Shopper memories became the raw material for one shared story

Woolworths launched Tastes Like Christmas simultaneously in Australia and New Zealand on 2 November. Before launch, the retailer asked shoppers on social media what food “tastes like Christmas” to them. B&T reports more than 8,000 entries; selected ideas, including trifle and key lime pie, appeared in the film and other campaign materials. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration] [4 · Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role]

The responses were turned into a new version of a festive song intended to unite television, radio, print, out-of-home, digital, social, creator and in-store activity. It is Woolworths’ first major trans-Tasman Christmas work with Droga5 ANZ[3]. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration] [3 · Marketing-Interactive · independent launch confirmation and context] [4 · Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role] [7 · Droga5 · official agency website]

Spotify will carry the music theme into festive and personalised playlists. Another element is Christmas Cook Profile, which promises to identify a user’s festive cooking type from listening habits. Public descriptions do not explain what data and rules form the profile or whether the result leads to a product, recipe or basket. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration] [3 · Marketing-Interactive · independent launch confirmation and context] [4 · Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role] [6 · Spotify · official company information]

The media plan is omnichannel; the sales effect is not established

The song provides a recognisable bridge from advertising exposure to the store: one motif can appear in broadcast media, digital video and the shopping environment. A channel list alone does not prove the hand-offs work, however. Published materials give no figures for people who used the Spotify experience, reached a storefront or purchase, and returned later. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration] [3 · Marketing-Interactive · independent launch confirmation and context] [4 · Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role] [10 · Journal of Marketing Research · three experiments on auditory and visual cues, 2003]

Shopper participation makes the work specific, but does not guarantee trust. Four studies of consumer advertising co-creation identified competing mechanisms — identification with the creator and doubt about competence — with effects depending on audience and disclosure conditions. Woolworths selected the ideas and produced the campaign professionally, so this is curated participation rather than advertising created entirely by shoppers. [8 · Journal of Marketing · four studies of consumer advertising co-creation, 2013]

Causal assessment needs pre-specified control regions or audiences, equal pricing and availability, and separate channel metrics. A minimum set includes incremental revenue and margin, post-exposure conversion, acquisition cost, new customers, basket value, repeat purchase and use of the Spotify experience. Sales from a quarter completed before launch cannot demonstrate the new campaign’s success. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration] [3 · Marketing-Interactive · independent launch confirmation and context] [4 · Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role]

Expert commentary

The established fact is that Woolworths turned shopper responses into a shared creative asset and extended it from mass media to stores and Spotify. This goes beyond cutting one television film into different formats: the song, featured dishes and personalised profile create several entry points into one story. What is confirmed is the campaign architecture, not an effect on retailer choice or baskets. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration] [3 · Marketing-Interactive · independent launch confirmation and context] [4 · Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role]

More than 8,000 entries demonstrate interest in the prompt, but not reach or representativeness. Participants chose to respond and detailed selection criteria are undisclosed. The count therefore cannot be projected to Australia and New Zealand or treated as a loyalty measure. A better test is whether different shopper groups recognise their own traditions in the final set, rather than only dishes convenient for advertising. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration]

Research argues against romanticising co-creation. In four studies, identifying an ad as consumer-made increased persuasion only under conditions that reduced scepticism and raised identification. Three other experiments linked brand-meaning activities to digital engagement mainly among people with strong prior self–brand connection. The work may therefore resonate most with an already-close audience and do less to acquire new shoppers. [8 · Journal of Marketing · four studies of consumer advertising co-creation, 2013] [9 · Journal of Interactive Marketing · three brand-cocreation experiments, 2024]

Audio can connect scattered touchpoints if the same recognisable element is genuinely repeated in advertising and stores. Laboratory experiments found that reinstated auditory cues can help retrieve ad copy, with outcomes varying by language. For a trans-Tasman campaign, the useful test is not only melody recognition but correct attribution of the song to Woolworths and to a specific customer proposition. [10 · Journal of Marketing Research · three experiments on auditory and visual cues, 2003]

Christmas Cook Profile is a light participation hook, but without disclosed rules it remains an entertainment promise. If it produces a useful selection and saves time, it may shorten the route to purchase. If people merely share the result on social media, the campaign gains interactions without proven incremental margin. Separate funnels are needed for impression, profile start, click-through, basket addition, purchase and return visit. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration] [3 · Marketing-Interactive · independent launch confirmation and context] [4 · Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role] [6 · Spotify · official company information]

Over the next few weeks, the decisive measures are differences from a comparable control group: incremental margin after discounts and media cost, new-customer conversion, purchases from recommended selections and post-holiday repeat purchase. In the positive scenario, one audio asset improves recognition while digital and physical channels deliver the same promise. In the negative one, the song is remembered but Spotify and the store remain disconnected entertainment. [1 · Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026] [2 · B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration] [3 · Marketing-Interactive · independent launch confirmation and context] [4 · Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role]

Sources

  1. Woolworths Group · Tastes Like Christmas launch, 2 November 2026 — The primary source confirms the date, customer challenge, selected dishes, campaign song, Spotify partnership, geography and channel mix. Campaign assessments come from Woolworths and its creative partner.
  2. B&T · interview on the idea, customer submissions and channel integration — The trade publication reports more than 8,000 entries and Woolworths’ explanation of audio as the unifying asset. It provides no independent effectiveness results.
  3. Marketing-Interactive · independent launch confirmation and context — The publication confirms the trans-Tasman launch, channels and personalised Spotify content. Quarterly sales cited in the article predate the campaign and are not its result.
  4. Mediaweek · campaign launch and Spotify role — Trade confirmation of the date, customer-participation mechanism, geography, channel mix and Christmas Cook Profile. Commercial impact is not measured.
  5. Woolworths Group · official brand portfolio — The primary source describes Woolworths Group, Woolworths food retail in Australia and New Zealand, its store network and e-commerce business.
  6. Spotify · official company information — The primary source describes Spotify as a global audio service for music, podcasts and audiobooks.
  7. Droga5 · official agency website — The primary source confirms the creative agency’s identity. It does not measure the Woolworths campaign’s effectiveness.
  8. Journal of Marketing · four studies of consumer advertising co-creation, 2013 — The authors found that disclosing consumer participation can prompt both identification and scepticism, with persuasion depending on conditions. The research did not study Woolworths or this campaign’s sales.
  9. Journal of Interactive Marketing · three brand-cocreation experiments, 2024 — Experiments linked activities focused on brand meaning with higher digital engagement among people with strong self–brand connection. Engagement is not purchase, and the setting was not Woolworths.
  10. Journal of Marketing Research · three experiments on auditory and visual cues, 2003 — The study found that reinstated auditory or visual elements can cue recall of advertising copy, with effects varying by language. This is a laboratory mechanism, not an evaluation of Woolworths.