Iceland scraps this year’s Christmas advert so it can focus on keeping prices low

Iceland has revealed the reason it will not be releasing a Christmas advert this year in a heartfelt statement.

The frozen foods supermarket chain confirmed there would be no Christmas advert for 2023 and said it would instead focus on using the money to slash prices on household staples and help struggling shoppers amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Iceland said it would rather invest the money in supporting its customers and do without a costly Christmas commercial.

It comes after many supermarket chains and retailers have already released their festive marketing campaigns including Aldi, Lidl, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis.

According to the Daily Mail, the rival supermarkets are estimated to have spent a huge £9.5 billion between them on their 2023 Christmas campaigns – which often include appearances and voiceovers from celebrities.

Last year, Iceland’s TV commercial featured Slade frontman Noddy Holder and actor Brian Blessed.

In the previous year the chain offered a spoof of a John Lewis commercial featuring an alien crash landing on earth at Christmas.

On the decision not to release a festive advert this year, Iceland’s executive chairman, Richard Walker told the publication: “As a business we were faced with a decision.

“Do we spend millions creating and sharing a TV advert or do we invest the money supporting our customers during the cost-of-living crisis?

“This was a no-brainer for us. I am grateful that as a family-run company, we can make the decisions we believe are right for our business and our customers.

“We have chosen to invest in keeping prices low for our customers – including our Christmas Bonus Cards Saving scheme – giving shoppers £15 back when they top up £100, offering a turkey roast dinner bundle for 8-10 people for just £30, slashing prices on over 1,000 household staples and expanding our £1 value range – offering hundreds of freezer fillers for just £1 or less.”