From Bridget Jones to Buddy the Elf: Best Licensed IP Christmas Campaigns
Christmas in the UK in the most competitive season of all
Christmas is typically a season of wholesomeness and joy, a time when families get together to eat, share gifts and create wonderful moments to be remembered forever. Christmas advertising campaigns play on these feelings of cosiness and nostalgia, in an effort to associate brands with our dearest and happiest memories. For these reasons, Christmas campaigns are an extremely competitive ground, where brands and agencies strive each year to create the most memorable and loved Christmas ad.
We think that fictional characters are absolute winners when it comes to Christmas commercials, for a number a reasons:
They don’t need introductions – everybody knows them and loves them
They will never be at the centre of tabloids and scandals
They have multi-generational appeal – from Millennials to Gen Z, they’re very popular amongst different age groups
They are versatile, consistent, fun to work with, and they’ll show up on time!
Below you will find some of our favourite licensed IP Christmas campaigns, most of which we’re sure you’ll immediately recognise. And if you’re still looking for a fictional superstar to feature in your next Christmas campaign, look no further!
Capital One x Saturday Night Fever
Who knew that Saturday Night Fever could work for Christmas too? In the campaign for Capital One, John Travolta dressed up as Santa Claus and strutted his way around the city performing Christmas miracles. At the end of the ad, he can be seen recreating his iconic ‘Staying Alive’ routine as Tony Manero: the affiliation with the original movie made the spot an instant classic.
Client: Capital One
Agency: GSD&M
Property: Saturday Night Fever
ASDA x Buddy the Elf
This ad campaign was hugely successful, and it was voted ‘the nation’s favourite ad of 2022’ by ITV and System1. By using Buddy the Elf, ASDA leveraged a popular character who embodies the message they were trying to convey, of Christmas being a time for joy and togetherness, who just so happened to wear similar colours to their brand.
Client: ASDA
Agency: Havas London
Property: Buddy the Elf (licensed by Born Licensing)
Google x Home Alone
Google licensed once of the most iconic holiday movies of all time, Home Alone, for their campaign. The ad sees Macaulay Culkin reprise his role as Kevin, parodying classic scenes from the movie with a modern twist thanks to Google Assistant. According to Hollywood Reporter the spot had 39 million views on YouTube within the year.
Client: Google
Agency: Arts & Letters Creative
Property: Home Alone
Old Navy x Love Actually
The movie title was incorporated into the lyrics of RuPaul’s hit song for the TV ad (‘… Strike a pose and make the dog stay / Normalise conference calls in our PJs / Our 18th time watchin’ Love Actual-lay!’), and the iconic clip of Hugh Grant (as Prime Minister) dancing at No. 10 Downing Street also featured in the campaign.
Client: Old Navy
Agency: The Martin Agency
Property: Love Actually (licensed by Born Licensing)
Macy’s x Miracle on 34th Street
In this spot we see the return of the Santa Claus character Kris Kringle from Miracle on 34th Street. Those who have seen the movie will remember that much of the film took place in and was filmed at the Macy’s flagship store. Finding true congruence with a character and brand is important in creating an impactful ad and it’s what makes this particular spot so brilliant!
Client: Macy’s
Agency: J. Walter Thompson New York
Property: Miracle on 34th Street
Marks & Spencer x Bridget Jones’s Diary
Marks & Spencer’s 2018 ‘Christmas Must-Haves’ campaign depicted a number of quirky festive traditions, including singing along with Bridget Jones to ‘All By Myself’ in the famous scene from Bridget Jones’ Diary. Marks & Spencer’s creative agency GREY London saw the value of licensing a famous movie clip that the British public would instantly associate with during the Christmas time.
Client: Marks & Spencer
Agency: GREY London
Property: Bridget Jones’s Diary (licensed by Born Licensing)
DFS x Wallace & Gromit
British furniture retailer DFS have been working with the Wallace & Gromit for a number of years on several campaigns now. Their 2020 Christmas campaign ‘A Comfy Carol’ was considered one of the best UK Christmas commercials of the year, proving once again how powerful and iconic characters are when it comes to advertising.
Client: DFS
Agency: Krow London
Property: Wallace & Gromit
Iceland x Frozen 2
Iceland teamed up with Disney for its 2019 Christmas advert, inspired by the Frozen 2 movie. The two-minute ad features characters from the much-loved franchise including Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and snowman Olaf, all voiced by the A-list cast. The ad sees the beloved characters coming to life during a game of charades that the kids are playing.
Client: Iceland
Agency: Iceland (in-house)
Property: Frozen 2
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