Christmas Ads Still Belong to Celebrities, Not Creators

Tesco's Christmas ad, starring comedian Roisin Conaty and actor Anna Maxwell Martin, is currently the most talked-about commercial in the U.K. — 3,263 posts and mentions, over 36,000 likes, comments and shares — yet only 51% of that conversation is positive, according to Sprout Social. That split is the holiday ad market in miniature: famous faces get attention, but the format they anchor is under scrutiny.

The first wave of festive campaigns from John Lewis, SharkNinja, Ulta Beauty and Burberry shows creators are everywhere in marketing — everywhere except Christmas ads. Marketers leaned on creators all year, handing them budget, stage time and lead roles in global campaigns. For the holiday crunch, they went back to celebrities.

The cast list reads like a roster. Sephora put Seth Rogen in over his head, rescued by one of the retailer's Beauty Advisors. Kay sent SNL's Colin Jost on the frantic hunt for the perfect present. Sports Direct and Nike follow an uncle wandering the aisles while a squad of Nike athletes quietly steers him. Gucci booked Mariah Carey — passed brand to brand every December like a relative making the rounds.

Why do celebrities still win December?

"Part of the reason brands use celebrities in ads is because they're borrowing fame," said Lynne Deason, head of creative excellence at Kantar. "Christmas is this mass market moment where brands are trying to reach everyone and so often brands are looking for a celebrity that everyone will recognize rather than maybe a particular audience."

The Christmas ad is the most scrutinized work a brand releases all year: biggest budget, most senior sign-off, and conventions that have barely moved in a decade — a big film, a broad audience, a famous face. John Lewis proved the risk calculus within a day of release, when Piers Morgan called its spot "possibly the worst advert I've ever seen for anything" and Mumsnet users branded the grandchildren "ungrateful." Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, the ad's star, escaped without a scratch.

"That's perhaps harder with creators because people tend to tap into them for particular interests," Deason said. "Obviously there are some who are becoming very famous in their own right with mass audiences but there are fewer of those. And Christmas is such a competitive time." Christmas needs a face granny and the teenagers on the sofa both recognise.

Sprout Social's data shows how tricky even that formula has become. Researchers found the negative sentiment around Tesco's ad stems from viewers feeling its premise is unrealistic and shows a lack of awareness of how retail works. Even so, two famous actors got the country talking — more than most festive ads manage.

How are creators breaking in?

Anthropologie skipped celebrities entirely. It handed its holiday campaign to Pooja Tripathi, comedian and creator of the viral web series Brooklyn Coffee Shop, who wrote and showran a micro comedy series about a holiday party "from script to shoot," said CMO Barbra Sainsurin. The rollout has trailers and teasers "like a movie launch," and roughly 50 more creators will spread it across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest and Reddit.

"We're using the holiday to challenge ourselves beyond just the traditional way in which we tell stories and to create a more immersive brand experience through this extension and partnership with an original content creator," Sainsurin said.

SharkNinja shows the hybrid model: Kevin Hart, David Beckham, Aryna Sabalenka and Tom Brady posted short teasers on their own accounts days before the spot landed. Laura Dyer, senior vp of global brand and partnerships at SharkNinja, calls the line between celebrities and creators "super fluid." Plenty of celebrities now behave like creators, filming their own content and talking straight to fans.

What does Lego's new hire signal?

Lego poached Kelsey Gray Sherman from WME last month as head of celebrity talent and brand-first partnerships, a newly created role reporting to Jill Wilfert, svp of entertainment, partnerships and content. The toymaker has pulled in nearly $700 million from two Lego Movies.

"The distinction between 'traditional celebrity' and creator is increasingly less meaningful to audiences," Gray Sherman said over email. Her role focuses on represented talent, while in-house teams handle fan creators and local influencers.

Before long, the lead in a Christmas ad could go to whoever has the most devoted following — whether they made their name on TV, film or a smartphone screen.