VML/The Pharm and Boots brings a lavish Santa Claus fantasy to Christmas. Bridgeton star, Adjoa Andoh, becomes Mrs Claus, leading her trusty squad of beauty elves in the opulent “Christmas Werkshop,” who prepare Santa’s gifts (humorously, while he sleeps by the fire). Her final comment is to the audience: “You thought it was all him?” she asks playfully, giving a nod to the powerhouses who make Christmas magical.
The Christmas Makeover underlines the glamour of party-time at Christmas and reminds viewers that Boots has a present for every kind of beauty enthusiast.
Beside Adjoa Andoh in the film are two renowned beauty social media influencers, @soph and @snatchedbywill, who work with Boots on an ongoing basis, Both helping Mrs Claus in the film by testing all the Boots beauty products as her trusty ‘elf-fluencers’.
Andoh commented, “How beauty can make you feel and how it shapes your identity is very important to me, so when Boots asked me to be a part of their festive campaign and play the vital and often under-valued role of Mrs. Claus, I was thrilled. The creative brilliantly shows how beauty can help us feel empowered and fabulous. It can lift your spirits in minutes. I like to keep things simple, but quality is important to me, and Boots can offer that to every shopper at every budget.”
Pete Markey, chief marketing officer at Boots, added, “As the UK’s favourite beauty retailer1, we are on a mission to spread magic and excitement to beauty enthusiasts this Christmas, while also recognising the unsung powerhouses who make Christmas so special. This advert is the perfect culmination of both, and I cannot wait to see the reaction and help gift-givers find the perfect gift this Christmas.”
The commercial’s resplendent production is by Radical, and direction by Dave Meyers. It is set to the soundtrack, Who’s That Girl by Eve, and will launch on Wednesday November 6 on Boots social media channels before going to air on ITV1 during Until I Kill You. ITV1. The full campaign will run for seven weeks across TV, radio, cinema, print, social, and online.
For the first time, Boots will directly target men as a growth audience through a new and targeted media approach, in particular in the last minute lead up to Christmas across podcasts, social, YouTube & creator content. The retailer has put innovation at the centre of the launch strategy, with 65% of its media strategy featuring new tactics to bring the campaign to life. Within this new approach, 50% of all media spend will be using first party data and 91% of the Boots target audience will be reached across the AV landscape.
The campaign will also be activated on Reddit and Pinterest as Boots test new media formats as well as securing a Snapchat takeover to be unmissable across Black Friday weekend. Boots will also ‘own Christmas on YouTube’ with a Moment Sponsorship and YouTube partnership, a new approach for Boots as the film will appear as the first advert within specially curated festive playlists throughout the season. The campaign will also tap into new formats in print, such as gift guide takeovers to make sure Boots is unmissable this Christmas and ensure Boots beauty is on every shopper’s radar.
Boots will enter the world of gaming for the first time with Activision, with a Boots Christmas-themed game that will appear within Candy Crush, Bubble Witch Saga and Farm Hero Saga games. Influencer activity also makes up a key part of this year’s campaign, with more above-the-line creator-led content than ever before.
Client: Boots
Boots Chief Marketing Officer: Pete Markey
Director of Marketing & Brand: Emma Locker
Head of Marketing: Rebecca Vittles
Marketing Manager: Cara McNaughton
Agency: VML/The Pharm
Chief Creative Officer: Ryan McManus
Creative Partner: Sarah Bamford
Executive Creative Director: Mara Vidal
Senior Art Director: Lucy Harrison
Senior Copywriter: Emma Gallagher
Strategy Partner: Marie Conley
Associate Strategy Director: Miriam Albuixech
Associate Strategy Director: Steven Son
Client Partner: Siobhán Woodrow
Business Director: Alice Bunbury
Account Director: Sophie Keattch
Senior Account Manager: Grace Bassett
Senior Project Manager: Lucy Randell
Hogarth Executive Producer: Susie Innes
Producer: Eleanor Hardcastle
Production Company: Radical
Director: Dave Meyers
DOP: Scott Cunningham
Executive Producer: Sam Holmes
Producer: Ersan Beskardes
Post Production: Universal Production Partners (UPP)
VFX Supervisor: Mário Dubec
Producer: Jan Valter
Project Coordinator: Albert Otevřel
Art Director: Martin Smékal
Colour Grading: Pavel Marko
Editing: Stitch Editor: Charlie Von Rotberg
Sound: No.8
Audio Engineers: Sam Robson & George Castle
Executive Producer: Karen Noden
Casting: Talent Republic
