It is that time of year again, some say the most wonderful time of year. It’s also the time that many retailers put their hard-earned money in Santa’s sack, with Christmas campaigns tempting shoppers with stories of the season.
Not only is Christmas an ideal time to introduce brands to new customers, but it is the perfect reason to reconnect with existing shoppers.
As the festive season approaches we see more and more memorable adverts arrive on cinema screens to showcase what the big retailers have to offer – but which is the best Christmas advert for 2019?
Check out our compilation of popular and heartwarming Christmas ads from across the globe and decide for yourself!
John Lewis & Waitrose – Excitable Edgar
The John Lewis advert marks the start of the festive season and this year’s offering will melt your heart – as well as the ice.
John Lewis’ 2019 Christmas advert is about a young dragon named Excitable Edgar. Edgar is a dragon living in a small town who can’t play with the other children at Christmas because his ‘firey’ breath keeps melting all the snow.
The grown-ups also begin to turn on him when he accidentally sets fire to the town’s Christmas display.
But with a bit of ingenuity, one local girl proves that Edgar’s fire can prove useful after all.
It’s John Lewis’ first joint campaign with Waitrose and it reportedly cost £7million to make. It’s no surprise that it’s flaming good.
Walkers – All Mariah Carey wants this Christmas
This festive ad is full of everything we expect of Christmas – from red sequined dresses to elves and even Mariah Carey! Walkers have pulled out all the stops for their Christmas campaign and have called it their “biggest ever Walkers Christmas advert”.
The advert comes on the 25th anniversary of Mariah’s 1994 album Merry Christmas. And it’s said to have cost the retailers a whopping £9million to have her face on 50 million packets of crisps.
Tesco – #DeliveringChristmas
Tesco’s Christmas advert features a delivery driver travelling through time in a Back to the Future influenced celebration of the company’s 100th anniversary.
The UK’s largest supermarket has kept its festive advert closely under wraps and sent social media into a frenzy when a Tesco van was spotted on top of a house in Cheshire, England.
Tesco is the last of the major retailers to release their advert, which they have said is intended to highlight its role ‘delivering Christmas to the nation for the past 100 years’.
In the ad, a Tesco delivery driver called Joel, is transported with his van full of food to various years throughout the past century, after his van gets caught up in Christmas lights.
Visa – #WhereYouShopMatters
Visa‘s Christmas advert calls on shoppers to support the UK high street in the face of struggling sales and an increase of online shopping.
The campaign features 13 real shopkeepers including a bookseller, greengrocer, antique dealer and café owner.
Visa said the message is to encourage shoppers to think more about where they’re buying from.
Sainsburys – Nicholas The Sweep
Sainsbury‘s heartwarming Christmas advert tells a story of how Santa started out as a chimney sweep who was accused of stealing a clementine.
The retailer is marking 150 years in the business and so has set its festive ad outside the first Sainsbury‘s store in Drury Lane in 1869.
Sainsbury‘s says that the tale is a “totally true story” but in reality “Nicholas” has been created in the spirit of Christmas and there’s no real evidence of the retailer’s founders ever having saved a child in this way.
The ad is directed by award winning Ninian Doff, who has also directed a handful of commercials for brands such as Hula Hoops, 02 and GiffGaff.
Aldi – Leafy Blinders
Aldi has used Kevin the Carrot for the fourth year in a row in its Christmas advert.
New character Russell Sprout, and his Brummy gang of “Leafy Blinders“, are boiling with rage about Kevin and his family of carrots stealing the show as the star Christmas vegetable.
The sprouts are dressed in tweed caps, much like characters from popular Netflix drama – Peaky Blinders.
Tiny Tom – a little tomato – comes to Kevin’s rescue after the sprouts tie him up.
Amazon – The Singing Boxes are Back!
Amazon‘s Christmas ad features a whole host of people singing and dancing to Solomon Burke’s classic track, “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love”.
The heartwarming, feel-good advert shows families, friends, colleagues and strangers from all walks of life coming together while singing and dancing along with the cheerful Amazon boxes.
At the same time, people are giving or delivering gifts to loved ones that are, of course, inside Amazon boxes.
Boots – #GiftLikeYouGetThem
Boots shows customers how to get presents for the most difficult loved ones in your life.
