BABY JESUS OR SANTA CLAUS? HOW CZECH CHRISTMAS ADS DIFFER FROM FOREIGN ADVERTISING

23. 12. 2022 Advent marks the beginning of a period when advertisers’ budgets are releasing larger sums of money into TV marketing. This is driven not only by the desire to thank their customers and wish them a prosperous new year, but also by the motivation to catch up with sales targets in the fourth quarter. According to statistics, investment in Christmas advertising rose by a billion in 2021 compared to the previous year. In recent years, many online retailers have joined traditional brand advertisers. TV advertising is valued by consumers as a great source of inspiration for Christmas shopping and also tops the charts in terms of relevance of recommendations and trust in the quality and value of products. In recent years, Christmas campaigns have also often been an unofficial competition to see who can film the spot that captures the audience’s heart, sticks best in their mind or (even) goes viral. TV ADVERTISING IS THE MOST CRUCIAL IN INFLUENCING CHRISTMAS SHOPPING BEHAVIOUR According to RTU, Christmas advertising has a big influence on what gifts people buy for their loved ones. According to research by Nielsen Admosphere, almost two-thirds of Czechs are influenced by Christmas advertising and the percentage of women is higher than men. Of course, with the popularity of social networks, customers are also inspired by other platforms, but they are only third on the scale. In the second place there’s the good old fashioned 'word of mouth', i.e. a recommendation from someone we know. But TV spots are still the best advisor when deciding on a gift for our loved ones. CZECH CHRISTMAS ADVERTISING HAS ITS SPECIFICS Most of the Czech commercials have one factor in common - fun. In the past, brands were often afraid to go down this route, but this tendency has been visibly modified in the Czech environment in recent years, and the domestic scene is gravitating towards funny ads. Czech creatives are not too keen on theatrical film environments and deeply moving advertising. Maybe it is due to a different culture or a limited budget, but as the creators of the 2006 spot for Vodafone with Petr Čtvrtníček proved, even with a small budget, Czechs can make funny and functional advertising that then goes viral on the Internet. NARRATIVE COMMERCIALS LIKE THE BRITISH ARE RARELY SEEN IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC Although Czech advertising (not only Christmas advertising) is to some extent influenced by foreign countries, it still keeps the Czech distinctive mentality at the forefront. Unlike the Czechs, British marketers try to create mostly touching and emotional content for Christmas. The preparation, execution and processing of advertising, which relies primarily on the story and the overall atmosphere, requires precise execution as well as a high budget. To make commercials such as those created by John Lewis, a legend of Christmas advertising, is a very high standard in terms of Czech budgets. Although it is not impossible, domestic filmmakers more often bet on easier (cheaper) forms of the concept.

MEDIA IN CR AT CHRISTMAS: MAINLY TV, THEN READING BOOKS AND VIDEOS

22. 12. 2022 Watching TV is by far the most popular Christmas media activity among Czechs. Czech fairy tales and czech films are the most frequently watched, with the most popular title being the fairy tale Three Nuts for Cinderella.

CZECHS MAINLY ASSOCIATE COCA-COLA AND KOFOLA WITH CHRISTMAS

22. 12. 2022 Of the respondents who associate a particular brand with Christmas, about half of them mentioned Coca-Cola and Kofola.

DESPITE FRAGMENTATION, VIEWERS FLOCK TO HOLIDAY PROGRAMMING; EFFECTV STUDY SHOWS SEASONAL OPPORTUNITY TO REACH CONSUMERS

19. 12. 2022 Despite changes to how viewers watch television, advertisers can still reach consumers through holiday programming, according to a study by Effectv, the ad sales arm of Comcast.

CHRISTMAS ADS 2022: HOW BRANDS ARE CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAY SEASON

16. 12. 2022 Every year, Christmas comes early for brands as they race to debut their holiday ads before the peak shopping period begins. 2022 is no different, and advertisers have officially started stepping into Christmas by bringing a bit of festive cheer to screens.

STUDY FINDS AD EFFECTIVENESS DOES NOT ‘WEAR-OUT’ OVER TIME

12. 12. 2022 Older campaigns and intellectual property (IP) may be a brand’s “greatest and most neglected assets”, according to research from System1.

