Easter 2024: Brand Engagement Tactics

Published 27 March 2024

Author
Katie Baron
4 min read

Easter spending remains robust, thanks to two billion people celebrating globally, reflected in the whopping 81% of Americans who partake (see Key Stats). Responding to top spending motivations – tradition and family socialisation – savvy brands are stepping up via reality-check influencers (employees, nanfluencers), sentimental digital egg hunts, simple living cost-of-living messaging, kidulting and crossovers with Ramadan.

At A Glance

Innovation Platforms

Digital Worlds
Inclusivity Outlook

Topics

Regional Focus

Key Stats

81%

According to the National Retail Federation, 81% of Americans plan to celebrate Easter in some way in 2024 – the same proportion as in 2023

2bn

It’s estimated that more than two billion people worldwide celebrate Easter every year

$177

In 2024, Americans plan to spend an average of $177 on Easter – an increase from 2022 (and significantly higher than $120 in 2009/10) but a decrease compared with $192 in 2023

$22.4bn

Consumer spending in the US is expected to reach a total of $22.4bn this Easter

$191bn

When it comes to confectionery markets, America is the global leader, with a market value of about $191bn, followed by Japan, China and India

$3bn

Food is by far the biggest expenditure among Americans celebrating Easter: in 2024, they plan to spend about $3bn on candy as part of their Easter celebrations

$7.3bn

The breakdown of category spending for Easter 2024 in order of the largest expenditure in the US: food ($7.3bn), clothing ($3.5bn), gifts ($3.4bn), candy ($3.1bn) and flowers ($1.6bn)

64%

What motivates Americans to shop for Easter? According to the National Retail Federation, it’s tradition (64%), a social activity with family/friends (32%), or because of sales/promotions (29%)

53%

In the US, the top destinations to purchase Easter gifts for 2024 include discount stores (53%), followed by department stores (40%), online (33%), local/small businesses (22%) and speciality stores (20%)

6.5%

As of 2021, 6.5% of the UK’s population identify as Muslim (up from 4.9% in 2011), spurring department store Selfridges’ workshops in partnership with Islamic toy brand Desi Doll Company

1.3m

On British supermarket chain Asda’s Nans playlist – a dedicated TikTok account featuring its cult grandmother ambassadors – five out of eight videos have more than 1.3 million views

300k

Asda’s 101 Ways to Crack an Egg TikTok rap has amassed more than 300,000 TikTok views, as of the end of March 2024, far outperforming Asda’s adjacent content

Asda’s Unorthodox Ambassadors: Nanfluencers & Rapping Store Staff

British supermarket chain Asda’s Easter brand communications continue its ongoing strategy for humorously “keeping it real” (see the mini rappers in Destigmatising Budget in Back to School Strategies, 2022) to show solidarity with its mainstream audience. The key? Unorthodox real people (non-influencer) ambassadors – specifically its own staff and grandmothers (aka the nans).

The nans appear in a series of dedicated Easter posts on Instagram and TikTok, after the launch of the brand’s Meet our Nans videos in late January 2024, showing grandmothers in shopping content, such as Price Guess with Nan, to almost cult acclaim. Five of the eight videos have had more than 1.3 million views to date, and the Asda TikTok page even has a dedicated Nans playlist. There are also calls for viewers to nominate their own nans to be featured.

Staff appear in a 101 Ways to Crack an Egg TikTok rap, which features lines referencing TV show Love Island (“my type on paper”) and the aforementioned Nans series (“I threw it to my grandma and she didn’t catch it”). It’s amassed more than 300,000 views so far, outperforming Asda’s adjacent content.

Asda’s Unorthodox Ambassadors: Nanfluencers & Rapping Store Staff

British supermarket chain Asda’s Easter brand communications continue its ongoing strategy for humorously “keeping it real” (see the mini rappers in Destigmatising Budget in Back to School Strategies, 2022) to show solidarity with its mainstream audience. The key? Unorthodox real people (non-influencer) ambassadors – specifically its own staff and grandmothers (aka the nans).

The nans appear in a series of dedicated Easter posts on Instagram and TikTok, after the launch of the brand’s Meet our Nans videos in late January 2024, showing grandmothers in shopping content, such as Price Guess with Nan, to almost cult acclaim. Five of the eight videos have had more than 1.3 million views to date, and the Asda TikTok page even has a dedicated Nans playlist. There are also calls for viewers to nominate their own nans to be featured.

Staff appear in a 101 Ways to Crack an Egg TikTok rap, which features lines referencing TV show Love Island (“my type on paper”) and the aforementioned Nans series (“I threw it to my grandma and she didn’t catch it”). It’s amassed more than 300,000 views so far, outperforming Asda’s adjacent content.

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

Asda

@asda The Nans are back and being their Eggstra-selves smashing their way through our Extra Special Easter Eggs. Which will get a smash or pass? #ASDA #Nanfluencers #ASDANans #Easter #Eastereggs #chocolate #NanTok ♬ original sound - Asda
@asda Did somebody say new Easter anthem? 😌 How do you crack yours? #ASDA #101ways #Easter #Chocolate #EasterEgg ♬ original sound - Asda

Lego (Subtly) Leans into Kidulting

Using Easter to leverage its core mantra concerning the rejuvenating power of play for all ages (and retaining an ultra-broad audience), Danish toy giant Lego’s main e-commerce site features Easter sets for teens and adults as well as children. The move subtly reiterates its pursuit of the wellbeing sector – see its Mindful Botanical Kits for Adults from 2021.