The ad introduces Boots’ new range of in-store gift edits – called “Bootiques” – there to take the hassle out of Christmas shopping.
There will also be an online option to create your own Bootique so you can hint to loved ones what you want this Christmas.
Asda – Let’s Make Christmas Extra Special
Asda’s festive campaign is all about making Christmas extra special – but there’s a heartwarming story behind its advert.
The ad follows a young girl – Tilly – inspired by stories from her Grandad about Santa’s leftover magic.
The advert focuses on people who go the extra mile during the festive season, making it a special time for all.
M&S – Go Jumpers for Christmas
The best thing about Christmas is obviously knitwear, and that’s something Marks and Spencer has tapped into brilliantly for their latest ad. Directed by Jake Nava, the director behind Beyoncé’s Single Ladies video, this promo will have you jumping around with your jumpers in no time at all.
Emma Willis and Paddy McGuinness star in this year’s M&S Christmas advert.
The pair are seen at a snow-covered “M&S Food Christmas Market” where they sample festive treats at different stalls.
Other famous faces that appear in the market include popular television presenters Amanda Holden and Rochelle Humes.
Very – Get More Out of Giving
Very.co.uk showcased an emotional advert which celebrates the joy of community as stars from previous years returned to the tv screens.
It follows the residents of Chester Street as they give up their time to make sure their elderly neighbour Sidney isn’t alone at Christmas.
It is accompanied by a cover of Rudimental’s 2012 hit Feel The Love recorded by The Social Singing Choir.
McDonald’s – #ReindeerReady
This year’s Christmas advert follows adorable little girl Ellie as she befriends a lovable reindeer called Archie.
The 90-second advert follows the animated journey of Ellie who is at home and eager to play a game of ‘reindeers’ with her older sister Jenny – only Jenny is uninterested in playing games with her younger sister and slams the bedroom door on her.
Celebrate the magic of Christmas through the eyes of Ellie, in this advert which illustrates scenes recognized by parents across the world, as the whole family comes together to get Reindeer ready.
Click here to watch more 2019 Christmas commercials.
Don’t miss out on your chance to target consumers this festive season! Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities alongside blockbuster movies at the cinemas and spread the festive cheer.
Sources:
HouseBeautiful, Mirror UK
The following article was published in The Guardian.
The internet is about to lose its mantle as the fastest-growing sector of the global advertising market for the first time in two decades, as brands seeking risk-free space to spend their ad budgets turn to traditional media such as cinema, billboards and poster sites.
Next year the global internet advertising market, which is dominated by Google and Facebook, will surrender its position as the fastest-growing ad medium for the first time since the early days of the dotcom boom and bust at the turn of the century.
Internet advertising is forecast to grow by 10% globally next year, the lowest level since 2001, according to research by the global media agency group Zenith. The shrinking growth rate means that cinema advertising – forecasted to surge more than 12% next year, will become the fastest-growing ad medium.
Major companies have expressed their concerns over digital scandals – such as Cambridge Analytica, “fake news” and ads appearing next to inappropriate YouTube videos such as extremist material – putting pressure on internet platforms.
The movie industry is experiencing a golden age, with UK attendance last year hitting its highest level since 1970 and global box office records being smashed, and advertisers are looking to cash in.
Investment in technology, from the special effects used in blockbuster movies to the plush experience of cinemas sporting leather reclining seats, sofas and restaurant menus, has fuelled a renaissance despite the proliferation of streaming services such as Netflix.
“From Wonder Woman to the Avengers, Black Panther or The Favourite you have such as diverse range of films with a captive audience that advertisers know they can get a specific message to,” said Tim Richards, the founder and chief executive of the international cinema chain Vue.
“What we are also seeing is that companies are getting tired of bombarding the internet with messages when they can’t be sure who is seeing them. Audiences have a higher level of trust and confidence on what they see on the big screen than something that may have been thrown at them on the internet.”
While the growth rate of internet advertising was always eventually going to slow with scale – in 2020 it will account for half of the $650bn (£520bn) spent on advertising globally – there are signs of a wider shift in the market. This month, the British competition watchdog launched a probe into the £13bn UK digital ad market.
The outdoor advertising sector – which includes billboards, the sides of buses and railway stations – is also expected to grow at a healthy 5% globally in 2020, bucking a downturn in ad spending on other media including newspapers and TV.
