Boots has tapped Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh as Mrs Claus in its beauty-focused festive spot.

The campaign, created with VML/The Pharm, the WPP partnership team dedicated to WBA, features Andoh in a lavish Boots Christmas ‘werkshop’ where she is hard at work preparing beauty gifts while Santa snoozes.

The spot underlines the growing focus on the beauty category by Boots. The retailer has launched 55 new beauty brands in the last year, and 46 new seasonal gifting brands for Christmas 2024, celebrated in the film by festive beauty elves.

While the above the line advertising campaign will generate the headlines the story behind the story is Christmas 2024 is set to be the most targeted festive campaign in the brand’s history. Half of all media spend will be used on first party data, with 91% of the Boots audience being reached across the AV landscape.

The retailer has put innovation at the centre of the launch strategy, with 65% of its media strategy featuring new tactics to bring the campaign to life.

The campaign will also be activated on Reddit and Pinterest as Boots test new media formats as well as securing a Snapchat takeover to ensure they are unmissable across Black Friday weekend. The campaign also incorporates a YouTube partnership, a new approach for Boots as the film will appear as the first advert within specially curated festive playlists. The campaign will also tap into new formats in print, such as gift guide takeovers to make sure Boots beauty is on every shopper's radar. 

Boots will enter the world of gaming for the first time with Activision, with a bespoke Boots Christmas-themed game that will appear within Candy Crush, Bubble Witch Saga and Farm Hero Saga games. Influencer activity also makes up a key part of this year’s campaign, with more above-the-line creator-led content than ever before, increasing engagement online and across social media in new and exciting ways.  

‘The Christmas Makeover’ campaign follows Adjoa as she rules over her squad of beauty elves in her Christmas ‘Werkshop’. The product focus of the campaign is designed to remind consumers that Boots has a present for every kind of beauty enthusiast. 

With an epic outfit change and a swipe of No7 lipstick, Adjoa captivates viewers as the driving force behind festive gifting preparations while Santa snoozes. Her stage presence alone leaves viewers in no doubt as to who is the power behind the festive throne.

Full of iconic and highly coveted gifts, we see Mrs Claus and her team of beauty elves preparing the hottest beauty gifts in her ‘werkshop’, including viral brands such as Bubble Skincare, e.l.f, Sol de Janerio, and Laneige.

The wide range of gifts are also represented in the different beauty elves' looks, from ‘vamp’ and glam to every style in between, showing there’s a beauty gift for everyone.

The advert culminates with Mrs. Claus addressing the elephant in the room, gesturing to Santa while telling viewers: “You thought it was all him?”. A nod to those invisible powerhouses across the country who make Christmas magical year in and year out.

The team behind the campaign cast Andoh for her charisma, confidence and gravitas. The Boots campaign marks her first foray into Christmas advertising.

The film also features two renowned beauty social media influencers, who work with Boots on an ongoing basis, @soph and @snatchedbywill, who appear as Andoh’s trusty ‘elf-fluencers’.

 Adjoa Andoh, Actor, explained: “How beauty can make you feel and how it shapes your identity is very important to me, so when Boots asked me to be a part of their festive campaign and play the vital and often under-valued role of Mrs. Claus, I was thrilled. The creative brilliantly shows how beauty can help us feel empowered and fabulous. It can lift your spirits in minutes. I like to keep things simple, but quality is important to me, and Boots can offer that to every shopper at every budget.”

Pete Markey, Chief Marketing Officer at Boots, added: “As the UK’s favourite beauty retailer, we are on a mission to spread magic and excitement to beauty enthusiasts this Christmas, whilst also recognising the unsung powerhouses who make Christmas so special. This advert is the perfect culmination of both, and I cannot wait to see the reaction and help gift-givers find the perfect gift this Christmas.” 

He continued: “In the past 12 months – our 175th anniversary year - we have expanded our beauty offering even further by launching another 55 new beauty brands, including some of the biggest names in beauty such as Prada Beauty, Made by Mitchell and Supergoop! With 1,300 gifts to choose from and over 160 of the hottest trending brands, we want to wow you and your loved ones this Christmas.”

Directed by award-winning production company, Radical, and award-winning LA Director, Dave Meyers, and set to the soundtrack: ‘Who’s That Girl’ by Eve, the advert will air for the first time at 8am on Wednesday 6th November on Boots social media channels, and then at 9.30pm during ‘Until I Kill You’, ITV1. Following this, the fully integrated campaign will run for seven weeks across TV, radio, cinema, print, social, and online.

For the first time, Boots will directly target men as a growth audience through a new and targeted media approach in particular in the last minute lead up to Christmas across podcasts, social, YouTube & creator content. A trend which underlines that while Christmas advertising creeps earlier into November, the age-old tradition of last-minute Christmas shopping remains.

Ryan McManus, Chief Creative Officer, VML UK, added: “The Boots festive campaign celebrates Mrs. Claus, finally giving her the recognition she deserves and acknowledging all the magic makers across the country who consistently go the extra mile at Christmas. It’s a connected campaign that celebrates beauty, and brings to life a whole new take on Christmas, with crafted worlds, social Elfluencers, shoppable beauty looks and more.”