Australians Are Feeling Grateful And Can’t Wait To Be Together Again As Coles Celebrates The Joyful Moments Of Christmas

As travel restrictions ease and families and friends prepare to reunite at the most special time of year, Coles has launched its joyful Christmas campaign for 2021 which recreates Australia’s love of entertaining and celebrates ‘Value the Australian Way’ by drawing upon the heritage of Coles, the different roles food plays in Australians lives and importantly what Australians’ value.

Coles has undertaken its biggest ever pre-Christmas survey to understand what Australians value most this Christmas, how they are feeling right now and what they are looking forward to.

According to almost 7,500 Australians surveyed:

• The majority of Australians are most looking forward to the togetherness at Christmas (59%). This is strong amongst all age groups but particularly those aged over 65 (65%).
• Fifty percent of people do not intend to travel at all, while 19% plan to travel locally, 7% have plans to travel interstate, 4% have family/friends travelling to them and just 1% plan to travel overseas.
• While 37% say not much has changed, 26% of people feel more grateful this year. Those aged 18-34 year in particular feel they have had more positive changes in their lifestyle (34%), home environment (26%) and relationships (26%).
• The majority of people are feeling more grateful for their family (85%) and friends (60%).
• Home is where the majority of Australians want to be this Christmas. Just over half want to spend Christmas indoors with family and friends, while 41% plan to spend Christmas outdoors, like the backyard. 3% plan to spend Christmas at a restaurant.
• Just over a quarter of respondents (27%) will be catching up with friends and family virtually while 20% are unsure as yet. The majority don’t plan to (53%).
• Food is the main focus of Christmas Day with 64% of respondents saying it’s their favourite part of the day. Kids having fun (41%) and cooking for friends and family (35%) are favourites as well.
• Traditional Christmas carols and jingles are the main types of music (48%) listened to, particularly for those aged over 65 (60%). This is followed by Michael Buble’s “Have yourself a merry little Christmas” (32%), Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas” (29%) and Wham’s “Last Christmas” (22%). The 18-34 year old group is much more likely to listen to Mariah Carey at Christmas (40%).
• The majority (60%) of Australians will have lunch as the main meal on Christmas Day, 44% will have Christmas dinner and 30% also have Christmas breakfast.
• Just over half of Australians say Christmas ham is their favourite Christmas product from Coles, followed by chocolates and confectionary (39%) and prawns (37%). Those aged over 65 are much more likely to prefer the ham (60%), pudding (35%) and fruit mince pies (34%), while the 18-34 year old group are more likely to say that Pavlova (37%) and chocolates and confectionary (47%) are their favourite.

Coles Chief Marketing Officer Lisa Ronson said it’s really important to look at how customers are feeling after more than a year of being separated from loved ones during lockdowns in some parts of Australia.

“This year’s campaign reflects that customers are looking for something truly special to celebrate,” Lisa said.

“Coles has been working for more than a year to ensure our customers will have a joyful Christmas with loved ones, many of whom they will be reuniting with for the first time in months, or even years.

“This Christmas, and indeed all summer, we’ll be setting out to help Australians with great value and easy entertaining solutions. Our product teams have done an amazing job on building out the range this year, and this emotive Christmas campaign really brings this to life.

“We also know that sustainability is really important to our customers, which is why we are really proud about the launch of our Coles Christmas crackers that are 100% plastic free and recyclable.”

At the heart of the integrated campaign, created by DDB Australia and shot by Stephen Carroll, is the classic Neil Diamond song ‘Beautiful Noise’, which has been reimagined by Aussie artist Emily Soon and will be released nationally as a single.

The scenes show Australians who need a release and are excited to come together. Whether it’s finally reconnecting with mates, or dealing with a last-minute change in restrictions, in true Aussie spirit, they will make the most of Christmas and find joy and laughter in whatever they do.

The ad also highlights the work of amazing Australians supporting their communities, including healthcare workers, food rescue organisations and home delivery drivers helping millions of Australians now choosing to shop online.

DDB Australia Managing Director of Strategy and Growth Leif Stromnes said his team is proud to be part of telling the Australian Christmas story.

“This campaign encapsulates the emotional release we’ve been waiting for this year. There’s nothing like laughing with friends and family and reconnecting over food. It felt right for Coles to be part of celebrating this moment with Australians,” Leif said.

New Products

The Coles development team has come to the party to help Australians celebrate by making Christmas easier and more delicious than ever. There are more than 150 new and exclusive products available to customers including a Coles Crackling Rib Rack Roast Ham. The team has taken Aussie sow stall free pork, and cured and smoked it so it’s ready for the oven. It makes the preparation easy for customers this Christmas, delivering a balance of sweet and savoury flavours with the perfect crunchy crackling.

This year, Coles also welcomes its first-ever Turducken, providing an Aussie twist on a popular US holiday dish and a perfect for those who want it all – succulent turkey, duck and chicken all in one. It’s created with RSPCA approved Hunter Valley turkey with a native Davidson Plum, five spice and pistachio stuffing, topped with a layer of Coles Assured Duck and wrapped in a partly deboned RSPCA approved chicken.

For fun entertaining with friends, Coles will be a destination for convenience, with a range of ready-to-share party food including RSPCA approved Chicken Kiev Bites and BBQ Beef Brisket Mac & Cheese bites. All our customers need to do is heat and eat.

And for those customers looking for fancy food and amazing value, Coles has a range of new bakery products under the Coles Finest brand. Made in Australia with all-butter pastry, the new Finest mini tarts come in Salted Caramel and Fruit Mince Crumble. Ideal for sharing and just $6 a pack! They’ll go well with our new mousse logs, which are vegan-friendly and sure to impress.

And to make life in the kitchen even easier, Coles is rewarding customers with new kitchen utensils to collect, featuring four new stainless-steel MasterChef Knives, scissors and a handy electric mini chopper, as well as a return of the four most popular knives from last year’s collection. Perfect for homemade sauces, the stylish and ergonomically designed mini chopper has two-speed functions to chop, dice and mince with ease in seconds.

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