Walkers has released its 2022 Christmas ad, choosing to focus on the ‘need for the nation to open up’ about mental well-being this festive season.
Featuring a voice-over from radio presenter Roman Kemp, the Christmas campaign comes as part of Walkers’ partnership with Comic Relief, and intends to highlight the importance of opening up and talking about our mental health.
The snack brand developed the spot after research revealed that 38% of the time people say that they are ‘fine’ they are in fact not being honest. According to Walkers, this dishonesty is even more prevalent at Christmas, with over half (52%) of UK adults admitting to feeling ‘additional pressure’ to be happy during the festive season.
A previous version of the ad aired in 2021 but has since been re-edited and voiced over by Kemp in light of these findings.
The spot itself sees the main character attend a Christmas party, working hard throughout the evening to not let on how he truly feels. His true emotions however, are expressed through a floating emoji that appears above his shoulder throughout the duration of the evening.
Towards the end of the ad, the protagonist comes across a friend who asks him if he is okay. When he replies, “I’m fine”, the friend soon asks him to be honest before sharing a laugh with him about his Christmas jumper.
The campaign will air on digital channels from 21 November, before premiering on TV on 1 December and in cinemas from 25 November.
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“As someone who has been open about their own battle with mental health and seen first-hand the devastating consequences of people bottling up their feelings, this is a campaign very close to my heart,” TV and radio presenter Roman Kemp said.
“Christmas is an amazing time of year, but it’s also a very challenging time for a lot of people, so I’m hoping that through this campaign and encouraging people to ban what is undoubtedly the most offensive ‘F***’ word out there, we can help open up the conversation surrounding mental well-being and get people having open and honest conversations about how they’re really feeling.
“Let’s stop saying we’re fine because we think it’s polite, or because we think it’s what the other person wants to hear. Most of the time, if a friend or family member is asking you how you are, they do genuinely want to know because they care.”
As part of its partnership with Comic Relief, Walkers has given £2 million over the last two years to Comic Relief to support mental well-being programmes.
Walkers marketing manager Philippa Pennington added: “We know that Christmas can be a challenging time for many, and the pressure to appear positive and pretend everything is ‘fine’, even if it’s not, is particularly strong at this time of year.
“The message of our Christmas campaign – that it can help to open up and talk about your feelings – is so important and we hope to be able to encourage people to talk a little more this festive season.”
