Words by Katie Brosnan

2022 has seen the cost-of-living crisis surge to an unprecedented level. Usually, headlines are met by retailers spending millions on their Christmas advertising, particularly John Lewis and Sports Direct. However, this year most retailers have reduced their spending significantly, showing solidarity with those struggling with costs this Christmas. The message in most Christmas adverts this year focus on the importance of family and unity, reflecting that retailers recognise this Christmas is going to be tough for so many families across the UK. 

November is a time when Christmas spirit begins as SantaÔÇÖs Grottos are built, Christmas trees are put on sale and retailers roll out their annual Christmas advert. Brands tend to compete with each other every year, seeing who can spend the most, who has the cutest advert and who can sell the most. The message of Christmas is usually lost under the millions of pounds spent on celebrity cameos, special effects, and retailers pushing their Christmas deals. 

However, this year most brands and retailers have recognised their adverts may feel out of touch and have focused on bringing joy and a feeling of hope to their audience through their Christmas adverts. The John Lewis Christmas advert is highly anticipated every year, with many suggesting its release marks the beginning of Christmas. In 2022, John Lewis chose to focus their festive ad on foster families and charities which support them. Their ad shows parents preparing for the arrival of their foster child, with the father spending the festive period learning how to skateboard so that he can support them with their hobby. John Lewis choosing to focus their ad on foster families shows that retailers still choose to use their platforms to spread awareness for those who may not be facing a ÔÇÿnormalÔÇÖ Christmas this year, or any year. Their Christmas advert supports the Christmas message of giving to others at a time of year when many feel lonely. Marks and SpencerÔÇÖs also followed the same message of giving to others during the festive period, choosing to use their ad for their clothing line to share their donation of ┬ú1m to community groups supporting struggling families across the UK. Other brands such as Aldi and Lidl also chose to use their festive ad to spread awareness for charities, with Lidl selling a limited-edition Christmas Teddy bear for childrenÔÇÖs charities in the UK. Therefore, the message of Christmas is still alive and well in Christmas adverts from some of the UKÔÇÖs biggest stores, supporting the idea that Christmas is about giving to those less fortunate and supporting those in need when theyÔÇÖre in crisis. After the many devastating international events that have occurred this year including RussiaÔÇÖs war on Ukraine; the cost-of-living crisis, and Covid-19, the use of Christmas adverts to spread support to others is a comforting reassurance that communities support each other over the merry period.

Although, despite 2022 being a tough year for most, some brands have chosen to focus on pushing their deals or celebrity cameos in their ads. JD Sports, SainsburyÔÇÖs and SportsDirect all highlight either their exclusive Christmas treats, celebrity appearances or the 2022 FIFA World Cup. All of which seem fairly insensitive to the many people who will find Christmas this year incredibly difficult. Highlighting the FIFA World Cup may seem on brand for two sports merchandisers but this year, the World Cup is controversially being held in Qatar, a country well known for human rights violations, particularly against women and the LGBTQ+ community. Furthermore, WomenÔÇÖs Aid have also protested the football world cup, releasing a Christmas campaign about domestic violence rates in the UK increasing during football tournaments. With this all-in mind, it can be argued that focus of the World Cup within JD Sports and SportsDirectÔÇÖs Christmas adverts is incredibly out of touch and insensitive to those who will struggle even more than most during the tournament. 

Another point to highlight whilst discussing Christmas adverts is how overly anticipated they are. The John Lewis and Coca-Cola adverts are seen by many as the start of the festive period which disregards the traditional Christian view of the Christmas period and replaces it with a commercialised take on what Christmas is about. The effect of this is that Christmas has become an over-commercialised, materialistic ÔÇ£holidayÔÇØ which celebrates nothing and poses as an excuse for people to demonstrate their wealth. 

Overall, retailers in 2022 have shown a different approach to their traditional materialistic Christmas adverts by recognising that this year has been terrible for many families in the UK due to the cost-of-living crisis. This follows a trend which has been followed over the past couple of years (since 2020) where some brands have begun to acknowledge that Christmas has become a holiday for supporting one another again instead of an excuse to spend frivolous amounts of money to one-up each other.