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The Gift Next Door: putting neighbourly kindness at the heart of Christmas

Sector: Consumer
Food & Hospitality

During the busy festive period, it’s often the smallest gestures that mean the most – the neighbour who takes in your parcels, keeps an eye on your home while you’re away, or shows up with a mince pie and a smile.

For Christmas 2025, Speed Communications partnered with Lily O’Brien’s to bring those everyday acts of kindness into the spotlight with The Gift Next Door – a heart-warming, research-led campaign designed to celebrate neighbourly connection and position Lily O’Brien’s as the ultimate festive thank you gift.

The challenge

Christmas is a highly competitive gifting moment. Lily O’Brien’s wanted to stand out by deepening emotional connection with consumers, increasing consideration and driving engagement – without relying on traditional festive tropes.

The idea

The Gift Next Door put local communities at the heart of the festive season – celebrating the neighbours who quietly make our lives better and positioning Lily O’Brien’s as the perfect ‘little something’ to say thank you.

The campaign combined insight, storytelling and participation, giving people across the UK and Ireland a meaningful way to recognise neighbourly kindness while driving engagement, brand warmth and consideration.

The execution

Speed delivered an integrated PR-led campaign across the UK, including:

  • Consumer research uncovering the nation’s favourite neighbourly acts, generational differences, and the most neighbourly cities
  • Psychologist-led expert insight explaining how neighbourly relationships reduce loneliness, foster belonging and strengthen communities
  • A national nomination competition, inviting audiences to nominate their neighbourhood to win Lily O’Brien’s chocolate bundles for every household on their street
  • Targeted media outreach across broadcast, national, lifestyle and regional titles, supported by data, expert commentary and human-interest storytelling
  • Social-first content encouraging audiences to share real stories of neighbourly kindness in partnership with Irish TV presenter, Angela Scanlon

The results

The campaign delivered strong engagement and national cut-through:

  • 75,000 competition entries
  • 316 stories of neighbourly kindness shared
  • 34 pieces of coverage secured
  • Total reach of 141 million

The impact

The Gift Next Door strengthened Lily O’Brien’s emotional connection with consumers during the festive period, driving engagement at scale and reinforcing the brand’s position as a thoughtful, meaningful gifting choice. By combining insight, storytelling and participation, Speed Communications helped Lily O’Brien’s own a distinctive Christmas narrative – rooted in community, gratitude and everyday acts of kindness.