Boots’ Christmas campaign centres on personalisation as research says buyers want to give fewer, better presents

Boots’ Christmas campaign promises to be its most “personalised” yet, dedicated to serving the diverse (and sometimes alien to us) hobbies of our loved ones. Put together by a heavyweight creative team under agency WPP, including Ogilvy UK, Mediacom, Geometry, Bookmark and True Story, the Gift Like You Get Them campaign embraces the “multitude of trends and tribes” our loved ones subscribe to – and just how difficult this makes it to buy truly personal gifts.

It follows research that shows this year, UK consumers want to give fewer, better gifts, and focus on the most special people in their lives. This turns up the pressure on buying the right gift, and showing our nearest and dearest that we really get them.

The TV ad encapsulates the eclectic pastimes of the British people and the inherent stress of Christmas shopping for them. Beginning in a quiet village hall, where a woman makes unsubtle jibes to her partner for not wanting “another cookbook”, the ad dives into drama, making a quick-fire journey through our weird and wonderful delectations, from brutal early morning fitness regimes, to late night ASMR fixes, the latest make-up tutorial trends and even veganism. A desperate shopper finally cries out to the retail gods for a big shop filled with lots of little shops to buy everything for “all the ridiculously hard-to-buy-for people in my life” and Boots answers, with the “Bootique”.

These “Bootiques” will be popping up all over the UK and online, curated around niche markets, for example the “What to buy the person who lies awake dreaming of sleep Bootique”; the ‘What to buy the person who loves working out nearly as much as talking about it Bootique”; the ‘What to buy the moody tweenager formerly known as your little angel Bootique”; and the “What to buy your bestie for the leastie Bootique”. There is also a Build Your Own Bootique online tool, an on-brand “want list” to share with your loved ones.

Boots says it is the largest multi-channel launch ever, and reached over 21 million people in the campaign’s first 24 hours. Part of this saw the brand increase its digital spend from 42% last year to 55%, in line with research into changing consumer behaviour.

Dede Laurentino, chief creative officer at Ogilvy UK, said in a statement that the campaign tackles a “truly human insight” into the challenge of getting the perfect gift for our friends and family, which he says “has powered the whole idea and we’ve used technology and wit – in equal measures – to bring it to life in a way that has never been done and could never be done until now. Tech meets the heart, it’s Christmas in 2019 after all.”

Boots ploys for consumers’ attentions in a busy week for Christmas ad releases, when Ikea teamed up with grime rapper D Double E to make ornaments guilt-trip their messy owners, and M&S enlisted a celebrated Béyonce collaborator to sell lots and lots of jumpers.