Can we still say Christmas in Christmas marketing campaigns?

5 min read

Back in 2022, a wave of manufactured outrage swept across the United Kingdom as national paper The Telegraph published an article entitled: “Call your Christmas parties ‘festive celebrations’, civil servants told.” The original idea was a suggestion for inclusivity—after all, only 46.2% of the UK actually identify as Christian. But the notion of having to rename the festival sparked uproar. It’s a tricky topic, especially since people of all faiths enjoy general festivities at this time of year. We have to ask, though—is using the word “Christmas” in Christmas marketing campaigns really such sensitive business? And should we avoid its use altogether?

The best Christmas marketing campaigns

Christmas is one of the most heavily marketed events in the calendar. In recent years, social media has popularized the elf on the shelf trend. This involves families setting up (patented and branded) elf toys to cause mischief overnight and beguile younger children. Some families leave extra presents from said elf. It’s harmless fun, but nevertheless another avenue of monetization for a religious holiday.

It’s hardly new. We’re all familiar with Coca Cola is famously turning Santa Claus from green to red. Back in 1931, artist Haddon Sundblom painted St. Nick in Coca-Cola colours and continued the portraits until 1964. This cemented the rosy-featured figure in public consciousness. Coca Cola continued their cultural impact with the iconic “Holidays are Coming” campaign. Airing back in November of 1995, this phenomenon is still recycled regularly by the soft-drink company. This year alone will see an AI version of the classic ad hit small screens across the world.

The fact is Christmas marketing campaigns have done wonders for brand awareness for decades. Here are a few examples:

Hallmark “Countdown to Christmas”

One might be forgiven for thinking that greetings cards sales are at their zenith during religious holidays. But Hallmark have devised a way to stand out from the pack through all-out entertainment. The Hallmark Christmas Movie schedule began back in 2009, screening original productions filled with yuletide fun. It’s now something (emphasis on italics) of an institution, with millions of loyal viewers tuning in every season. The “Countdown to Christmas” can now draw over 3 million views per airing. Unsurprisingly, this coincides with record ad revenue for Hallmark.

Starbucks Red Cup

The Starbucks’ “Red Cup” tradition kicked off in 1997, which is almost 20 years ago, if you can believe it. It’s now a holiday staple for coffee lovers around the world. While it’s certainly not religious nor especially sustainable, it does whip up excitement. In 2021 alone Starbucks enjoyed a 17% increase in revenue during the festivities holiday sales. All because of a coloured cup. Scoff at the simplicity, but it works.

John Lewis Ads

John Lewis & Partners revived their department store’s waning brand back in 2007 with the launch of their ongoing Christmas ad campaign. It’s now become a bit of a tradition in the UK, with many anticipating the release of what become viral videos. This is also paired with their featuring of popular song covers. Said versions and their originals enjoy regular success on the charts: Ellie Goulding, Lily Allen and Tom Odell are just a few of the beneficiaries. You’ve got Adam&EveDDB to thank for the original conception of the idea, though Saatchi and Saatchi are now at the reigns.

Kellogg’s Cornflakes

Much like the “Holidays are Coming” ad tapped into a special reserve of nostalgia, Kellogg’s have experienced some serious ROI on their 1991 ad featuring Santa Claus himself and a small girl with a blonde bowlcut. Instead of enabling St. Nick with his usual poison, the children decide to leave out a bowl of Kellogg’s for a great breakfast and/or midnight snack. It’s cute and the toddler says ‘ho ho ho’. It also aired the same year that Kellogg’s made it’s first forray into sponsoring motorsport racing, which suggests brand growth may have been the priority rather than spreading Yuletide cheer.

Marketers’ newfound fear of Christmas marketing campaigns

Clearly Christmas is a powerful vehicle for an emotional brand message. But pay special attention and you’ll find that the vast majority of Christmas marketing campaigns this year will have avoided using the word directly. It’s being subbed out for more inclusive terms like “festivities”, “holidays” and other secular phrases of the ilk. Never mind the same campaigns are draped in images of tinsel, mistletoe and stars. The stereotypical symbology of Christmas is still widespread, but the word itself is dangerous territory.

It’s understandable—we should be more inclusive. But then we’re still borrowing from Christmas-fueled nostalgia to sell a product, aren’t we? It’s like taping the cash cow up in wrapping paper but still squeezing the udders. It’s more patronizing to act as though we don’t know what we’re referring to. And we’ll have to get rid of the snowy backdrops for as long as opposing hemispheres experience inverse seasons.

But we should also be asking why avoiding the name is even possible? How can there be such a broad range of secular symbols alluding to the big C? It’s possible we’ve undergone a sort of Ship-of-Theseus transition whereby the word Christmas is an anticuated label for what most really mean as the holidays. You take any native Italian to eat a deep-dish Chicago pizza and they’ll you—that is not pizza. But words are just vehicles for ideas. What many of us refer to as “Christmas” isn’t strictly religious. Much of our enjoyment comes from the offshoots: Bringing the family together, meeting with old friends, eating great food. These are certainly more aspects of “the holidays” than a religious event. And that’s OK! So, if we’re asking whether we can still say Christmas, then the answer is: of course we can. But is it more appropriate to talk about the “holidays” when we’re publicizing a condensed lineup of darts and football on subscription TV? Probably, yes.

Other religious holidays in December

To pivot away from inclusivity via erasion, let’s take a moment to mention other religious holidays in December and how you might celebrate them. This is, of course, a selecton. If you’re interested in finding out about other holidays the world celebrates, we’d encourage you to look up organizations like the Inter Faith Network.

Hanukkah

Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that begins on Kislev 25, which often falls in December according to the Gregorian calendar. This festival continues for eight days and expresses commemoration with the lighting of candles on each day of the festival. The Jewish faith celebrates Hanukkah all over the world.

Rohatsu

Also known as “Bodhi Day”, Rohatsu is a Zen Buddhist holiday that celebrates Siddhartha’s six years of dedication to spirituality. Rohatsu means “awakened” in Sanskrit, but we think of this more as “enlightened”. It’s a perfect time of year to practice meditation regardless of your background.

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice is a Pagan celebration that dates way back to Norse traditions and celebrates the return of the sun with bonfires, stories and ale. This ancient event has plenty of iterations; the Romans held Saturnalia, a week-long festival featuring role reversals, decorating and gift-giving, while British Druids honored the solstice by cutting mistletoe from oak trees as a blessing and lighting a yule log to symbolize life and hope.

Zarathost No-Diso

Zoroastrians celebrate Zartosht No-Diso, the death anniversary of Prophet Zarathushtra, with various rituals. This might include devotees of the ancient religion visiting the Fire Temple to pray and participate in special ceremonies, holding lectures and discussions about the Prophet’s life and works and offering prayers to Zarathushtra and the Fravashis.

Enjoy the holidays

Whatever your faith, we’d like to wish you a safe and restful holiday period. Thanks for reading and enjoy yourself.