• by Todd Wasserman , April 15, 2022

Easter is hardly a holiday on the scale of Christmas, but it’s a significant one. The National Retail Federation predicts that Americans will spend $20.8 billion this Easter, an average of $169.79 per person. To put that in perspective, that compares to spending of $843.4 billion to $859 billion for Christmas.

Since Easter is a religious holiday, about 20% of Americans don’t participate. The NRF says the biggest purchases on Easter are candy, followed by clothing, gifts and food. According the NRF, Easter is No. 5 among the holidays Americans spend their money on, falling between Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day.

Among the most notable brands doing Easter campaigns is Cadbury, a trend that's been happening since at least 1994. This year, Cadbury has named Annie Rose, an English Doodle from Cincinnati, as its Easter bunny. Cadbury also has launched the Worldwide Hide, in which it challenges consumers to hide an Easter egg anywhere in the world.

Target, meanwhile, has rolled out an ad featuring a diverse family celebrating Easter. By “diverse,” this ad features two gay dads and their kids.

Among other advertisers are Ferrero Rocher, whose spot features a family enjoying Ferrero Rocher treats on an outdoor table on a spring day.

Hershey’s also has an Easter 2022 ad themed “Fill it with Love.”

For those looking for a more organic take on Easter, there’s this spot from Fresh Thyme Market via The Distillery Project. Like the Ferrero Rocher ad, it features a family eating outside on a table.

Going outside the U.S., there’s British supermarket chain Asda, which has rolled out an elaborate ad featuring two kids sporting bunny ears as they encounter goods from Asda to celebrate Easter.

Looking back, some elaborate Easter marketing efforts include Carlsburg, which, in 2016, made a full working bar made of chocolate. Everything in the bar, including the dartboard, stools and a television screen, was made of chocolate. It took three months to create the bar.