Marketers Favor Celebrities Over Creators For Christmas Ads
Despite a big year for creators, celebrities are still the go-to choice for holiday campaigns, according to Digiday. This is because celebrities provide a safety blanket for CMOs wary of controversy.
Original reporting · digiday.com
Original: “Future of Marketing Briefing: Creators had a big year. Christmas still went to the celebrities”
Read “Future of Marketing Briefing: Creators had a big year. Christmas still went to the…” at Digiday →
How this was written. Awesome B2B wrote this article with a language model from Digiday’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Digiday’s report
- Celebrities are still the preferred choice for holiday ads, despite the rise of creators.
- Brands are using a combination of celebrities and creators to promote their products during the holiday season.
- Anthropologie is one brand that is using creators in its holiday campaign, handing its campaign to comedian and creator Pooja Tripathi.
The first batch of festive campaigns from major brands has been released, with many featuring celebrities rather than creators. This is despite the fact that creators have had a significant impact on marketing throughout the year.
According to Digiday, brands such as Sephora, Kay, and Gucci have all chosen to feature celebrities in their holiday ads. For example, Sephora's ad features Seth Rogen, while Gucci's ad features Mariah Carey.
The use of celebrities in holiday ads is not a new phenomenon, and it is likely due to the fact that they provide a sense of familiarity and safety for brands. As Lynne Deason, head of creative excellence at Kantar, noted, 'part of the reason brands use celebrities in ads is because they're borrowing fame.'
However, this does not mean that creators are being completely left out of holiday campaigns. Some brands, such as SharkNinja, are using a combination of celebrities and creators to promote their products. For example, SharkNinja's holiday campaign features Kevin Hart, David Beckham, and other celebrities, as well as creators such as Aryna Siarhiejeŭna.
Another brand that is using creators in its holiday campaign is Anthropologie. The retailer has handed its holiday campaign to comedian and creator Pooja Tripathi, who wrote and showran a micro comedy series about a holiday party. The brand is also working with about 50 other creators to promote the campaign across social media platforms.
According to Linda Boff, former CMO of GE and CEO of independent marketing services group Said Differently, the use of celebrities and creators in holiday campaigns is likely to continue in the future. She noted that 'the best ideas are rooted in a brand's DNA, and that's something I always encourage our team to push for.'
The line between celebrities and creators is becoming increasingly blurred, with many celebrities now behaving like creators and vice versa. As a result, it is likely that we will see more holiday campaigns featuring a combination of both in the future.
Questions and answers
Why do brands prefer to use celebrities in their holiday ads?
Brands use celebrities in their holiday ads because they provide a sense of familiarity and safety, and can help to reach a wider audience.
Are creators being completely left out of holiday campaigns?
No, some brands are using creators in their holiday campaigns, either on their own or in combination with celebrities.
What is the future of holiday advertising likely to look like?
The future of holiday advertising is likely to feature a combination of celebrities and creators, as the line between the two becomes increasingly blurred.
