The Christmas advert.
It’s become a festive staple for British retailers. Every year, big name brands are under more pressure to deliver bigger, bolder, and more boundary-pushing campaigns to one-up their competitors.
But you won’t see one this year from Iceland Foods, where I am Executive Chairman.
Because we’ve scrapped it altogether.
You might be shocked; wondering why we would take such a risk; why we would let down our customers who look forward to the annual ad and potentially be at a competitive disadvantage compared to our rivals.
But with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, stubbornly high food inflation and increased household costs still impacting our shoppers on a daily basis, we could not in good conscience spend millions of pounds on a flashy Christmas marketing campaign.
Christmas adverts cost a lot of money to make, with the high-value production team, well-known celebrity talent, plus the amount spent on buying ad space to run it constantly on TV.
I made the decision because of the guiding principle that is ingrained into the Iceland DNA – ‘Doing It Right’.
That philosophy is for life, not just for Christmas, so it was a no-brainer to redivert this investment into making sure our customers get the best possible value this festive season and beyond, allowing us to reinvest money back into all of our cost-of-living initiatives.
This ensures that we are offering real year-round value for our customers, rather than trying to just catch their eye with one-off sales or discounts.
At Iceland we committed to investing £26million into our cost-of-living initiatives. Over 60s get 10% off their shop every Tuesday, we have frozen 1,000 items at just £1 or less and added air fryer cooking instructions to many lines, which helps save money on energy.
We have also increased investment in The Iceland Food Club, a scheme offering interest-free microloans to help our customers smooth over gaps in income – it is one of the most impactful decisions I’ve made as Executive Chairman, and it has truly been a lifeline for our customers struggling with rising costs.
For me, even though not doing a Christmas advert was an easy choice, I won’t deny it was also a controversial move.
The festive period is huge for retailers, and we knew this could be a risk at a time when supermarkets often see a sales boost.
But at Iceland, we have never been afraid to stick our head above the parapet and go against the grain to do right by our customers.
More from Platform
Platform is the home of Metro.co.uk's first-person and opinion pieces, devoted to giving a platform to underheard and underrepresented voices in the media.
Find some of our best reads of the week below:
Will Castle shares the moment he found out his father had taken his own life from a traffic update on the radio.
Executive Chairman of Iceland Foods, Richard Walker, explains why his family's company are ditching their Christmas advert this year to help their customers.
Joy Munns' parents Mavis and Dennis were married for 60 years and very much in love, but when they both tried to kill themselves following Dennis's terminal diagnosis, Mavis was put on trial for his murder.
And finally, an anonymous bridesmaid recounts being subjected to constant demands by her bridezilla friend. She was left ghosted and with massive bills to pay.
And in 2023, we’ve taken more of these risks.
In the summer, Iceland defied Government regulation and cut the price of formula milk by over 20%, making us the cheapest on the market for branded formula milk.
We also worked alongside Metro and Feed UK to support their Formula For Change campaign to allow families to use gift cards and store points on formula, an incredibly important initiative for so many people.
From formula milk to breaking Christmas traditions, every ‘controversial’ decision has been worth it for our business, and our customers.
We are fortunate to have incredibly loyal customers at Iceland, and they trust us to do what’s right for them.
I often speak to people who have been shopping in our stores since the 1970s, when my mum and dad founded the business.
The feedback we have received from these same people since confirming we wouldn’t run an advert has been heartwarming, with the vast majority completely understanding why we have made this decision.
Although this is the right thing for us to do in 2023, I’m not saying Iceland will never run a Christmas ad again.
In fact, this isn’t the first time we haven’t aired a Christmas campaign on TV. Back in 2018, our Rang-Tan advert, highlighting the dangers of palm oil and its impact on orangutans, fell foul of the UK’s rules on political advertising, and we were banned from airing it.
So, we put it up online instead for the world to see and made an even bigger impact than we could’ve ever imagined – with Google searches for palm oil increasing 10,000% and raising thousands of pounds for an orangutan sanctuary.
We are hopeful that we will run a Christmas ad again in future, but only when it makes sense for our business and our customers.
As a family-run company, we have the autonomy to make these decisions without having to answer to external shareholders, and I am truly confident that we have made the right one.
While there won’t be an Iceland advert on your screens this festive period, we know there are other ways we can spread joy this Christmas.
And we will.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
Share your views in the comments below.
MORE : Metro’s Formula for Change petition hits 50,000 signatures after Ladbaby support
MORE : Labour vows to change ‘outdated and damaging’ restrictions on baby formula
MORE : Metro.co.uk’s cost of living campaign wins prestigious award
