December 4th Campaign highlights

Our top picks for inspiration, impact & insights

4 DECEMBER 2025

Post-Black-Friday calm… and the creative storm before Christmas

Black Friday is behind us, dashboards are settling, and marketers everywhere are shifting gears. We’ve entered that fascinating in-between window where brands either go fully festive, quietly prepare for Q1, or squeeze in one last cultural moment before the year closes.

This week’s campaigns delivered a brilliant mix of contrasts: data-driven rituals, emotional storytelling, smart craft, brave choices—and a few cautionary tales. Here are my top picks, and what they reveal about the type of creativity audiences are actually responding to as we sprint toward Christmas.

Spotify Wrapped: The annual data moment that feels like a holiday

Spotify’s Wrapped returned this week, the global celebration of your most-listened-to artists, genres, and late-night guilty pleasures. Alongside the in-app experience, Spotify rolled out a huge global campaign: vibrant OOH takeovers, playful digital placements, and new features like Fan Leaderboard and Wrapped Party for friend groups. ( Publicis for media) Read details here.

It’s the perfect example of how a brand can transform first-party data into a shared cultural ritual. Wrapped isn’t just a product feature anymore, it’s a global event people anticipate and proudly share.

OpenAI’s first brand campaign: AI in the quiet, human moments

OpenAI launched its first-ever brand campaign. Instead of leaning into futurism, it leaned into humanity. Shot on 35mm film, each vignette shows real people using ChatGPT for everyday tasks like cooking, planning, or learning, with scripts pulled directly from actual user prompts. Watch Here

In a category known for big promises and shiny tech demos, OpenAI chose warmth and grounded authenticity. A thoughtful repositioning move for an industry that often forgets the human at the centre.

Plusnet’s playful sponsorship idents: making a logo the hero

Plusnet returned to screens with a charming series of sponsorship idents for U&Dave, built around a simple idea: bring the Plusnet “+” logo to life. It becomes rising dough, a party prop, even part of the scenery—all narrated with warm Yorkshire humour by David Earl. (created by Droga5 UK) Check out here

A lovely example of distinctive brand asset use. No hard sell—just personality, craft, and memorable brand linkage.

Waitrose’s festive social mini-series: solving Christmas with food

Waitrose reunited Gavin & Stacey stars Joanna Page and Mathew Horne for a six-part mini-series answering classic Christmas dilemmas: awkward relatives, tense moments, chaotic kitchens, through humour and premium Waitrose food. ( Produced by Wonderhood Studio) More details here.

Warm-hearted, nostalgic, and social-first by design, it’s built for how audiences actually consume festive content today: in short bursts, with a smile.

Valentino’s AI backlash: when tech undermines brand values

Valentino released an AI-generated Instagram video promoting a handbag, but instead of a high-fashion moment, the uncanny visuals fell flat. Fans labelled it “AI slop,” taking aim at a lack of craft and attention to detail. Take a read here.

Luxury brands rely on meticulous execution and the audience knows it. When AI shortcuts compromise that world, the reaction is swift. A valuable reminder that innovation should elevate craft, not erode it.

Plusnet's logo used in surprising way

Authenticity in action: how charity campaigns cut through the Festive

This year’s standout charity campaigns proved that emotional honesty and purposeful storytelling often matter more than flash or scale. Three examples worth noting:

Dogs Trust – “Thank You for My Happy Place”
A touching 60-second film told from a dog’s perspective, celebrating safety, comfort, and belonging. Soft, heartfelt, and refreshingly uplifting.

Stroke Association – “Still Christmas”
A mix of celebrities and real stroke survivors explore the complicated realities of navigating the holidays post-stroke. Raw, honest, and deeply human.

Church of England – “Grumpy Owl”
A simple, humorous digital-first film using a grumpy owl to remind viewers to slow down and reconnect with what matters. Charm and relatability over big production values.

Three very different approaches, one shared insight: emotional clarity, done simply and sincerely, travels far.

Full details here.

Black Friday 2025 results: more spend, less reach, conversion pressure rising

Black Friday 2025 data (released Dec 2) showed ad spend was up significantly (~17%), but impressions/reach fell, meaning audiences got more expensive to reach. Engagement remained strong, but conversion rates are now the biggest bottleneck.

It's time to rethink and re-prioritise on post-click optimisation. The challenge is no longer driving traffic, but efficiency. Marketers and agencies must now prioritise optimising landing pages, offer flows, and follow-up strategies, as generic spend increases will lead to diminished returns in Q1 2026.

Read details here

Share Your Finds!

Seen a marketing campaign that caught your eye? Whether it’s a clever promotion, a bold activation, or just something that made you stop and think, we want to hear about it!

Send your newsworthy picks, insight or content to [email protected] or using the link below ⬇️