“Outdoor advertising is now very much a digital experience, it’s pixels not paste any more, and that’s attractive to brands,” said Phil Hall, the incoming co-managing director of media company Ocean Outdoor.
“But you also can’t ignore the issue of brand safety. Given the well-publicised issues faced by some of the digital giants outdoor advertising has a great pitch to advertisers about being a trusted haven for brands.”
Zenith’s report says that while much of the growth in internet advertising comes from small, local businesses that spend all their budgets on platforms such as Google and Facebook, the majority of big brands still prefer to spend most of their advertising money on traditional media.
Source: The Guardian
Bank Muscat booked a 12 sec. on screen greeting ad through Motivate Val Morgan for a period of 1 week – 18th to 24th July, in celebration of Oman Renaissance Day – observed on 23rd July of each year to mark the day Sultan Qaboos bin Said ascended to the throne of Oman in 1970.
The ad screened across VOX Cinemas – City Centre Muscat, City Centre Qurum, City Centre Sohar, MGM, Sur, Salalah, Suhar Plaza and Shatti, and played right after the main spot of Bank Muscat – an ad campaign booked on an annual basis from February 2019 to February 2020.
Reach out to a member of our sales team for more information on on-screen greeting ads across our cinema circuit in the Middle East.
Unable to attend this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity?
Don’t worry! You can still be part of the Festival with the Cannes Lions ‘Digital Pass’!
Here’s your chance to experience the Festival from anywhere in the world. Filmed in glorious detail by dozens of HD cameras, the daily stream is produced by an award-winning production team and fronted by world-class journalists.
Broadcasting for 12 hours every day of the Festival on canneslions.com, the ‘Digital Pass’ gives you access to the mainstage as well as exclusive interviews and behind the scenes goodness.
Crafted to give a flavour of the entire Festival, the ‘Digital Pass’ means you get the inside track on the latest innovations, insights behind the award-winning work and the big new ideas influencing the market – all of which will be available to watch live and on-demand (even after the Festival draws to a close).
Purchase the pass for €195 + sales tax.
Don’t miss out on being part of the world’s biggest gathering for the entire creative marketing community.
Click here to find out more.
Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan are the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE
With few days to go for this year’s Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, here are some initiatives to make your ‘first time delegate’ experience better.
2019 Initiatives:
Motivate Media Group and Motivate Val Morgan are the official representatives of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in the UAE.
Motivate Val Morgan in partnership with Roxy Cinemas, hosted a ‘Private Screening’ of the most anticipated movie of the year – Avengers: Endgame, for our distinguished clients and advertisers at Roxy Cinemas – City Walk on Tuesday 30th April 2019.
With an attendance of over 100 guests – a mix of agency and direct clients (and their family members), the ‘Private Screening’ was a monumental success.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Roxy Cinemas for helping us organize and execute this screening – making it a memorable one!
Finally, a big thank you out to our invitees who attended, contributing to its immense success.
Stay tuned for more updates on future ‘Private Screenings’ by Motivate Val Morgan.
As part of the Festival’s plan to extend its learning opportunities throughout the year, Cannes Lions has announced a new series of online courses, produced in conjunction with digital learning provider 42courses.
The new suite of learning products – designed to teach creative marketers from around the world the key skills needed to excel in the world of marketing, will extend the reach of Lions training content, far beyond the Festival’s previous reach.
Each course features practical, step-by-step masterclasses from high profile creative leaders from around the world, as well as insights from the festival itself and Lion-winning work to provide tangible skills.
Among the industry experts contributing to the course are:
The courses take less than a day to pass, can be taken on any device any time and available on demand with lifetime 24/7 access and support.
Each course costs $100 and is split into a number of short bite sized enjoyable lessons that are made up of a mixture of videos, case studies, text and questions.
Earn points, climb leaderboards and learn from others from around the world as they progress. The person topping the leaderboard as of 17th May will win a free pass to Cannes Lions 2019.
The first course to be made available is a course on storytelling:
This new offer adds to the Cannes Lions School, which takes place during the festival in June. It is designed to bring an extensive list of training courses to young festival attendees and has been a core part of the Young Lions experience since 1995.
Learn more about upcoming courses and available company packages. Download the information sheet on 42courses for more information.
