A collective of creative, production and media agencies has come together with Landsec to launch its 2026 Christmas campaign on 5 November, bringing one of the UK’s most recognisable festive campaigns back for a fourth year.
The project combines creative from The Traveller and the Bear, production from Velvet Film, Flipbook Studio and Kalua, and strategic, audience-first media planning and buying from Republic of Media. Together, the agencies are working to build fame, drive footfall and keep Landsec’s retail destinations front of mind throughout the festive season.
Christmas is one of the most important moments in the retail calendar, with creative and media working together to reach audiences as they decide where to shop, eat and spend time over the festive period.
This year, the campaign takes one of Landsec’s much-loved Turkeys on a new adventure, bringing her into its retail destinations for the first time.
The new advert follows Turkey as she explores the world of Christmas shopping, interacts with guests – to much amusement – and sets out to discover the perfect Christmas gifts. Fitting in isn’t always easy, of course.
Dame Joanna Lumley also returns as the unmistakable voice of the campaign, continuing her partnership with Landsec for a fourth year and bringing her signature wit and fabulousness to Turkey’s festive adventures.
Antonio Bachini, Co-Founder & Managing Director at The Traveller and the Bear, said:
“This year we wanted to explore the humour of a turkey testing products in a shopping centre environment. With the help of Director Matt Huntley, we created moments in various retailers where our incredibly life-like CGI turkey interacts with real humans resulting in funny, endearing moments.”
Laura Smith, Managing Director & Producer at Velvet Film, said:
“We were presented with a truly unique creative idea for this ad – one that felt playful and enjoyable to bring together. Translating that level of creativity into a production that captured the chaotic spirit of Christmas was no small feat, but through the dedication and collaboration of the team, this project perfectly encapsulates the festive shopping experience”.
Andrew Lord, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Flipbook Studio, added:
“This is our third Christmas with the turkeys and each year we’ve thoroughly enjoyed adding more detail and complexity to how they look and move. As the turkey is the star of each ad, the performance had to be spot on, striking a balance between an expressive character and real turkey behaviour without becoming too cartoonish. We developed the rig and feather simulation even further, giving our animators the freedom to land the comedy through subtle shifts in posture, head movement and timing. It’s also the first time the turkey has shared scenes with actors on set, so every feather, wobbling wattle, footstep and reaction had to hold up right next to live action.”
Gav Matthews, Co Founder at Kalua, said:
“It’s a seasonal highlight to work on this campaign, and this year we developed the personality and joy of our turkeys even further by bringing in support actors to create unique audio responses to the adventures unfolding around them. For the visual assets, we created a bespoke musical score and custom sound effects, which we then developed further into a tailored audio campaign featuring Dame Joanna, running across targeted radio networks for every destination.”
Working alongside Landsec, Republic of Media’s strategy is rooted in consumer insight, using destination-level audience data and media consumption behaviours to inform the channel mix and ensure the campaign reaches the right people, in the right places, at the right time.
An omnichannel approach, delivered in partnership with MiQ, brings together Connected TV, programmatic OOH and display, creating a more connected experience for audiences across each destination’s catchment.
Alex Brown, Business Director at Republic of Media, said:
“This campaign is an exciting evolution of the long term media strategy we’ve developed alongside Landsec. By combining the proven strengths of traditional and digital media with MiQ’s omnichannel delivery, we’re creating a more connected approach designed to reach audiences across their catchments and keep Landsec’s destinations front of mind at Christmas”
Hywel Butcher, Senior Marketing Manager at Landsec, added:
“Turkey has become a much-loved part of Christmas at Landsec, and the strength of our audience response gives us a fantastic platform to build on. Christmas is one of the most important moments in the retail calendar, and our ambition is to make sure Landsec destinations are firmly on people’s shopping lists.
Building on that success, this year we’re bringing Turkey further into our destinations, taking her on a festive shopping adventure that puts our brands, experiences and offers firmly in the spotlight. It’s a campaign full of humour and personality, but with a very clear job to do: capture people’s attention and inspire them to discover everything our destinations have to offer, giving them another reason to visit this Christmas.”
The campaign will run across eight Landsec retail destinations nationwide:
Bluewater – Kent
Braintree Village – Essex
Clarks Village – Somerset
Gunwharf Quays – Portsmouth
Liverpool ONE – Liverpool
St David’s – Cardiff
Trinity Leeds – Leeds
Westgate Oxford – Oxford
Building on Turkey’s established appeal, this year’s creative gives audiences a fresh reason to engage with the character and discover what Landsec destinations have to offer this Christmas.