One of the most magical times of the year has arrived: Christmas! For the occasion, iFood Ads, the platform's business and advertising vertical, is launching two exclusive activations: one in collaboration with Coca-Cola and another with Hellmann’s, bringing the festive season excitement promoted by the brands into an immersive in-app experience. Aiming to connect iconic brands with iFood's 60 million consumers, the platform's advertising vertical created experiences to boost product label personalization and engage customers with the Christmas spirit of each campaign.
December is a favorable period for soft drink consumption: the platform notes a 26% GMV growth in the Soft Drinks department during the month of 2024. This data was observed in relation to the average of other months in the year, with 38% of shopping carts accompanied by chocolate, an item heavily purchased for year-end celebrations. Capitalizing on this moment, iFood created the “Coca-Cola Christmas Village,” a special interactive page where users can engage in different activations, such as the “Dream Workshop,” where consumers can create packaging art to personalize their purchases and gifts acquired via delivery.
Another section is the “Star Station,” where exclusive Coca-Cola product offers on iFood can be accessed. Meanwhile, the “Santa's House” ensures complete immersion in the theme, and users on the other side of the screen receive messages and coupons to make year-end celebrations even more special—and economical. The campaign is available throughout the month and is an invitation from iFood and Coca-Cola for their consumers to gather family and friends to enjoy the magic of Christmas together. To access the activation, upon opening the app, simply tap the “search” bar and view the animated video. Tapping it will direct the user to the “Coca-Cola Christmas Village” experience.
“Our mission at iFood Ads is to go beyond simple advertising, connecting consumers to iconic brands, especially during important moments like the Christmas season. The partnerships with Coca-Cola and Hellmann’s this Christmas demonstrate how our channel is strategic for these brands to participate in a relevant and emotional way at the tables of Brazilians, turning the festive season into memorable consumption experiences,” comments Ana Duarte, Commercial Director of iFood Ads.
“Christmas is part of Coca-Cola's history and emotional memory, always associated with unity, sharing, and celebration of gatherings. Over the years, we have sought to be present in these moments in increasingly relevant ways, respecting the traditions of the date and creating experiences that invite people to live the Christmas spirit. The ‘Coca-Cola Christmas Village’ on iFood adds to this legacy by offering a journey that combines emotion, personalization, and convenience, connecting the brand to the typical consumption rituals of the year-end festivities,” states Catarina Lopes, Marketing Director for Coca-Cola.
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Personalizing Christmas Apologies on iFood
And since the year-end is known for bringing more flavor to Brazilian tables, Hellmann’s prepared an activation focused on emotion, in an exclusive partnership with iFood. Inspired by the cultural insight that year-end festivities can involve family and friend tensions, the brand brings the “Peace in the Jar” action straight to the consumer's home. The initiative allows consumers to purchase jars of Real Mayonnaise with personalized labels and humorous messages, which serve as apologies for routine situations that cause stress, accompanied by invitations to Sunday lunches marked by reconciliation.
The partnership is strategic during a period of strong growth for the mayonnaise and sauces category in delivery. iFood Ads observed a significant 20% GMV increase in December 2024, compared to the yearly average. In the analysis, ultra-convenience proved essential for last-minute purchases: in the week before Christmas, almost half of the buyers (47.5%) were new to the category, reinforcing iFood's strategic role in connecting the brand to consumers in moments of high urgency and cultural relevance. Furthermore, 18% of these new consumers returned to purchase between December 27th and 31st, reflecting immediate product approval and a repurchase trend for preparing New Year's Eve dishes.
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“Year-end festivities are moments for gatherings among friends and family, mostly accompanied by a good meal together, but we also know that these gatherings often come with controversies, which we amusingly call “drama.” We know that sometimes a simple gesture can be the first step toward reconciliation. With this action, we want to turn our ‘Peace in the Jar’ concept into something real and accessible, bringing affection and lightness into consumers” homes and these celebrations. And doing this alongside iFood, a strategic partner connected to meaningful moments, further amplifies this delivery. Together, we want to show that even small disagreements can end in a good Sunday lunch, with mayonnaise salad on the table and Hellmann’s as the bond of unity," states Carolina Riotto, CMO of Unilever Foods in Brazil.
Reinforcing the campaign concept “With Hellmann’s, Sunday is all good,” uniting affection and gastronomy, the in-app personalization experience offers phrases such as: “Sorry for complaining about raisins in the food. I'll bring you a pack for Sunday lunch”; “Sorry for losing your jar. How about scheduling a lunch this Sunday?”; “My bad for ghosting you. I'll give you all my attention at Sunday lunch.” The activation is available exclusively for consumers in the city of São Paulo through Daki stores on iFood. When purchasing the traditional 500g jar of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, the consumer can choose from 10 different label versions with fun phrases.
