Holiday 2024 Marketing Campaigns from Top Brands

It’s time to be inspired by some of this year’s top holiday campaigns.

In 2024, global brands are mixing it up, augmenting traditional ad campaigns with multimedia elements and additional engagement channels, including apps, social media, and generative AI.

Coca-Cola: CreateRealMagic.com

Coca-Cola is arguably the world’s most successful brand. Some of its holiday assets, such as caravan trucks and polar bears, create a nostalgic connection for the holiday season. However, Coca-Cola is embracing artificial intelligence for more.

Consumers can visit CreateRealMagic.com to generate digital greeting cards by reimagining iconic Coca‑Cola images and characters through AI tools. Consumers can download personalized cards, email them to family and friends, or post them on social media. They can also save online galleries and browse the work of fellow creators. Coca‑Cola will feature consumer-created artwork and creations from partner artists on 20 digital billboards around the world, including New York’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus.

The holiday card generator will be available in over 40 markets globally and supports Coca‑Cola’s celebration of the “inner Santa” through everyday acts of kindness. A new television film, “The World Needs More Santas,” shows how real magic multiplies when people embrace selflessness, generosity, and goodwill. Two additional short films, “Ho-Ho Heist” and “The Note,” will drop in December.

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Burger King: 31 Days of Deals

Burger King has started its holiday campaign, “31 Days of Deals,” with the launch of its BK Advent Calendar, which holds 12 curated gift surprises. Followers can text ADVENT to be in line for the BK Advent Calendar when it goes on sale on November 22. Recipients can expect favorite items such as Chicken Fries and the Whopper hamburger, as well as nostalgic nods to inspire holiday memories.

The “31 Days of Deals” come to life in the “BK Village,” an immersive experience in the BK app that helps bring the Advent Calendar to life digitally. Royal Perks members can explore the snowy town to unlock deals and “deck the halls” of their holiday home. Each day, users can open the mailbox at their digital holiday home to reveal one of the 31 deals to redeem.

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Walmart: Gifts That Show You Get Them

To promote the Black Friday and Cyber Monday kickoff of holiday shopping, Walmart produced a 10-chapter “advertainment” series called “Deals of Desire,” inspired by the thrill of finding the season’s best prices. On October 28, Walmart ran a behind-the-scenes trailer teasing the story and star-studded cast. The retailer then ran chapter 1 on November 11. Followers can visit Walmart.com/deals/blackfriday to shop for specials and follow along as “Deals of Desire” drops new episodes each week.

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Amazon: Midnight Opus

Amazon has released its 2024 ad, “Midnight Opus,” which spotlights small acts of everyday kindness that can spark joy. The spot tells the story of a theater janitor whose hidden vocal talent is discovered and celebrated by his colleagues as they prepare a performance stage for their friend.

With a bit of help from Amazon, the final touch is the delivery of a tuxedo jacket, enabling the performer to step into the spotlight and sing. As his colleagues take their seats, the janitor performs a touching performance of the 1965 classic “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” showcasing his vocal prowess.

Amazon has also unveiled its Virtual Holiday Shop, which uses immersive 3D technology powered by Amazon Beyond (virtual store) to showcase seasonally themed interactive content and a selection of new products. Visitors can add items directly to a cart and then check out as usual.

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SharkNinja: Ninja the Holidays

SharkNinja, a design company for home appliances, has launched its first-ever holiday campaign for its Ninja brand, titled “Ninja the Holidays,” featuring brand ambassador David Beckham. The initial TV spot aired in the U.S. on Friday, November 1, across various streaming partners, followed by additional high-profile spots, including Thursday night football games.

Television ads will also appear across the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Nordics, the Middle East, and the Benelux regions. The campaign will feature prominently on out-of-home platforms, including billboards in Times Square and London, and will extend across social media and other digital channels.

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LEGO: Cataclaws

The LEGO Group has launched its holiday campaign by introducing Cataclaws, an icon for creative LEGO play. The furry brick-built character is a reminder of the power of playing together during the holiday season. The ad features more than 20 LEGO products, unique builds, and cameos from beloved characters. There are also surprises for LEGO fans, including the chance to build their own mini Cataclaws in LEGO stores.

