Boots has launched its 2026 Christmas campaign, “For Gifts They’ll Really Love”, a 60-second film that follows festive presents as they turn into year-round obsessions for the people who receive them.
The campaign is the latest work under the retailer’s “Give it Some Boots” brand platform and has been developed by the integrated WPP team supporting the business, with creative from VML. It is directed by Phoebe Arstein at Biscuit Filmworks and set to a modern reimagining of a classic Christmas carol.
Opening on Christmas morning, the film shows family and friends unwrapping beauty, wellness and electrical beauty gifts before fast-forwarding through the following year, as the presents take over their lives. A mother wears her LED light therapy mask everywhere, from taking out the bins to posing for a family portrait, while a woman reaches for her hair styler in the middle of a romantic dinner date.
Products featured include the Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask, Dyson Airwrap, Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia fragrance, the No7 Future Renew Collection, YSL Rouge Pur Couture and the Oral-B iO9 electric toothbrush. The campaign is designed to position Boots as a destination for gifts that will be used long after Christmas, and to introduce a new generation of beauty shoppers to its range of brands in store and online.
“Boots has long played a special role in Christmas gifting, but we want to keep surprising people and give them new reasons to choose us. We want to redefine what people expect from Boots at Christmas and be the destination for the gifts people genuinely want to receive, with incredible brands, brilliant choice and exceptional value whatever your budget. The best gifting is about really knowing someone. When we get it right, the excitement lasts far beyond Christmas morning – it becomes the gift they use constantly, talk about and wonder how they ever lived without.
Charlotte Lock, Chief Marketing Officer, Boots
“Our new ‘Give it Some Boots’ brand platform is about showing up with more confidence, energy and personality. It’s a bolder and more contemporary expression of Boots, designed to make everything we do feel distinctive, memorable and unmistakably ours.”
Shot in the UK, the advert launches on Boots’ digital channels on 4 November. Alongside the 60-second TV advert, the retailer is running its first 20-second TV edits, with a multi-channel TV roadblock on 6 November expected to reach six million people over the launch weekend. A further 18 TV edits will highlight Christmas offers, including Star Gifts, more than 1,200 gifts in its 3 for 2 offer and new brands such as Olaplex, Charlotte Tilbury and Jo Malone London alongside No7.
Across TV and video, Boots expects the campaign to generate more than 300 million views and reach 90% of ABC1 women, including the retailer’s first Netflix takeover, which spans the launch period and Black Friday. Social activity includes Snapchat’s “12 Days of ChristMAPS” through Snap Promoted Places, a TikTok Top Search presence and curated Reddit gift guides. In a first for Boots, real-time footfall data will also be used to steer cross-channel digital spend towards driving store visits.
“Christmas gave us the biggest possible stage to show what the new ‘Give it Some Boots’ platform really means. Instead of following the conventions of Christmas advertising, we wanted to turn up the things that only Boots can really own – incredible beauty products, the thrill of discovery and the very human obsession that happens when you find something you absolutely love, all with our fresh energy, style and attitude. This allowed us to be braver, from the comedic script down to the deliberate music choice. This isn’t simply a new Christmas campaign; it’s the next statement of intent for Boots and the kind of work we want Boots to become known for.”
Simon Lloyd, Deputy Chief Creative Officer EMEA, VML
Out-of-home activity is expected to deliver 72.7 million impacts near retail destinations nationwide, including a bespoke special build at Westfield White City and branded taxi wraps, with London Underground and National Rail placements following in the new year as health and wellbeing come back into focus. The campaign joins a busy season of retailer Christmas advertising, including John Lewis’ Gloria and Pickles.
Terry Clark is the Publisher and Content Director of 365 Retail, with more than a decade of experience covering retail design, technology innovations, store openings and the wider retail industry. He also works closely with leading retailers, suppliers, agencies, events and industry awards across the UK.
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