Matalan is celebrating the joy and excitement of preparing for the festive season in its new Christmas campaign, ‘It’s Showtime’. 

The campaign, created by McCann Manchester, sees the retailer put on a festive show filled with Christmas glitz, glamour and magic. It seeks to position Matalan as a go-to retailer for creating a ‘show-stopping’ Christmas.

The film begins with the opening of red stage curtains to set the scene for the Christmas show. Audiences are welcomed into the home of a family as the mum sets the stage as the director of the show. 

With some Christmas magic, she pulls together a festive home. From dressing a child’s bedroom to setting a dazzling dining table, her actions are made theatrical as she gets the setting ready for the big day. Using her magic to ready the house for Christmas with Matalan products in each and every room, the spot ends with curtains closing and the parting message: ‘It’s Showtime.’

The campaign makes the ritual of dressing the house for Christmas into something theatrical and magical. It celebrates the joy in getting everything ready and hosting during the festive season for others. 

“‘It’s Showtime’, celebrates that amazing feeling of putting on the perfect festive show, whether that’s decorating the tree, setting the table or welcoming loved ones through the door. For the first time, our beautiful homeware collection takes centre stage, and it’s been so exciting to see it shine. We hope this campaign inspires everyone to create their own magical Christmas masterpiece at home,” says Eilidh Macaskill, Marketing Director at Matalan. 

Accessible by design 

Working with accessibility partners Cape and Voice Box, the campaign has been created with audio description integrated into the TVC. The campaign is a key part of McCann’s “Alt by Default” initiative, designed to address the significant accessibility gap in advertising for visually impaired audiences. 

18 million people in the UK have a sight and/or hearing impairment, a population double the size of London that advertisers are missing by not having subtitles or audio description. Ensuring campaigns are accessible not only challenges the industry to be more inclusive but is business imperative. 

“Translating a visual spectacular into audio description that delights and entertains every member of the audience has been a brilliant brief - but it’s one not enough brands are committing to yet. So, we’re thrilled that together with Matalan, we are able to continue making a meaningful impact in driving greater inclusivity in advertising,” added Imogen Tazzyman, Executive Creative Director at McCann Manchester.