Tips for Creating a Winning Christmas Video Campaign

Understand Your Audience's Holiday Mindset

Christmas is when people are more sentimental, willing to spend, and focused on family and giving. During the holiday season, consumers are often searching for meaningful connections, not just products. This creates an ideal environment for brands to tap into themes of nostalgia, generosity, and togetherness.

To create a truly effective Christmas video campaign, you need to understand what drives your audience during this time of year. Research their holiday preferences, traditions, and even pain points. Are they more focused on family gatherings or holiday shopping? Do they value charitable causes or look for the best seasonal deals? Tailoring your messaging to align with their holiday mindset will help your campaign resonate on a deeper level.

A prime example of this strategy in action is the annual John Lewis Christmas adverts. These campaigns have become iconic because they expertly tap into the emotions of the season, delivering heartwarming stories that reflect the spirit of Christmas. By focusing on themes like love, generosity, and the joy of giving, John Lewis creates a strong emotional connection with their audience, making the brand synonymous with the Christmas season.

Craft a Compelling Story with Holiday Spirit

Consumers are more receptive to storytelling and messages that remind them of the splendour of the season, making it the perfect time to share a story that touches their hearts. So, to create a compelling holiday story, focus on building a narrative that aligns with your brand’s core values while incorporating festive themes. Whether it’s about family or the spirit of giving, the story should feel authentic to both your brand and the holiday season. Consider how your product or service can play a role in enhancing the holidays for your audience, but keep the message focused on emotional impact rather than just sales.

A classic example of powerful holiday storytelling is Coca-Cola’s iconic “Holidays Are Coming” ad. This campaign features the now-famous Coca-Cola Christmas truck, festooned with lights and travelling through snowy landscapes, delivering joy and anticipation. The ad doesn't just sell a product; it creates a sense of wonder and excitement around the arrival of the festive season, which Coca-Cola has become synonymous with. By capturing the essence of the Christmas spirit and linking it with the brand, Coca-Cola successfully evokes feelings of joy and cosiness, ensuring the campaign’s long-lasting impact.

Focus on Visual and Emotional Appeal

Christmas is a season full of rich, vibrant imagery, and your video campaign should make the most of this festive visual palette. People naturally associate the holidays with certain colours, symbols, and sounds — from twinkling lights and snowy landscapes to the familiar jingles of Christmas carols. These elements can trigger powerful feelings, so integrating them effectively into your video is key to creating an emotional connection with your audience.

To maximise the emotional appeal of your Christmas video, leverage traditional festive colours like red, green, and gold, along with classic symbols such as Christmas trees, snowflakes, stockings, and mistletoe. Music is another vital aspect; a warm, nostalgic melody or a cheerful holiday tune can instantly transport viewers into the Christmas spirit. The combination of these elements will not only grab attention but also create feelings of warmth and pleasure that make people more receptive to your message.

A great example of using visual and emotional appeal in a Christmas campaign is Apple’s holiday ad “The Song”. In this memorable campaign, the brand used a touching family story where a young girl stumbles upon an old record, apparently a gift from her grandmother to her grandfather from 1952. The record includes a message about not being able to be together for the holidays and then a rendition of "Love Is Here to Stay" sung by the grandmother. Upon finding the old record, the girl secretly learns the tune's vocals and puts together her own accompaniment on several instruments, eventually recording her own portions of the song alongside her grandmother's. The girl then leaves an iPad mini with a note saying "A Duet, Press Play" for her grandmother, who listens to the duet between her much younger self and her granddaughter, bringing her to tears as she looks through the old photographs left along with the iPad by the girl.

The ad seamlessly blends the festive atmosphere with subtle product placement, and the use of soft lighting, wintery settings, and a gentle soundtrack creates a strong emotional connection with viewers. This approach ensures Apple’s message sticks with its audience long after the holidays have passed.

Keep it Short, Memorable, and Shareable

With the constant stream of festive content, your Christmas video needs to grab attention quickly and deliver its message effectively. The key is to keep your video concise, ideally between 30 and 60 seconds, ensuring it can make a strong impact while being easy to digest and share on social media platforms.

To create a short yet memorable video, focus on clear, simple messaging that aligns with your brand and the spirit of the season. Include a strong call to action that encourages viewers to engage with your campaign, whether that’s visiting your website, taking advantage of a special offer, or sharing the video with others. Incorporate elements that make the video shareable — such as humour, heartwarming moments, or a surprising twist. These aspects increase the likelihood that viewers will want to pass it on to friends and family, expanding your campaign’s reach organically.

A prime example of a successful, shareable Christmas video is Sainsbury’s 2014 “1914” ad, which went viral due to its emotional impact. The ad was based on the famous Christmas truce during World War I, depicting British and German soldiers coming together to celebrate Christmas. The powerful storytelling, combined with stunning visuals and a message of peace and humanity, made the video highly shareable, with viewers spreading it across social media. Its short yet poignant narrative resonated deeply, helping it garner millions of views and widespread media attention.

Align the Campaign with a Strong CTA and Omnichannel Strategy

Your Christmas video campaign should not exist in isolation. To truly maximise its impact, it must be integrated into a broader holiday marketing strategy that spans multiple channels. Whether you’re promoting a seasonal sale, encouraging charitable donations, or building brand awareness, your video needs a clear call to action (CTA) that ties seamlessly into your overall goals. This will guide viewers towards taking the next step — whether that’s visiting your website, making a purchase, or sharing the video.

To execute this effectively, make sure your CTA is visible and compelling. It could be something as simple as “Shop our Christmas sale now” or “Join us in giving back this holiday season.” Whatever the message, it should be consistent with your holiday promotions or brand’s cause. In addition, your video should be promoted across all relevant channels — social media, email campaigns, your website, and platforms like YouTube — to ensure it reaches the widest possible audience. An omnichannel approach ensures your message is reinforced at every touchpoint, increasing engagement and driving conversions.

One brand that executed this flawlessly was Marks & Spencer with their “Mrs Claus” Christmas campaign. The video featured a heartwarming story of Mrs Claus helping a young boy give his sister the perfect Christmas gift. The campaign tied into a larger strategy that included in-store promotions, an online gift guide, and social media posts using the hashtag #LoveMrsClaus. The CTA encouraged viewers to shop the Christmas collection, while the omnichannel promotion kept the campaign top of mind across multiple platforms, leading to increased engagement and sales throughout the holiday season.

The best Christmas video campaigns are those that make a lasting emotional impact. To achieve this, it’s essential to start planning early. Thoughtful preparation will allow you to craft a campaign that not only connects with your audience but also drives the results you need during the busiest time of the year. What’s your vision for this year’s Christmas campaign? We’d love to hear your ideas! If you need help crafting a winning strategy or want more personalised tips on how to make your Christmas video stand out, feel free to reach out to us — we’re here to help you make this festive season a success.