Iceland Foods is to once again forgo running a Christmas TV advert is 2025, in a move it claimed would enable it to “invest” in lower prices, The Grocer can reveal.
It is the second time in three years the frozen supermarket has decided not to run a festive ad, after dropping its 2023 edition on a similar premise.
The decision makes Iceland the only major grocer not to run a festive TV campaign, in a year in which preparation has been overshadowed by confusion over HFSS advertising restrictions and the cost of living crisis.
Instead, it will focus its efforts on a digital-only campaign. While the details are yet to be fully revealed, it’s expected to lean heavily on promoting Iceland’s own label products across Iceland’s social media channels.
“This festive season, we’re choosing to invest directly in our customers rather than producing a traditional Christmas advert,” an Iceland spokeswoman told The Grocer.
“Our focus will be on reducing prices and offering great seasonal deals. We’ll be sharing short-form digital content to showcase our Good Housekeeping Institute award-winning festive range and our much-loved party products.”
Despite claims by executive chairman Richard Walker that Iceland enjoyed “market-leading performance”, including “record” volume growth, profits have thawed as it has battled surging supply chain and employment costs, as well as interest payments.
Latest accounts show it slipped to a £4.7m loss in the 52 weeks to March 28 2025, reversing £11m profit the previous year.
When Iceland previously announced the decision not to run a Christmas ad in November 2023, Walker described it as a “no brainer”, saying Iceland would instead spend the “millions” saved on “supporting our customers during the cost of living crisis”.
Accounts published later that month revealed that Iceland had significantly slashed its marketing budget in 2023, in order to mitigate its then ballooning energy costs in the wake of the outbreak of the Ukraine war.
It returned at Christmas 2024, with a four-part campaign fronted by TV star Josie Gibson – who was announced as the long-term ‘face’ of Iceland’s future campaigns in April 2024 – built around the tagline ‘That’s why Santa goes to Iceland’.
Iceland cut the price of 250 target grocery staples it claimed were “all loved by Britain’s over-60s” in October, as part of a price cut campaign targeted to help older shoppers get through the winter months.
It included baked potatoes, fish pie and tinned soup. Customers need to prove they are aged 60 and above in order to access the discounts.
Iceland would cut the price of a further 800 products as part of its Christmas Mega Event running between 6 November and 26 December, the spokeswoman said.
The decision not to run a TV campaign does not mean Iceland is completely dialling back its marketing efforts.
In October, it released its “first ever” festive recruitment video in a bid to recruit 1,800 Christmas delivery drivers. The video – set on 1999 – featured a passionate store manager giving a team of drivers a pep talk before embarking on their delivery rounds.
No comments yet