Festive campaigns that grabbed our attention

December 20, 2021 JayneLeave a comment

Photo by Brett Jordan from Pexels

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, and it won’t be long before all our loved ones are crowded around a table heaving with festive food, as the fairy lights twinkle in the background. Along with the advent calendar chocolates and office Secret Santas, the Christmas season is a time when our TV screens are flooded with festive adverts.

From emotional stories which tug at our heartstrings to humorous scenes which make even the most cynical members of the household chuckle, Christmas campaigns have become something to look forward to as December rolls around each year.

Here are some festive campaigns that grabbed our attention.

Iceland’s campaign against the palm oil industry

Back in 2018, Iceland collaborated with Greenpeace on a campaign to raise awareness of deforestation being caused by the palm oil industry. The video featured a baby orangutan and the destruction of its habitat by palm oil farmers. Cuddly toy orangutans were sold by Iceland as part of the campaign and the proceeds from these went to Greenpeace.

Unfortunately, the advert was removed from TV by the regulatory body, after being deemed “too political”. However, Iceland persevered, showcasing the campaign through online channels, where it quickly went viral.

Google’s “Home Alone” Christmas advert

Celebrity appearances in Christmas adverts don’t always go down well. However, Google hit the nail on the head with their Home Alone-themed advert for the Google Home Assistant in 2018, by hiring Macaulay Culkin to reprise his role as Kevin McCallister, almost 30 years after the classic film was released.

The advert showed Culkin in the family mansion where the film takes place, interacting with a Google Home Assistant as he goes about his day as “Kevin”. Viewers were even treated to a few 90s flashbacks from the film for one final touch of nostalgia.

Aldi’s “Kevin the Carrot”

Bringing another Kevin to the forefront was supermarket giant Aldi with Kevin the Carrot, who has featured in Aldi’s Christmas campaigns for six consecutive years after being introduced in their 2016 festive advert.

The 2021 advert has not disappointed, with viewers crowning it their favourite Christmas ad. Aldi has continued the Kevin the Carrot theme across its marketing channels, from displaying posters in-store to selling soft toys in aid of the children’s charity Barnardo’s.

Coca Cola’s “Holidays Are Coming”

Coca Cola are known for taking the cake when it comes to Christmas campaigns, and their “Holidays Are Coming” adverts have never failed to delight us since first launching in 2010. The adverts follow the same pattern year after year, and feature Santa Claus driving the renowned Coca Cola 4×4 lorry to announce the start of the Christmas season.

M&S Food’s “Percy’s First Christmas”

A firm favourite among Brits of all ages, Percy Pig sweets have been associated with M&S Food for nearly 30 years. Percy, voiced by Tom Holland, features as the main character in their Christmas advert this year, which is one of the biggest campaigns the brand has ever produced.

The advert begins with the store being closed for the evening, when the Christmas tree fairy, voiced by Dawn French, accidentally casts a spell which brings Percy to life. Percy goes on to explore the store and M&S Food’s Christmas specialities.

The Most Interesting Plans for Christmas in London

October 28, 2021 JayneLeave a comment

Ready to spend the best holiday of your life this Christmas in London? Then take a look at the places, plans and venues suggested below! You’ll have a blast regardless who you travel with, be it friends, partner or family.

Winterville at Victoria Park

Winterville at Victoria Park is another London Christmas fair offering fun and activities for the whole family, such as an ice rink, children’s fairground rides, horse or carriage rides, a Ferris wheel, a Christmas market and shows, as well as food stalls.

Kew Gardens Light Show

The Royal Botanic Gardens of London Kew Gardens celebrates Christmas every year with a light show that you cannot miss if you travel to London with children at Christmas. It is a magical tour through the botanical garden illuminated with many spectacular Christmas lights from late November to early January. It is an event that always sells out quickly, so you have to buy tickets in advance on their website.

See Christmas lights in London

To see the most spectacular Christmas lights in London you will have to go to Oxford Street, Regent Street and Covent Garden Square. The Winterfest festival in Wembley Park is another highly recommended destination in London to see Christmas lights with children. Artists from around the world have created pieces of art that combine Christmas lights with sounds and a multi-sensory experience. You will find the tallest LED Christmas tree in London and impressive walkways with interactive sounds.