Sources: Cannes Lions and WARC
We are often asked if the month of Ramadan witnesses a slight drop in admissions. Our analysis shows that in some years, the admissions over the month of Ramadan is higher in comparison to some other months within a respective year.
English & Arabic Monthly Admissions (%) by Year – UAE:
Movies that released during the month of Ramadan (2016 – 2019) with good admissions in the UAE:
Finding Dory
Release Date – 16th June 2016
Admissions – Over 384K
The Mummy
Release Date – 8th June 2017
Admissions – Over 289K
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Release Date – 25th May 2017
Admissions – Over 286K
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Release Date – 07th June 2018
Admissions – Over 539K
Aladdin
Release Date – 23rd May 2019
Admissions – Over 790K
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Release Date – 30th May 2019
Admissions – Over 116K
John Wick- Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Release Date – 5th June 2019 (EID Weekend)
Admissions – Over 252K
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Release Date – 5th June 2019 (EID Weekend)
Admissions – Over 118K
The Secret Life of Pets 2
Release Date – 5th June 2019 (EID Weekend)
Admissions – Over 110K
Movies releasing over Ramadan in 2020:
Black Widow
Release Date – 30th April 2020
Forecasted Admissions – Over 600K
Movies releasing over EID Weekend 2019:
F9
Release Date – 21st May 2020
Forecasted Admissions – Over 700K
Movie session times in the UAE will remain unchanged during the month of Ramadan.
As a general rule, eating and drinking in public during daylight hours is strictly prohibited, however, the rules for the various cinemas across UAE do alter a bit during the holy month.
Here’s what each of the major cinema players has advised on their policies:
Roxy Cinemas – food and beverage would continue to be served at all of their locations as normal.
Reel Cinemas – open for takeaway only, however cinemagoers will be permitted to eat or drink in the screenings all day. At the Reel Cinemas in Jebel Ali, selected beverages will be available post-Iftar.
VOX Cinemas – During fasting hours, food will only be allowed inside the cinema auditorium but not in the THEATRE by Rhodes and GOLD by Rhodes lounges. Pre-Iftar, all food will be served take-away style and delivered to the customers at their seats insides the cinema
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities across UAE, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Sources: What’s On and MVM Analysis
Congratulations to the winners of the MVM Oscars Challenge 2019:
Having answered 7 out of 8 questions correctly, Gerald and Priyanka won 2 x VOX Cinemas luxury movie passes (each) to watch a movie of their choice at either a Theatre by Rhodes or Gold by Rhodes cinema.
This year, Bohemian Rhapsody led the 91st Academy Awards – which took place on Sunday 24th February 2019, taking home four Oscars in the actor, film editing, sound mixing, and sound editing categories, while Black Panther surprised with wins in production design, costume design, and original score.
Click here to access a comprehensive list of Oscar Winners in 2019.
Source: Variety
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” – Walt Disney
The 7th edition of the Sharjah International Children & Youth Film Festival (SICYFF) – formerly known as the Sharjah International Children Festival (SICFF), organized by Funn, will take place between 13th to 18th October, 2019.
This year’s festival will widen its scope and set new objectives which includes the participation of youth aged 18-30 years, in addition to children and teenagers. “The festival is open for all cinema professionals, aspiring filmmakers, and young film enthusiasts, in all categories. We hope that the seventh edition will take the festival to another new level, giving young talents the opportunity to promote the Arab film industry and make a mark in the regional and global film market,” said Shaikha Jawaher Bint Abdullah Al Qasimi, director of Funn and SICYFF
The goal of the festival in 2019 will be to create interest of the film industry for passionate children and youth of the UAE – to become inspiring future filmmakers, while fostering local filmmakers and motivating them to produce more children films – entertaining or informative.
Last year’s festival screened 138 films, which were selected from a pool of 502 films made by and for children.
As per its youth-focused theme, this year’s festival will showcase a variety of media and conduct movie workshops, and include the addition of three new categories – in addition to the existing seven categories:
From animation to documentaries and live action, if you have what it takes, or own a ready masterpiece to be showcased, don’t miss out on entering the Film competition organized by SICYFF.
Deadline for Submissions: 31st March, 2019
For more information on rules and regulations for film submissions visit SICYFF.
Sources: Gulf News, SICFF, Gulf Today
