I have just watched one the cleverest takes on the Christmas advert from a B2B company. Yes, you heard right, a B2B company. Biffa has pushed the boat out this year and crafted an AI generated take on the Coca Cola classic, complete with catchy Christmas music and an animated truck decal. Well done Biffa on stepping outside of the standard B2B drudgery and tackling an important message this Christmas – recycle!
In the UK, the festive period increases waste generation by around 30%. We throw away:
- Wrapping paper: Approximately 108 million rolls are binned – the equivalent of wrapping around the equator 8 times.
- Plastic: Over 114,000 tonnes of plastic packaging are discarded during the festive season – that the same as 9,500 London buses.
- Christmas cards: Around 1 billion cards end up in landfill or incineration – almost twice the weight of Big Ben.
I know that recycling isn’t a sexy message (it can’t compete with the big budget John Lewis, Asda, Sainsburys, M&S and Aldi campaigns) but this year I think that Biffa has got it right. A reminder that, on Christmas Day as we stuff all of the waste into bin bags, we should be thinking about recycling.
To watch the full video you visit the community support pages on the Biffa website: https://www.biffa.co.uk/support-resources/for-communities/wasteaters
But this advert got me thinking – what else can B2B learn from the way that B2C brands tackle the festive season. There seem to be some general rules of thumb that are applied to most Christmas campaigns:
- Use a well known celebrity: no link to your brand is really required but make it memorable. Macauly Culkin reprised his role as Kevin McAllister for an advert for Home Instead.
- Pull on our heart strings: John Lewis is really the master at this, but in recent years Sainsburys have also done a great job of bringing out the tears. Think of the ‘Bear and the Hare’ advert from 2013 or the ‘Christmas Love Story’ from the National Lottery in 2022.
- Make it relevant: we all know that Christmas is a time for family and friends but there are some serious messages in some of the ads too about overspending and Christmas on a budget.
- Stick to your branding: Aldi is probably the master of this. It developed Kevin the Carrot and he has become synonymous with the brand and has been the focal point of their Christmas campaigns for 10 years now. This is a powerful tool for a marketer as it connects your brand to the festive season without the need to create new characters or branding outside of your core theme.
This year’s festive campaigns show that creativity and emotional connection aren’t just for B2C brands, B2B companies can shine just as brightly when they embrace storytelling and bold ideas. At Skout PR, we help businesses craft compelling narratives, build brand awareness, and deliver campaigns that resonate with audiences all year round.
If you’re ready to elevate your B2B marketing and make your next campaign unforgettable, come and chat to us and let’s create something extraordinary together.
