Cheer up, it'll soon be Christmas

While the country is busy dealing with vagaries of the British summer and keeping an anxious eye on weather forecasts, agencies and brands are already starting to channel the festive spirit as they finesse the details of UK advertising’s own Super Bowl: holiday season.

A key question that will be tabled revolves around which celebrity talent, artists, influencers and creators can be integrated into your campaign to guarantee that it resonates with your audience and really stands out. 

Get it right, and it can deliver seasonal sales and lasting impact. But on the other side of the coin is the potential to serve up a very expensive Christmas turkey.

To give you a steer in the right direction, here are some points to consider.

Legacy stars + up-and-coming talent = intergenerational impact

Many Brits spend the holidays with their families, and brands are catching on that blending a star familiar to older generations with one that the TikTok community recognises is a great way to increase engagement – a great example being H&M’s recent launch of its Move! workout clothing brand with Jane Fonda and choreographer JaQuel Knight.

The fact is that the meteoric rise of the creator economy is propelling digital natives into mainstream appeal.

As talent becomes decentralised and less segmented a blended approach can cut through and engage every member of the family.

Have fun with it, experiment and play on the polarising juxtaposition of a clash of talent from different worlds and generations.

Get creative with character plays and dial up escapism

Nostalgia is popping up everywhere in advertising because it provides a powerful form of escapism—something that is likely to be in demand again this Christmas.

Last year Asda did a highly effective job with its homage to the Will Ferrell classic Elf, but to add relevance in 2023, brands can also ride the wave of upcoming Hollywood movies and TV shows reviving beloved heroes such as Indiana Jones, Spider-Man and The Flash.

This is a huge blank canvas of creativity and the possibilities to capture a moment in time steeped in emotion and familiarity is more relevant and powerful than ever.

Ground your creative intention in authenticity 

From world-famous celebrities to up-and-coming artists, the talent you use needs to be authentic, relevant and credible in order to resonate with audiences, especially against the backdrop of the cost-of-living crisis.

Many brands will be focused on giving back this Christmas – if you’re one of them, ensure the talent you use is driving the reach of that message and action in the real world. 

Bring talent behind the scenes and let the creators create

Not all campaigns need famous faces to fly, as John Lewis has demonstrated. But if you are integrating talent in a campaign, pursuing a collaborative process can really elevate the work.

Some good examples recently are Daniel Craig and Taika Waititi for Belvedere and Bombay Sapphire’s collaboration with Baz Lurhman. Trusting a talent’s process and eye is the key, whether they’re a Hollywood director or an emerging creator with a loyal social community.

Be bold, and be faster than culture

Smart brands and their agencies constantly have a metaphorical ear to the ground so they know what the next big thing will be, and that provides a particularly good opportunity at Christmas.

Whatever is relevant to your audience in music, film, sport, books and so on, figuring out who will be having a moment this winter can lead to your campaign becoming a part of the cultural conversation, fuelling its impact with earned media and organic conversation at scale.

Avoid tokenism by understanding your audience

Several Christmas 2022 campaigns faced criticism for being tokenistic and showing negative stereotypes. To stamp this issue out, brands must do audience research at every stage of planning talent in campaigns.

The people behind the scenes are just as important as those on camera. Do the production crews, creative teams and script writers bring diversity and understanding of the audiences you are trying to engage as well as the talent themselves?

To show authentic understanding of communities and find ways to play on this accordingly, those making the work are equally imperative as those starring in it.

Make sure talent you are casting are landing the right tone and that their real-world persona is believable and resonates with the planned creative.

Lastly, as you gather around the table in early August to talk turkey, mince pies and fake snow, don’t forget what the season is really all about.

The power of the right alignment, whether it be celebrity name or creator collaborator, can bring joy and entertainment, lifting your campaign out amongst a sea of sameness and giving audiences what they need the most right now—feel-good emotion.

Emma Shuldham is the managing director of Attachment.