Businesses to splash out over £6bn on Christmas advertising
UK businesses will fork out £6.4bn on festive advertising this Christmas during the final quarter, according to the Advertising Association.
The expenditure, which is up 5 per cent on last year’s record amount, shows the growing competition between companies as they vie to make the season’s most popular advert and achieve festive fame.
Many of the UK’s biggest brands, including Debenhams, John Lewis and Marks & Spencer, will be cashing out for prominent adverts across multiple media platforms.
Advertising Association chief executive Stephen Woodford said: “Our Christmas advertising season is the envy of the world, thanks to the brilliant, creative talent working in our industry.
“The joy of this advertising period, seeing what brands bring out each year, is an integral part of a great British Christmas.
“The advertisements we will see over the next few weeks will go on to win many of advertising’s biggest awards and this success helps our industry export our services worldwide.”
This year’s adverts will once again include music from some of the world’s biggest stars, including Elton John and Take That.
Research by the Advertising Association found Coca Cola’s ‘Holidays are Coming’ is the nation’s favourite song to feature in a Christmas advert.
Irn Bru’s ‘Snowman’ theme tune and Lily Allen’s cover of ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ from John Lewis’s 2013 advert also made the top three.
In 2017 roughly 28 per cent of the total £22.1bn spent on advertising all year was invested in the run-up to Christmas.
Supermarket chain Iceland made headlines last week after its Christmas advert was banned. The advert, which depicted the impact of palm oil on the environment, was banned by regulator Clearcast for being "too political".
Karen Fraser, director of advertising think tank Credos, said: “Advertisers are increasing their investments in Christmas advertising year-on-year, because they know Christmas advertising works.
“As the UK high street faces an uncertain future, Christmas is one of the key periods for retailers.
“Advertising helps stores attract customers, and that helps sustain jobs and high streets in the UK. We need advertising, and we need Christmas advertising in particular.”