TYPICALLY CZECH CHRISTMAS. IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, HOLIDAY ADVERTISING IS HANDLED DIFFERENTLY, THE CREATORS ARE NOT AFRAID OF CONTROVERSIAL HUMOUR OR SERIOUS MESSAGES

8. 12. 2022 Czech Christmas ads are a category in themselves. It’s quite possible that abroad they would look in disbelief and awe at, for example, a Kofola pig, while for us the ad is the epitome of Christmas spirit. Of course, Czechs are no strangers to classically emotional and serious spots, and even excel at them. But the big domestic specificity is the fact that the most memorable advertising achievements are largely humorous pieces. Even so, they combine what we always look forward to at Christmas. The two categories then complement each other beautifully on the screen, creating a commercial mix that suggests that Christmas really is just around the corner! THE UNDYING LEGEND: KOFOLA - THE GOLDEN PIGGY Even Czechs have their own advertising that de facto heralds Christmas. Just as the UK has their John Lewis, we have our wild boar, but it lacks something to the golden one. The legendary Christmas advert doesn't seem to have aged at all since 2003, when it first appeared on TV screens. Unlike John Lewis, who year after year comes up with new original spots exquisitely rich in narrative, this domestic gem has made do with a few basic remasters and adaptations over nearly twenty years. The spot brilliantly combines honoring popular Christmas traditions with typical Czech situational humor. The main role here is played by the superstition of the golden pig that appears to those who fast on Christmas Eve. The popular catchphrase "No, I don't have to, I can see it already." is proof that this superstition can take on a whole new dimension when you go into the woods. This year, however, the re-launch of the ad will have a sad touch - on 1 November, its author Robert Peňažka died after a long illness. But for this achievement alone he will certainly never be forgotten, even though he himself admitted that no one expected the ad to become such a success. "With Kofola, the intention was not to create a legendary campaign at all, but to come up with a good Christmas campaign. That's the main ingredient. If you do it right, it will pay off and it has a chance to become a legend," he recalled in 2020. Well, in this case, he succeeded brilliantly.

STUDY: ADDRESSABLE ADS ELICIT STRONGER RESPONSES

2. 12. 2022 Finecast, an addressable TV provider, has announced the results of its latest piece of research which provides new insights into the effectiveness of addressable TV advertising. Commissioned by Finecast and conducted by scientists from UCL, the study investigates how the brain responds to addressable advertisements across four key neuro-networks: attention, emotion, reward and memory.

CHRISTMAS TV ADS 2022

1. 12. 2022 Thinkbox made a list, checked it twice, and created a gallery to fulfil your Christmas ad wishes.

CANADA STUDY: INSPIRATION FOR BUYING CHRISTMAS PRESENTS IS DELIVERD FROM TV ADS

28. 11. 2022 Recent research realized by Cint has confirmed that 89% of people pay attention to Christmas adverts on TV, and a large nr of people also take inspiration from these adverts to buy Christmas presents.

BINANCE LAUNCHES ITS FIRST COMMERCIAL IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC, WITH RONALDO

28. 11. 2022 The TV commercial is another step for crypto exchange Binance to communicate to the public in the Czech Republic.

WHY MARKETERS NEED TO OPTIMISE MEDIA INVESTMENT IN THE COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS

26. 11. 2022 The cost-of-living crisis presents marketers with perhaps an even bigger challenge than the pandemic. They will need to optimise media investment, writes Azerion’s Paul Lowrey.

THE FESTIVE SEASON IN BRITISH RETAIL GOT OFF TO AN EARLY START THIS YEAR

25. 11. 2022 It´s Christmass already knocking on the door and the holiday season in british retail has started early this year. The cost of living crisis is forcing struggling shoppers to spread their Christmas shopping over a longer period and supermarkets are responding by deploying festive campaigns earlier.

CZECHS MOST OFTEN REMEMBER ADS ON TV, FOLLOWED BY YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK

22. 11. 2022 TV campaigns lead in recall among czech viewers and internet users. Compared to the same spots played in TV archives, on YouTube and Facebook, Czechs recall them best, according to the Track the Success study conducted by the Association of Commercial Television (AKTV) in cooperation with Eye Square.

WHAT 25 YEARS OF PAID SEARCH CAN TEACH US ABOUT THE FUTURE OF TV ADVERTISING

21. 11. 2022 Television has always been the most important and powerful screen in the American home. And even with the continued trend of cord-cutting, we know consumers are still tuned in—now, on connected television (CTV).

CHALLENGE EVEN FOR THE BEST MARKETERS. WHY DOES A GOOD TV AD NEED TO GRAB THE VIEWER’S ATTENTION?

14. 11. 2022 Does it ever happen to you that while watching a commercial break on TV, an ad sticks in your mind so much that you have to think about it the next day? Or that you completely forget the “skip-ad” button when watching an ad before an online video? That is exactly the kind of situation where the real marketing experts rub their hands with satisfaction. They have just managed to grab your attention, which is an extremely difficult discipline that challenges even the most renowned brands. Is there any manual on how to tackle it with honour and create an ad that will become a viral hit?

THE CASE FOR BRAND INVESTMENT IN A TIME OF BUDGET CUTS

13. 11. 2022 As economic uncertainty has many businesses tightening their belts, one area particularly prone to budget cuts is branding. But brand building will always be a key driver of long-term success.

WHY METAPHORS IN ADS CONTRIBUTE TO BETTER MEMORABILITY

30. 10. 2022 As consumers are exposed to thousands of advertisements daily, researchers have sought to understand what makes people remember certain brands better than they remember others.