Boots puts beauty at the heart of Christmas ads
Developed as part of the retailer's Give it Some Boots brand platform, the campaign positions Boots as a destination for festive gifts that offer lasting appeal, combining well-known beauty brands, seasonal promotions and products across different budgets.
Boots has launched its 2026 Christmas campaign, For Gifts They’ll Really Love, with a humorous film highlighting beauty, wellness and electrical gifts that become everyday favourites long after Christmas Day.
Boots puts long-lasting gifts at the centre of Christmas campaign
The film opens on Christmas morning as family and friends unwrap popular beauty, wellness and electrical products. It then follows the recipients throughout the year, showing how their presents become everyday obsessions.
In one scene, a mother wears her LED light therapy mask everywhere, including when taking out the bins and posing for a family photograph. Another features a woman using her hair styler during a romantic dinner date.
The campaign uses humour to highlight the idea that the most appreciated gifts are those recipients continue to use long after the festive season. It also aims to reinforce Boots' position as a destination for beauty and wellness gifting.
Boots showcases beauty and wellness brands in festive campaign
The film features products including the Shark Cryoglow LED Face Mask, Dyson Airwrap, Jo Malone London English Pear & Freesia fragrance, No7 Future Renew Collection, YSL Rouge Pur Couture and Oral-B iO9 Electric Toothbrush.
Charlotte Lock, Chief Marketing Officer, Boots: "Boots has long played a special role in Christmas gifting, but we want to keep surprising people and give them new reasons to choose us. We want to redefine what people expect from Boots at Christmas and be the destination for the gifts people genuinely want to receive, with incredible brands, brilliant choice and exceptional value whatever your budget. The best gifting is about really knowing someone. When we get it right, the excitement lasts far beyond Christmas morning – it becomes the gift they use constantly, talk about and wonder how they ever lived without.
"Our new ‘Give it Some Boots’ brand platform is about showing up with more confidence, energy and personality. It’s a bolder and more contemporary expression of Boots, designed to make everything we do feel distinctive, memorable and unmistakably ours."
VML brings humour to Boots' Christmas advertising
Directed by Phoebe Arstein at Biscuit Filmworks, the advert combines familiar festive scenes with comedy. Its soundtrack features a contemporary reinterpretation of the traditional carol Shepherd of the Bells.
Simon Lloyd, Deputy Chief Creative Officer EMEA, VML: "Christmas gave us the biggest possible stage to show what the new ‘Give it Some Boots’ platform really means. Instead of following the conventions of Christmas advertising, we wanted to turn up the things that only Boots can really own – incredible beauty products, the thrill of discovery and the very human obsession that happens when you find something you absolutely love, all with our fresh energy, style and attitude. This allowed us to be braver, from the comedic script down to the deliberate music choice. This isn’t simply a new Christmas campaign; it’s the next statement of intent for Boots and the kind of work we want Boots to become known for."
Boots plans nationwide Christmas media rollout
Shot in the UK, the campaign launches across Boots' digital media channels, with a 60-second television commercial and the retailer's first 20-second TV edits. A multi-channel television roadblock on 6 November is expected to reach six million people over the launch weekend.
The campaign also includes 18 dedicated television edits highlighting seasonal offers. Boots' Christmas promotions feature Star Gifts, with many priced at less than half their usual price, alongside more than 1,200 gifts included in its 3 for 2 offer. The range spans brands including Olaplex, Charlotte Tilbury and Jo Malone London, as well as established favourites such as No7.
Across audiovisual channels, the campaign is expected to generate more than 300 million views and reach 90 percent of ABC1 women. It also includes a Netflix takeover spanning the launch period and Black Friday.
Boots expands social and location-based advertising
Social activity includes Snapchat's 12 Days of ChristMAPS through Promoted Places, a TikTok Top Search presence and curated Reddit Gift Guides.
The retailer will also use real-time footfall intelligence to inform an integrated digital campaign, adjusting media investment to encourage visits to its stores.
Out-of-home advertising is expected to deliver 72.7 million impacts nationwide, with placements near retail destinations. Activity includes a bespoke installation at Westfield White City and branded taxi wraps across the UK. London Underground and National Rail advertising will follow in the New Year, when health and wellbeing become a focus for consumers.
The campaign has been developed by the integrated WPP team working with Boots, bringing together creative, media and production capabilities in a data-led, multi-channel strategy.
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