of Cadbury chocolate to a special someone, in the style of the increasingly popular ‘Secret Santa’.

Whilst it is a great idea, the one flaw with this is just how secret it is. The walk from London Waterloo to Chancery Lane certainly isn’t a quiet one, passing countless bus stops and points of interest, yet Cadbury’s Secret Santa posters seem to avoid that route altogether.

Nonetheless, the scarcity of these posters has led me to their website where you can find posters near you (if there are any), so I suppose it has worked from their point of view. On a lighter note, chocolate really is a staple of Christmas, and Cadbury is a staple of chocolate, so the idea of sending a loved one a surprise bar of their favourite treat is really what the festive season is all about, giving.

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