Boots has today unveiled its 2023 Christmas campaign, aptly titled ‘Thank You, Santa.’ The campaign is anchored by a festive film that encapsulates the essence of gratitude and generosity, reminding us that Boots offers a gift for every individual and every budget this holiday season.
The narrative of the Christmas film, which will also grace television screens as an advert, follows a young girl and her mother on an extraordinary journey to the North Pole. Their mission is to express their appreciation to Santa Claus by presenting him with a gift, a gesture that symbolizes the core message of the campaign. With a Boots shopping bag brimming with thoughtful gifts, they traverse from their local high street to the wintry expanse of the North Pole. Along the way, they encounter kind-hearted strangers who assist them, and in the spirit of giving, the girl reciprocates with special items from Boots, such as a Dyson Airwrap and a Benefit Volumizing Mascara.
This journey of giving culminates when they reach Santa, with the final gift being a practical pair of Boots Travel Flight Socks, an apt choice for Santa’s own upcoming global voyage.
Boots has made a concerted effort to ensure that their seasonal gift range is accessible to all, with nearly half of the items priced at £10 or less. Customers can also take advantage of the Star Gift programme and the largest Black Friday event to date, alongside more Price Advantage offers than ever before.
Pete Markey, Chief Marketing Officer at Boots, comments on the campaign’s intent: “At Boots, we want to help customers to give joy this Christmas and to celebrate the people who deserve to be appreciated; family, friends, colleagues, or anyone in the local community who have made a difference to their lives this year. Christmas is the perfect time to express our gratitude to others and with our extensive range of great value gifts and amazing offers, Boots really does have something to help make everyone in your life feel valued this Christmas.”
The campaign, directed by the award-winning Sam Brown and set to the soundtrack ‘I’m Gonna Get There Somehow’ by Val Doonican, will premiere on ITV on the evening of Friday, 3rd November. It is part of a comprehensive seven-week campaign spanning various media, including TV, radio, cinema, outdoor, print, social, digital, in-store, and online channels.
To gauge the potential impact of the film, Boots employed System One, a platform that measures emotional responses to adverts. The campaign’s strong results place it within the top 5% of all adverts tested, indicating a positive reception.
Developed in collaboration with The Pharm, the WPP partnership team dedicated to WBA, the campaign’s creative approach is described by Sarah Bamford, Creative Partner at The Pharm: “This year, our Boots Christmas campaign is about rediscovering the joy in giving. In our film, we look at gifting through the eyes of an innocent child, and we discover that giving is not about finding the most perfect or most expensive present, it’s about the heart that lies behind each gifting moment.”
Boots has also launched its Christmas offerings in stores and online, including the anticipated Boots Gift Guide. Innovatively, for the first time, customers can use a QR code from the Gift Guide to link directly to the desired gift on boots.com, streamlining the shopping experience.
In a significant charitable initiative, Boots is partnering with The Hygiene Bank, pledging to donate 100,000 essential hygiene products to assist over 20,000 people this Christmas. Furthermore, the ‘You Donate – We Donate’ pledge will be doubled during November and December, potentially resulting in an additional 20,000 products for the charity.
The campaign also introduces a new media partnership with “We are 8,” a sustainable media platform that rewards customers for engaging with videos that support social and environmental causes. Throughout December, the platform will feature content to raise awareness for The Hygiene Bank, with a portion of the media spend and a carbon offset donation being contributed to the charity.
