Boots - Mrs. Claus Werkshop - Make Magic (Walgreens, UK, Christmas 2024)

Boots (Walgreens U.K. subsidiary) 2024 holiday ad, which stars Bridgerton actor, Adjoa Andoh, as Mrs. Claus, became the target of conservative criticism over its casting and use of gender-inclusive pronouns.

The spot shows Andoh as Mrs. Claus stepping into her living room only to find her husband, Santa Claus, fast asleep in front of the fire. So she takes Christmas into her own hands, getting her “elfluencers” to assist. At one point she refers to one of the elves featured as “them.”

Some of the characters are clearly gender-diverse.

The work prompted division on platforms such as X and Facebook, leading to a trending hashtag on the former, #BoycottBoots, and an accompanying petition from far-right group Britain First (previously banned from Facebook for “inciting hatred and animosity,”) calling on U.K. shoppers to avoid the retailer.

With issues like reproductive rights and affirmative action at the center of evermore heated debates in the U.K and U.S. Boots, which is signed up to the Equality Index run by the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, is among a string of brands this year that have come in the firing line right-wing activists.

A recent study from the ANA found that "Marketing the Rainbow" positively impacted brand perception (97%) and increased brand loyalty (83%). While 93% of marketers think it is important to represent the LGBTQ+ community in their ads— up from 79% in 2021— another 82% think more positively of a company that actively markets to LGBTQ+ consumers (up from 66% three years ago). Yet, just 55% of brands actively marketed to or included the community in their work, while 39% feared potential blowback from consumers for doing so.

“The message is clear: There is both a need and an opportunity for deeper inclusion strategies with LGBTQ+ consumers,” said Bob Liodice, CEO of the ANA.