75Media has analysed 10 years of Christmas adverts which has revealed 2023 as the year with the highest use of celebrities in holiday campaigns among major retailers. Its comprehensive review, covering 18 leading retailers, showcases a significant shift in advertising strategies, marking 2023 as the year when celebrities dominated Christmas adverts.
The analysis revealed a striking increase in celebrity appearances in Christmas adverts, with 50% of top retailers featuring celebrities in 2023, compared to just 28% in 2022, 22% in 2021 and a mere 11% in 2020.
Major supermarkets like M&S, Asda, Waitrose, and Sainsbury’s have prominently featured celebrities this year. Graham Norton is the first celebrity to feature in a Waitrose Christmas advert and Sainsbury’s has continued their 3 year celebrity streak by featuring Rick Astley in 2023.
Top Retailers That Use The Most Celebrities:
- M&S Food
- JD
- Sainsbury’s
- Sports Direct
M&S Food leads the pack, consistently featuring celebrities over the past five years, including UK favourites like Olivia Colman, Tom Holland, Tom Hardy, and this year’s additions, Ryan Reynolds, Peter Crouch, and Rob McElhenney.
JD Sports has made its mark by featuring celebrities in its 2023, 2021, 2020 and 2019 Christmas adverts. This year its ad featured an array of rappers including Kano and Central Cee as well as football star Ella Toone.
Retail Celebrity Favourites:
- Dawn French
- Hannah Waddingham
- Alison Hammond
Hannah Waddingham has been titled the “Celeb of the Year,” for starring in both M&S and Bailey’s Christmas adverts, marking a rare dual appearance in a single season. Dawn French has earned the title of “Queen of Christmas Ads,” she’s been a staple in M&S adverts for the last three consecutive years for her role as voice of the much-loved Christmas Fairy. Alison Hammond is rising as a retail favourite as she’s featured in this year’s Debenhams advert and made her Christmas debut last year as Countess Hammond in Sainsbury’s 2022 advert.
When 75Media examined the search volumes for Sainsbury’s and Asda it appears that the years with the highest search interest often correlate with those featuring celebrity endorsements. However, there was a notable deviation in 2020 for Sainsbury’s. Its campaign that year, which drew 25,000 Ofcom complaints, attracted significant attention, albeit for reasons not originally intended. Sales figures also seem to correlate with celebrity endorsements too as Asda beat rival supermarkets with the largest sales growth in 2022, the same year it released its collaboration with Will Ferrel.
Katy Conway, 75Media’s Marketing and Communications Director commented on these findings “2023’s spike in celebrity-driven Christmas adverts is a fascinating development in the retail world. Our analysis shows a clear shift towards using star power to capture the audience’s attention. Retailers are recognising the value of celebrity appeal in their campaigns, which is reshaping the traditional Christmas advert narrative.”
As retailers increasingly opt for star power over traditional heartwarming stories and lovable characters that we’ve become accustomed to from the likes of John Lewis, questions arise about the effectiveness of this strategy. Are celebrities overshadowing the essence of Christmas adverts, or do they offer a new dimension of engagement, familiarity and excitement for the audience?