Another fun way to see the Christmas lights in London is by riding the roofless bus that runs through the most iconic streets and places of London decorated with lights: Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, The London Eye, Big Ben and Regent Street, among others. The bus departs from Golden Tours Visitor Center at Fountain Square and Buckingham Palace Road.

Christmas at London Zoo

ZSL London Zoo also transforms at Christmas to offer Christmas at London Zoo, a magical experience for its visitors. When it gets dark, the park is illuminated with a million Christmas lights that create a magical and very festive atmosphere. The little ones will love it walk inside the illuminated tunnels. There is also Santa Claus and there are activities for children, such as Christmas movies and children’s crafts.

Christmas Crazy Golf at Plonk Golf

An alternative to indoor fun plans to try with your family and children is the crazy golf games at Plonk Golf! Crazy Golf in Camden is a great for family bonding during Christmas thanks to the venues fun and enjoyable crazy golf courses that are there to both entertain and challenge.

Ice skating in London

There are several ice rinks in London decorated with Christmas lights to skate with children in the open air, which are worth a visit at Christmas to experience a magical and very Christmas atmosphere with the family. The Eyeskate ice skating rink on The London Eye is one of the most impressive, since while you skate you have the London London Eye’s giant Ferris wheel as a backdrop.

Other ice rinks to skate in London with children at Christmas are Somerset House Ice Rink, The Tower of London Ice Rink, Canary Wharf Ice Rink, Broadgate Ice Rink, Natural History Museum Ice Rink, Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink and the famous ice rink ice in Winter Wonderland.

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5 Ways to Promote Your Small Business This Christmas

October 7, 2021 JayneLeave a comment

Ways to Promote Your Small Business This Chirstmas — Photo by Tim Douglas from Pexels

Some of you may know that aside from blogging and copywriting, I occasionaly do some marketing work too, and back in July I shared some ways that you can market your small business. With over 400,000 new companies launching during lockdown, it seemed like a good time to share some tips and now, with Christmas approaching (SORRY for mentioning the ‘C’ word in October!) I thought I’d give you some more targeted tips for helping your business to have a prosperous Christmas:

Point of Sale

Something that I’d advise many small businesses to invest in is some bespoke Christmas displays. This is especially important if you have a physical shopfront, and although you may be worried about the cost, it’s something that you’ll be able to use year after year. Having a professional display will really elevate your Christmas promotions and will look So much more inviting that just have strands of tinsel strewn about!

Send a Card

If you’re the type of business that holds address information for your clients, there’s nothing quite like a Christmas card to spread some festive cheer (and tell them about your latest offers!). There are many approaches, from online services which will send them automatically to actually handwriting cards, which is time-consuming but gives a truly personal effect. You could even just send an e-card via email, if that’s easier.

Christmas Themed Packaging

We all know how important custom packaging is for your brand. Packaging is the only thing that reaches 100% of your customers and is the first step in creating a memorable unboxing experience. Unique Christmas packaging for your products over Christmas adds a touch of luxury and class and, if coupled with a Christmas edition product, can really help create a sense of ‘exclusivity’ around your product.

Support a Local Cause

By reaching out to those less fortunate than you, you can also create awareness of your own brand at the same time. There are loads of different ways you can support charities, and it should be something you consider doing year-round, rather than just at Christmas. You could inform customers that all proceeds made from a certain range of products goes to charity, or even host a charity event like a coffee morning or brunch and encourage customers to donate with you. Just make sure you send invites beforehand!

Reward Your Loyal Followers

Depending on your audience, you may find that your followers on social media are your most engaged customers and your best brand ambassadors. Why not thank them by having offers exclusive to social media platforms? Although digital coupons and coupon codes work best with online stores, brick-and-mortar businesses can still offer print-at-home coupons that are promoted exclusively on social media. An alternative for online businesses is to create a landing page with unique offers, and again only promote this on social media.

