In a French versus Saunders show down, Saunders is the absolute winner for me, delivering a Burberry Christmas ad that is total joy.
The festive season has arrived, and with it, a masterclass in brand storytelling from a resurgent heritage label. Burberry’s 2025 Christmas advertisement, ‘Twas the Knight Before…, starring Jennifer Saunders, is a pitch-perfect reflection of the biggest marketing trends shaping the luxury sector in 2025.
If the last few years saw luxury brands chasing hype and digital ephemera, the key trend for 2025 is a focused return to core identity, blending authentic heritage with modern, culturally relevant celebrity power.
The Nostalgia-Fueled Narrative
The ‘Twas the Knight Before… campaign is pure, unadulterated British elegance and warmth. Set in a grand London townhouse and hosted by the comedic national treasure Jennifer Saunders, the ad brings together a star-studded, culturally fluid cast, including Naomi Campbell, Ncuti Gatwa, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Son Heung-min.
This approach nails several critical 2025 marketing insights. Firstly relevance over reach. While the cast has huge global reach, the tone is hyper-local and authentic. It creates a pull marketing effect, where customers are drawn in by a relatable, emotional narrative rather than just a product push. The emphasis is on friendship and festive comfort, making the luxury items feel integral to the experience, not just transactional.
Secondly, it’s the new face of authenticity. Jennifer Saunders, in particular, anchors the ad in British wit and charm. This is part of a broader marketing trend to use high-profile, authentic personalities who genuinely embody the brand’s culture, moving away from hyper-stylised, impersonal campaigns.
The Strategic ‘Burberry Forward’ Reset
The joy of the Christmas ad is a visible marker of success for CEO Joshua Schulman’s strategic overhaul, “Burberry Forward.” This turnaround plan, launched amid financial struggles and a brief relegation from the FTSE 100, centered on a critical marketing pivot: a conscious “back-to-basics” approach.
After a period of “inconsistent brand execution” and diversification, Schulman successfully refocused the brand on its undisputed strengths: outerwear and scarves. This strategy of re-establishing authority in their core category (the trench coat, the iconic check) aligns perfectly with the 2025 luxury trend of prioritizing craftsmanship and heritage reimagined over fleeting trends.
Campaigns like the earlier one featuring Olivia Colman, where the iconic Burberry coat is positioned as being suitable for “always Burberry weather” in various mundane British settings, were genius in their simplicity. They reinforced the brand’s functional, high-quality, and quintessentially British DNA. Harper’s Bazaar’s choice of a Burberry piece as its ‘best heritage trench coat’ proves the strategy is resonating with key fashion influencers.
Global Confidence and the Luxury Market Outlook
Burberry’s financial health is stabilising alongside its marketing clarity. The 76% rise in share price over the past 12 months and the return to the FTSE 100 are strong indicators of investor confidence.
This is set against a backdrop of wider optimism in the luxury sector:
- Strong figures from competitors like LVMH (Louis Vuitton, Givenchy) confirm that consumers, particularly in key markets like China, are still seeking high-quality, luxury purchases.
- Burberry, with China as a key market, will be hugely encouraged by LVMH’s reported sales growth in the region. The brand’s focus on hyper-local and ultra-digital engagement, including AI-powered personalisation (a huge 2025 trend), will be crucial for capitalising on this returning consumer appetite.
As fund managers like James Bowmaker suggest, the shares have “much further to run” if this revitalised core offering and disciplined marketing campaign continue to deliver. Burberry’s revival serves as a vital case study for all marketers in 2025. In a complex, digital-first world, the most successful brands will be those that use sophisticated technology to tell simple, emotional stories rooted firmly in their unique, authentic identity.
Visit me on LinkedIn.
Read more of my blogs.
About Me
If you enjoy my blogs, you might be curious about my background. I’ve worked in PR and Marketing since 1993. Later, in 1999, I founded a full-service agency and spent the next 24 years successfully growing it. During that time, I had the privilege of partnering with some of the biggest blue-chip brands in the UK and learned extensively from the exceptional marketing professionals I met along the way. Then, in 2023, the management team I built successfully acquired my agency, 8848, setting me free to pursue new passions.
Now, my love of marketing and communications powers our own family venture: a retreat of holiday cottages in the Peak District. I love making brands look and work better, and consequently, in just a few short years, we’ve driven significant growth. In fact, thanks to my focus on SEO, we consistently rank on page one for most key regional search terms, making 2025 our busiest year yet.
Do you need help making your brand or business perform better? If so, I’d love to meet you.