YourNews: Annoying adverts – the UK’s biggest festive frustration
Early Christmas advertising campaigns are marring the festive holidays and stressing out Britain’s consumers, according to the results of a recent study.
Despite the annual anticipation for the return of the nation’s iconic festive adverts to our screens, the popularity of these campaigns has been called into question following research into the UK’s top gripes about Christmas.
The results of the study, undertaken by full service creative agency Michon, highlight that more than 80% of people up and down the UK felt concerned that the festive season and spending period has been drawn out over the last decade, mainly due to the rise in Christmas-specific television advertising and in-store retail displays.
In 2016, John Lewis’ ‘Buster the Boxer’ Christmas advert was revealed on Thursday 10 November, with Aldi’s ‘Kevin the Carrot’ and Sainsbury’s ‘The Greatest Gift’ amongst others in hot pursuit over the following days.
However, when consumers were questioned about what date they thought was acceptable to begin these television campaigns, 28 November was deemed optimal. Respondents also suggested that retailers should also hold fire on decking the festive displays in store, revealing 24 November as an ‘acceptable’ date.
The study also reveals that only 25% felt excited about Christmas as a result of these early November campaigns, with 58% admitting to getting annoyed by retailers constructing their in-store festive displays too early.
Tony Michon, Creative Director at Michon, says:
“We know that many people get excited by the return of festive adverts to our screens, and over the past few years this has been heightened by the growth of social media and the introduction of ‘spoof’ adverts to help drive audience engagement even further.
“However, it’s clear that if advertising isn’t carefully targeted, it can leave consumers aggravated and overwhelmed. It’s vital that brands start planning for their Christmas promotions and advertising early – but understanding their key audience and releasing those campaigns accordingly is crucial in ensuring brands leave their target shopper inspired rather than irritated.
“It’s evident that retailers are changing tact in the way they are interacting with consumers. Omnichannel marketing has now progressed even further for retailers to the point where they can target individual members of the public through their smartphone and apps, such as Snapchat and Instagram, rather than relying on a one size fits all approach.”
Research from the Centre for Retail Research (CRR) suggests that £500,000-a-minute was spent on ‘Manic Monday’, the first Monday of December in 2014.
Tony, adds:
“This research highlights the importance for brands to avoid going too hard too early with their festive advertising campaigns. For advertisers, perfect campaign timing is critical to avoid being forgotten about, particularly over the festive period where the marketplace is becoming increasingly saturated.”
For more information about Michon, visit www.michoncreative.co.uk