The campaign coincides with the LEGO Group’s annual Build to Give initiative, encouraging everyone to share the power of play with children who need it most by building a heart out of LEGO bricks and promoting it with the hashtag #BuildToGive. For every heart built in LEGO stores, shared on social media, or the LEGO Play app using #BuildToGive before December 31, the LEGO Group will donate a LEGO set to a child needing play in hospitals, children’s homes, and vulnerable communities.

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Etsy: Give ‘I get you’ gifts

Etsy has produced its holiday campaign, “Give ‘I get you’ gifts,” featuring the story of Waldo, who travels the world and gets spotted everywhere he goes. But he finally feels seen when he returns home and receives the perfectly personalized Etsy gift from his best friend. The Etsy spots are reminders that Etsy sellers are producing memories that make the holiday season memorable.

The campaign will extend across channels — from TV and billboards to social media, influencers, and experiential. Etsy is creating hundreds of versions of ads that address key buyer needs and highlight the gifts on its platform. Beyond traditional media, Etsy is engaging audiences through experiential activations and podcast integrations. It’s also teaming up with tastemakers such as “Chief Gifting Officer” Drew Barrymore and tennis star Naomi Osaka to share their favorite gifting finds.

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Old Navy: Love Is in the House

Old Navy has launched its holiday campaign, “Love Is in the House,” starring singer Jennifer Hudson as the hostess of the Old Navy House, where everyone is welcome. A house party features special guests, including dancer and influencer Lexee Smith, dancer and choreographer Raphael “The Sandman” Thomas, nine-year-old dancer Brody Hudson Schaffer, a.k.a. Boss Baby Brody, and Old Navy’s Magic the Dog.

The campaign will air across cinema, television networks, social platforms, and streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney+, as well as during NFL games. The campaign includes Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “Winter Wonderland” from her newly released, first-ever holiday album, “The Gift of Love,” to be sold at select Old Navy stores.

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John Lewis: The Gifting Hour

John Lewis, the U.K. retailer, has released “The Gifting Hour,” the second Christmas campaign by the agency Saatchi & Saatchi. The ad is a nostalgic and magical journey to find the perfect Christmas gift. In the ad, a heroine is late to find the right gift for her sister and races into a John Lewis store at closing time. Falling through a rack of dresses, she enters a fantastical world through her memories as she searches against the clock for the ultimate present.

The ad’s soundtrack features the song “Sonnet” by Richard Ashcroft, the former frontman for The Verve rock band. The retailer is holding a competition on social media to find an aspiring artist to cover the song with the help of Ashcroft and record label BMG. The winner will record a version of “Sonnet,” which will feature in a Christmas Day airing of the ad on TV, and BMG will officially release the track. All proceeds from the winning single will go to the John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures program.

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Urban Outfitters: Happy LOLidays

Urban Outfitters has launched its multichannel “Happy LOLidays” campaign, designed to relieve seasonal stress with fun. Engaging consumers across a range of touchpoints, the campaign features an assortment of items starting at $25. Launching with the “UO Carol,” the spot features a tune by TikTok sensation Lubalin and a dance challenge choreographed by Lars Gummer. Curated selections of trending, budget-friendly picks appear in the “LOLiday Gift Guides,” showcasing culturally relevant, viral products.

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Olipop: Meet OLI and POP

Olipop has produced its 2024 holiday campaign around two holiday yetis, Oli and Pop. The campaign reveals the holiday characters in an animated environment reminiscent of classic stop-motion holiday specials.

Olipop’s campaign will appear across various platforms, including TV, social media, and select connected services. Olipop has also released limited-edition holiday cans for its Vintage Cola and Ginger Ale beverages.

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Sprite: ‘Twas the Night Before Spritemas

Sprite’s “Twas the Night Before Spritemas” is its first new holiday campaign in three years. The remixed holiday classic features basketball star Anthony Edwards as “Anta Claus” and new prose by rapper Monaleo to a hip-hop version of “Carol of the Bells.” The campaign also includes a partnership with carrier service GoPuff to deliver Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry samples to consumers who tag the brand on Instagram.

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Shutterfly: Make Something That Means Something

Shutterfly has produced its 2024 holiday ad campaign, “Make Something That Means Something,” in partnership with creative agency Quality Experience. The campaign takes viewers through a funny montage of abandoned, meaningless, mass-produced gifts, showing the joy that recipients experience when they receive personalized photo-based gifts, such as books, blankets, mugs, and framed images. The campaign offers unique gifts as alternatives to mass-produced products, promoting the items sold through Shutterfly.