For more, read Kidulting & The Liberation of Play in Miami Art Week 2023: 4 Experiential Trends for Brands.

Lego (Subtly) Leans into Kidulting

Using Easter to leverage its core mantra concerning the rejuvenating power of play for all ages (and retaining an ultra-broad audience), Danish toy giant Lego’s main e-commerce site features Easter sets for teens and adults as well as children. The move subtly reiterates its pursuit of the wellbeing sector – see its Mindful Botanical Kits for Adults from 2021.

For more, read Kidulting & The Liberation of Play in Miami Art Week 2023: 4 Experiential Trends for Brands.

Lego

Lego

Lego

Lego

Cadbury Revisits it’s ‘Sentimental Digital’ Global Hunt

Aiming to infuse digital connections with sentimentality for the fourth consecutive year, British chocolate giant Cadbury has unleashed its Worldwide Hide campaign. Via the dedicated microsite, fans can hide digital eggs for their loved ones anywhere globally (“Think of a hiding spot that means something to you and then hide the egg on the map”) via an immersive Google Maps Street View integration. Seekers are alerted with a personalised written clue via email, WhatsApp or a URL. Gift-givers are encouraged to buy a physical Cadbury egg for the post-reveal.

This year, the campaign is accompanied by Spotify ads, targeting users of the streaming service with specific playlist interests. It follows the brand’s January 2024 Creme Egg Test experience, where fans took a test based on their Creme Egg eating preferences, receiving a Spotify playlist and Pinterest board.

Cadbury Revisits it’s ‘Sentimental Digital’ Global Hunt

Aiming to infuse digital connections with sentimentality for the fourth consecutive year, British chocolate giant Cadbury has unleashed its Worldwide Hide campaign. Via the dedicated microsite, fans can hide digital eggs for their loved ones anywhere globally (“Think of a hiding spot that means something to you and then hide the egg on the map”) via an immersive Google Maps Street View integration. Seekers are alerted with a personalised written clue via email, WhatsApp or a URL. Gift-givers are encouraged to buy a physical Cadbury egg for the post-reveal.

This year, the campaign is accompanied by Spotify ads, targeting users of the streaming service with specific playlist interests. It follows the brand’s January 2024 Creme Egg Test experience, where fans took a test based on their Creme Egg eating preferences, receiving a Spotify playlist and Pinterest board.

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Cadbury's

Purdys’ Keep-It-Simple Cost-of-Living Messaging

Chiming with a frugal-meets-meaningful sentiment discussed in Reframing Frugality, Canadian chocolatier Purdys’ What Kids Want video ad challenges children to choose between its chocolate or an expensive gift (almost all went with the former) to spotlight how simple is often best.

Purdys’ Keep-It-Simple Cost-of-Living Messaging

Chiming with a frugal-meets-meaningful sentiment discussed in Reframing Frugality, Canadian chocolatier Purdys’ What Kids Want video ad challenges children to choose between its chocolate or an expensive gift (almost all went with the former) to spotlight how simple is often best.

Papa Johns’ Fast-Fashion Food Collab

Riffing on the ongoing trend for kitschy, ironic fashion collabs described in Fashion’s Hunger for Impermanent Irony, American pizza brand Papa Johns has released the Easter Bunnet Hat to promote its Hot Cross Bun Papa Bites. This isn’t its first fashion venture: the brand previously reimagined its delivery drivers’ uniforms for an upcycled limited-edition collection.

Papa Johns’ Fast-Fashion Food Collab

Riffing on the ongoing trend for kitschy, ironic fashion collabs described in Fashion’s Hunger for Impermanent Irony, American pizza brand Papa Johns has released the Easter Bunnet Hat to promote its Hot Cross Bun Papa Bites. This isn’t its first fashion venture: the brand previously reimagined its delivery drivers’ uniforms for an upcycled limited-edition collection.

Papa Johns

Papa Johns

Papa Johns

Papa Johns

Selfridges’ Masterclasses Acknowledge Ramadan Crossover 

British department store Selfridges has launched a series of arts and crafts workshops for kids across its UK-based branches in collaboration with the interactive Islamic Desi Doll Company, acknowledging that Easter falls within the month of Ramadan this year (March 10 to April 9).

Besides paying respects to British multiculturalism (6.5% of the UK’s population identify as Muslim), the workshops chime with the trend for Retail Residencies, enabling consumers to get closer to creative experts (detailed in Brand Spaces: 9 Trends & Opportunities).

Selfridges’ Masterclasses Acknowledge Ramadan Crossover 

British department store Selfridges has launched a series of arts and crafts workshops for kids across its UK-based branches in collaboration with the interactive Islamic Desi Doll Company, acknowledging that Easter falls within the month of Ramadan this year (March 10 to April 9).

Besides paying respects to British multiculturalism (6.5% of the UK’s population identify as Muslim), the workshops chime with the trend for Retail Residencies, enabling consumers to get closer to creative experts (detailed in Brand Spaces: 9 Trends & Opportunities).

Selfridges x Desi Doll Company