Christmas · Football · Gift Ideas · Liverpool

Still Nil Nil – A Football Lover’s Perfect Gift

December 16, 2020 JayneLeave a comment

As you’ll know if you’re a long-time reader of Mum’s the Word, we’re fans of Liverpool Football Club. Husband has been a fan his whole life, and when we met I adopted LFC as my team, too. That means that there are many historical games from LFC’s football past that we revisit from time to time, and we’ve been to Anfield as a family for a special day of Liverpool FC hospitality (we also saw Luis Suarez score his first ever Home hat-trick while we were there, which made it extra special).

Perhaps one of the most relevant games to current Liverpool fans is the night of the 2005 Champions League Final, where Liverpool came back from 3-0 against AC Milan to win on penalties and become European Champions. It was an amazing night, and although it happened before I became a Liverpool fan, it was a night that Husband has rewatched with me MANY times, and one in his life that he’ll never forget. That’s why, when I received an email about Still Nil Nil, I knew it would make an incredible gift for Husband. You see, Still Nil Nil have taken these special nights in sporting history and created beautifully illustrated books, containing original poetry, describing the events in detail. There are currently three titles available, costing £12 each; The Treble, based on Manchester United’s historic 1998/99 season, Invincible, revisiting Arsenal’s unbeaten 2003/04 season; and The Miracle of Istanbul, retelling Liverpool’s epic Champions League final comeback in 2004/05.

Josh Clarke, founder and director of Still Nil Nil, said: “It’s incredibly exciting to finally unveil a true passion project, Still Nil Nil. Millions of parents and children bond over their football club – and our books represent the perfect way for parents to pass on their passion, and memories, to their children with an incredible shared experience.

“With Christmas fast approaching, the response to our initial three books has already been overwhelmingly positive. We are delighted to be delivering gifts that football-mad children (and, probably more so, parents) are going to love.”

I can’t wait to give Husband his copy and I think it will be something he’ll cherish. The books are aimed at kids, but I truly think they’re perfect for football fans of any age, and for Liverpool fans young and old, the night in Istanbul will be something they want to remember forever.

There’s still plenty of time to order your copy of a Still Nil Nil book from the website, so head over there and grab one now.

Christmas · Crafts

Quilling Homemade Christmas Cards

November 24, 2020November 21, 2022 JayneLeave a comment

Given the fact that it’s been a REALLY sucky year for most of us, Christmas will be a nice distraction from everything else. This year, us and our extended family have decided to keep the gift giving to just the kids of the family, so that we can make it all the more special for them. However, that doesn’t stop me from creating extra special Christmas cards for everyone, and this year I’ve even learned a new skill to help me – quilling!

Click on the image to see the quilling in action!

When I was researching the type of card I wanted to make, I stumbled across some festive greetings using quilling. For those who don’t know, quilling is a paper craft with uses coiled strips of paper to create shapes and patterns. I had a quilling kit when I was a tween and I loved it then, but I’d basically forgotten everything I’d learned by the time I tried it again. I also planned to use a graffiti font on the card, but my printer went kaput, right at the most inconvenient moment. *eyeroll*

As well as quilling strips and some papercraft tools, I used an 8x8in blank greetings card, some tacky glue (it’s stickier and dries fast for crafting), a gold marker, some gold edging stickers, mini Christmas bells and some Christmas pompoms. I also used a compass, ruler and pencil for sketching out the rough shapes before I stuck anything on.

Quilling the Tree

I started by making the quills for the tree by coiling a whole strip tightly, then allowing it to unfurl a little. I then glued the loose end in place with a tiny dot of glue, held it until dry and then pinched one end of the coil of paper to create the shape. To create the star and tree pot, I shaped them after coiling in a similar way, and then I used the gold marker to write the message on the front. Finally, I just stuck all of the other bits on in the right place!

Adding the Text

Quilling Homemade Christmas Cards - Gold Writing It took me a little under half an hour, from sketching out the final design to everything being done, and I think the overall effect is well worth the effort! What’s more, I really enjoyed making the card and I can’t wait to make a whole load more to send to the special people in our lives. I’m thinking of making a different design on every card, but that might just be a stunning case of me biting off more than I can chew, as usual!

I absolutely love making handmade gifts and cards for people. Now that I have a new skill, I’ll definitely be doing more of it. Have you ever tried quilling? Are you making handmade cards or gifts this year? Leave me a comment below telling me all about it, especially if you have inspiration for my next design!