It’s Christmaaas!
Tribes Live is Channel 4’s online research community, where around 350 16-24s from across the UK share their opinions and ideas to uncover what life is really like growing up in the UK today. Recruited through 4OD and free-find recruitment, our liberal but diverse community represents all 5 planning segments and 25 Tribes in the UK.
“Because we’re all notoriously stingy, our Christmas ‘tree’ was the best we could come up with without spending loads of money.
We stole a couple of cones, stacked them, sprayed them with fake snow and decorated it with tinsel and a pretty star….
I personally think it’s a pretty good effort considering none of us will even be here over the Christmas period.”
Cathy, 19, Emo, Alternative
Christmas Shopping
Our Tribes love shopping. Online is a safe-bet for specific items from familiar brands (cue Amazon and HMV) and especially males tend to have bigger, techy items on their Christmas lists so efficiency is their main goal. If they can shop online and not get involved with the stress on the high street, then why would they? But don’t mistake Tribes’ online shopping as an impersonal or lazy approach – real thought and active information gathering goes in to their gift giving, just the purchase journey happens from the sofa.
“I buy gifts somewhere in between what I want someone to have – and what they want. Buying something for someone that they want is like giving cash.”
Josh, 22, Real Gamer, Alternative
Females are still leaning towards the pre-Christmas shopping experience, driven by the social experience and in-store festivities. Not only is it super exciting to immerse themselves in presents that could potentially be theirs – they feel in-store offers much more inspiration and flexibility than online can ever offer. They rely on browsing and spontaneous discovery more than males to find really personal presents with a big impact, and the ‘fun of finding’ for females is as important as getting a gift in the first place.
“I’ve bought the only thing online I intended to – some toys for my Niece. All the other things I want to buy in-store… Because you can see what you’re buying and you don’t have to wait to wrap it up!”
Sian, 19, Hardcore, Alternative
“I think most of my shopping will be done online. I only buy in-store if it’s a good offer or it’s something of a novelty item as a gift.”
Alex, 18, Indie Scenester, Leading Edge
“I like shopping on the high street more than online as I like the festive feeling of shopping in store and being able to see the products in front of me rather than from pictures.”
Jade, 19, Chavs, Mainstream
Christmas TV
TV during the year is about constant entertainment, solo viewing and filling up spare time on Netflix, but Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the classic festive schedule. Film and TV specials made for Christmas brings families together, gets them in the Christmas spirit and injects that feel-good vibe. There really is something everyone can enjoy, from Children’s classics like Elf to modern comedies, so even bah humbugs love a Christmas time film!
They are family friendly, stand alone, and easy for everyone to get involved – and social viewing is much more important than liking the content per se. The familiarity and ritual viewing of family gatherings along with annual highlights in the TV schedule make meaningful, universal content the perfect choice for Christmas.
Repeats are the other cornerstone of their festive schedule. Classic comedies are a favourite and wall-to-wall episodes of their favourite shows get a lot of time over the holidays, but it’s the dramas and soaps with big storylines and special episodes that make can’t miss viewing. Even if this means sneaking off to watch Hollyoaks away from the family, it’s worth taking a couple of hours out of family time to join the buzz on social media. Christmas really is the peak of social viewing – both in real life and on second screen.
“We all listen to the same Christmas songs and watch the same Christmas films every year because they’re comforting and they fill us with festivity, and that’s why we love them. And I think Christmas specials of TV shows have the same effect. Sometimes it’s OK to stick to what we all know and love!”
Emma, 20, Skaters, Alternative
Stand-out shows: 2014
Drama and comedy shows from this year have put British entertainment back on the global stage for Tribes! From actors like Emma Watson, Eddy Redmayne and Rosamund Pike to whole programmes and original ideas, great stories have had them hooked, feeling involved and eagerly anticipating the next episode of their favourite shows.
Away from Netflix and back on the box, soaps maintain their prime-time spot at Christmas and create the most anticipation on screen. Channel 4’s Hollyoaks gets particular credit for its gritty issue-led storylines in 2014 and social issues on screen are something Tribes want to see much more of in 2015.
In my opinion Hollyoaks is one of the best soaps around at the moment for portraying everyday problems in their storylines. For example: Blessing and her self harm issues and transgender identity, Ste and his drug problem, and Maxine and Patrick’s domestic abuse storyline. These and many more are issues that are faced in the world today so I am forever grateful for the producers, directors and writers of the soap for addressing these issues.
Jordan,18, Scene Kids, Alternative
The Advent to Christmas
Christmas adverts aren’t about the perfect gift or mandatory novelty knitwear – but the count down to Christmas! In equal standing to the festive traditions of turkeys and mistletoe, before Tribes hear Christmas classics on the radio or they’ve even thought about getting the tree and decorations up, they know it’s Christmas when they see the Coca-Cola advert.
Brands are doing more than telling Tribes to buy their products – it’s the heartfelt sentiment behind the stories they tell about families or childhood memories which have the Tribes emotionally hooked. This is really having an impact on their brand values – we constantly hear that adverts are the worst thing about TV and make it worth paying for premium on Spotify, but Christmas ads are worth seeking out online and sharing as great content.
“I have to say that the best ads probably are the ones that people relate to (yes, I know the penguin is imaginary but it’s about childhood and innocence!)”
Tara, 22, Rah, Aspirant
Soundtracks that play along to emotive stories make them share worthy – and if they haven’t already seen an ad that’s been released, it won’t be long before they see it on social media. Word of mouth online is incredibly powerful for big brands at Christmas, and while it doesn’t necessarily encourage Tribes to shop in their stores, their reputation for producing memorable entertainment keeps them top of mind and a big talking point.
“My fave ad is the Sainsbury’s ad because I love history and it provokes raw emotion, especially knowing it was based on a true story and shows some of the amazing things about humanity.”
Elise, 17, Townies, Mainstream
John Lewis previously held the crown as the brand with the biggest association with Christmas after producing some stand-out adverts over the last few years, but Sainbury’s topped the Tribes’ tree this year. It touched on areas our Tribes love with a historical backdrop to a moving real life story, associated with a charity that does great work to support our armed forces. And what’s more heartfelt, honourable and shows the real spirit of Christmas more than a story that touches the hearts of people of all ages?
