Retail Media Radar: December
As the Christmas holiday season nears, grocery retailers are rolling out fresh approaches to retail media, category management, and loyalty programs. This roundup highlights the latest strategies and campaigns shaping the festive marketplace. There are lots of great Christmas and holiday TV ads, so grab a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy.
And this month we welcome our newest team member: Santa.
You can dive into all the detail of the stories below, too.
1. Nectar’s Christmas Collector
Gamification strategy designed to nudge customer behaviours
Personalised to stretch individual spend and visit frequency
Customers can earn at least 1,500 bonus Nectar points by completing five personalised shopping tasks.
Bonus points are awarded on top of the usual points collected during shopping.
Campaign covered the nine-week period leading up to Christmas
Shoppers complete personalised tasks, unlocking one task at a time after completing the previous one.
Tasks are accessible via the Nectar app.
To participate, customers must log in and select ‘join the challenge’ to reveal their tasks.
This initiative encourages festive shopping while helping customers boost their Nectar points balance ahead of their Christmas shopping up to Christmas.
Find out more here.
2. Tesco & Mars ‘Celebrations’ Golden Ticket
Mars partnered with Tesco Media and Insight Platform for a festive "Golden Ticket" campaign.
Customers can find one of 500,000 golden tickets in packs of Celebrations.
Targeted ads on Meta and Pinterest.
A dedicated brand zone page on Tesco.com to inspire online shoppers.
Digital signage takeover using, goalpost screens, power aisle screens.
JCDecaux UK SmartScreens with phased creative content.
Fully branded OFDs (off-fixture displays) in-store.
A full store wrap of Tesco's Wembley store.
Find out more here.
3. Cadbury’s Secret Santa
Cadbury's Secret Santa promotion allows individuals to anonymously send a free chocolate bar to someone special during the festive season.
Participants can choose from a selection of Cadbury bars.
To participate, customers must locate a Cadbury Secret Santa Postal Service poster, scan the QR code, and follow the instructions to send the chocolate gift to a friend, colleague or family member
The promotion runs from early November to late December and each person can send one free bar per mobile number, with a maximum of three bars per household.
If the daily limit of free bars is reached, participants may have the option to enter a prize draw for a chance to win a Cadbury hamper.
A great example of an integrated interactive marketing campaign, aligned with customer data capture and huge festive surprise and delight.
Find out more here.
4. Kroger’s Festive Feast - Exclusive holiday products and retail media
Kroger has launched its "Festive Feast" campaign for the 2024 holiday season, partnering with well-known brands to create exclusive holiday-themed products. These offerings include unique flavours, limited-edition packaging, and specially curated gift sets, all aimed at delighting customers and driving seasonal sales.
Kroger is leveraging its retail media network to promote these exclusive products, utilising targeted digital ads, in-store signage, and email campaigns. The retail media strategy focuses on reaching customers at critical decision points, whether they’re shopping online or in-store.
Through video campaigns and social media activations, Kroger uses engaging content and storytelling to emphasise the festive joy of sharing meals and gifting. This includes promotional videos featuring families enjoying Kroger's holiday offerings, reinforcing the emotional connection between food and the holiday season.
Kroger’s campaign highlights the power of retail media in promoting exclusive brand collaborations. By using targeted advertising and creative storytelling, Kroger not only drives sales but also enhances its brand equity by offering customers unique, festive experiences they can’t find elsewhere.
Watch the campaign here.
5. Marks & Spencer's magical Christmas campaign
Marks & Spencer (M&S) has unveiled its much-anticipated 2024 Christmas campaign, bringing back Dawn French as the Fairy alongside a new guest character, played by Tom Kerridge. This year’s campaign focuses on the joy of festive gatherings, with the Fairy sprinkling her magic to create unforgettable Christmas moments, all centered around M&S’s premium festive food and drink range.
The campaign is a masterclass in multi-channel retail media. It launched with a high-profile TV ad, complemented by extensive digital and social media activity, including Instagram and TikTok campaigns targeting younger audiences. In-store displays and product promotions amplify the festive messaging, creating a seamless connection between the campaign and the shopping experience.
The ad showcases a variety of indulgent, exclusive Christmas products, such as Tom Kerridge’s Butter Enriched Turkey and festive desserts, reinforcing M&S’s position as the go-to destination for holiday indulgence. These hero products are prominently featured across retail media channels, ensuring they stand out both in-store and online.
With the tagline "Make Christmas Magical," the campaign evokes feelings of nostalgia and connection, aligning M&S’s festive offerings with the emotional core of family gatherings and celebrations. This focus is strengthened through partnerships with charities and initiatives to support local communities during the festive period.
M&S’s 2024 campaign brilliantly combines aspirational storytelling with strategic retail media execution. By blending traditional TV with digital-first approaches and exclusive product offerings, M&S not only drives sales but also reinforces its identity as a trusted leader in festive food. This approach highlights the power of retail media in creating an emotional and practical connection with customers during the holiday season.
Watch the campaign here.
6. Walmart channels popular culture and virtual reality this Christmas
Walmart's Holiday campaign features pop culture references and moments when people find the perfect gift. The campaign includes original ads with clips from classic TV shows and movies that includes the Gilmore Girls, The Simpsons and SpongeBob SquarePants. Check out the Gilmore Girls Holiday ad here.
Walmart Realm is an immersive, social-inspired online shopping experience that uses virtual reality (VR) technology to create gamified shopping experiences. For this Christmas, Walmart has created four new virtual shops in Realm inspired by social trends from Pinterest and TikTok. The shops include gifts and holiday ideas curated by influencers. The shops include gifts and holiday ideas curated by influencers. And check out Walmart Realm for Christmas here.
As we wrap up this festive edition of Retail Media Radar – December 2024 Christmas Special, it's clear that retailers are pulling out all the stops to capture holiday spirit and consumer attention. From gamified loyalty programmes like Nectar's Christmas Collector to magical storytelling in M&S's campaign and innovative VR experiences with Walmart Realm, this season is a testament to the creativity and power of retail media. Whether it's personalised tasks, golden ticket hunts, or heartfelt chocolate surprises, these campaigns show how brands are using festive moments to connect with customers, drive engagement, and build loyalty. Here's to a season filled with joy, inspiration, and great retail ideas!