UK Christmas advertising attracts record spending but brands shun television

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In the annual battle for the hearts and wallets of British consumers this Christmas one winner has already emerged: the advertising market.

Advertisers are set to spend a record £10.5bn in the UK over the Christmas season, according to industry trade body the Advertising Association and data provider WARC, with campaigns already launched by supermarket chains such as Marks and Spencer, Aldi and Waitrose.

The record spending on campaigns to attract Christmas shoppers and gift-givers represents a 7.8 per cent increase from the £9.7bn spent last year. Excluding the post-pandemic recovery year of 2021 the rise will be the biggest since records began in 1982.

“Christmas is the UK Super Bowl of marketing,” said James Murphy, chief executive of Ogilvy UK, who has previously worked on campaigns for M&S and John Lewis. “Christmas ads have evolved from just showcasing products to focusing on storytelling.”

The data also highlights a shift in spending from television — where once brands would fight over the ad breaks between soap operas and cosy crime dramas — to online. 

Advertising through search engines is expected to rise almost 9 per cent to more than £4bn, with online display ads, including social media, rising the most by 15.8 per cent to just under £4bn. Meanwhile, the amount of money expected to be spent on TV advertising has fallen almost 5 per cent to £1.4bn.

In 2023, campaigns by Aldi, featuring a Kevin the Carrot toy, and Coca-Cola were seen as among the most effective. This year Aldi features Kevin again, while actors Matthew Macfadyen and Dawn French appear for Waitrose and M&S respectively. 

The first part of John Lewis’s Christmas ad is narrated by actor Samantha Morton under the tagline ‘Give Knowingly’ about an unexpectedly popular present — a pink jumper. 

“Christmas isn’t just starting earlier every year, it’s getting bigger,” said Gabby Ludzker, chief executive of marketing agency Rapp UK.

“The real pivot, however, is the skyrocketing increase in online media spend at 16 per cent — the highest uplift since last year of any medium. This reflects the massively accelerated advances in precision targeting, predictive models and the payback of personalisation.”

Advertising on streamers and broadcaster video on demand is also expected to rise, while ad spending in cinemas, against seasonal releases such as Paddington in Peru, Wicked and Gladiator 2, is up 5.1 per cent.