Advanced Television

Boots partners with Sky’s AdSmart for Xmas campaign

November 5, 2021

By Nik Roseveare

Boots, the British pharmacy chain, has unveiled its 2021 Christmas campaign, starring actor Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who, Queen Victoria) as the character of Joy.

Bags of Joy, created by The Pharm – the WPP partnership team dedicated to WBA – aims to reignite the magic of the holiday season. It brings into focus the happiness of spending time with friends and family and the wonderful feeling of gifting joy to them, after a year where so many were unable to spend time together.

Pete Markey, Chief Marketing Officer at Boots UK said “This year, we wanted to celebrate the heart-warming memories that families will once again be able to make and cherish. To reach our customers wherever they may be, we have a full marketing plan to ensure they can experience that Christmas magic across every touchpoint. Whether they are scrolling for festive inspiration on Instagram, flicking through a magazine or relaxing in front of the television, we want people to feel joy at every opportunity.”


The campaign launches with a three-minute online film and 60 and 30-second edits across TV and VoD. The TV activations launch on November during The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV with short teaser films leading up to the date.

In addition to the hero film, Boots will be running a media-first partnership with Sky Media. The campaign will feature product-led shoppable TVCs with QR codes, driving viewers to the Boots website and enabling Boots to attribute online sales directly to its partnership activity. Using the combination of AdSmart targeting and Boots’ first-party data to target current and lapsed customers through the Advantage Card loyalty scheme, the campaign aims to provide a seamless and immediate experience for shoppers to browse and buy from the comfort of their sofas.

To drive further awareness of the campaign, Boots is also running an ITV hub takeover on November 8th and working with Channel 4’s collection lounge to provide viewers with curated programme playlists based on the theme of the campaign.

Categories: Advertising, Articles, Targetted

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