‘Tis the season once more! The arrival of the Christmas ad season is consistently met with great anticipation, and this year proved no exception. Retailers worldwide unveiled their festive commercials, aiming to captivate the hearts and minds of consumers.
From Apple’s heartwarming ad showcasing ‘The Beatles’ to M&S’s star-studded commercial featuring Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and Chevrolet’s touching spot in support of the Alzheimer’s Association, these are among the standout Christmas ads of 2023.
Explore the comprehensive list of 2023 ads that evoke the holiday spirit and resonate with our emotions.
Apple – Fuzzy Feelings
Apple’s ‘Fuzzy Feeling’ unveils a festive tale—a discontented employee, her less-than-jolly boss, and a compelling message intricately woven with The Beatles’ classic tune. Creative magic unfolds as always!
Chevrolet – A Holiday to Remember
Chevrolet collaborates with the Alzheimer’s Association in their latest ad, shedding light on the experiences of those living with Alzheimer’s and their families, particularly during the holiday season.
Coca-Cola – Anyone Can Be Santa
In this festive season, Coca-Cola gently nudges us to embrace our inner Santa. Check out the enchanting 2023 Christmas ad, where the spirit of kindness overflows in a cascade of heartwarming moments.
John Lewis – Snapper: The Perfect Tree
John Lewis’s nontraditional Christmas ad communicates a clear message for the festive season: forge new traditions. Explore the ad featuring Alfie, who buys a seed to grow his unique Christmas tree at a market.
Capital One – Quicksilver Holiday Night Fever
Capital One cleverly uses nostalgia and familiarity, anchoring our attention with John Travolta and the iconic JoBee Gees soundtrack, ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ preventing us from skipping past.
Tesco – Helping you #BecomeMoreChristmas
The father-son dynamic adds a relatable touch, blending humor with familial bonds.
ALDI – Share the Love
Aldi’s “Share the Love” showcases a star-studded ensemble from the vegetable kingdom, including Kevin the Carrot, Gluttonous Grape, Naughty Green Kiwi, Plumty-Dumptys, Spoilt Little Sprout, Ebanana Scrooge, and Marcus Raddishford.
M&S – Say HELLO to Right & Left Mitten
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney don charming mittens for an M&S Christmas journey that is a must-watch, filled with heartwarming moments.
Amazon – Joy Ride
Amazon’s heartwarming Christmas ad, ‘Joy Ride’ celebrates enduring friendships and shared experiences as three elderly friends rekindle their youthful spirit, all in the backdrop of The Beatles’ ‘In My Life.’
Dior – The Garden of Dreams
Dior’s enchanting Christmas ad, ‘The Garden of Dreams, featuring Anya Taylor Joy unfolds a captivating narrative within a dreamlike setting, seamlessly blending luxury fashion with festive magic, creating an immersive and stylish holiday experience.
Lidl – A Magical Christmas
Lidl’s heartwarming 2023 Christmas ad, ‘A Magical Christmas,’ follows a raccoon on a whimsical journey to bring joy to a boy, emphasizing the power of small gestures and encouraging customers to donate toys for local children in need.
Sainsbury’s – “This Christmas, one little girl asks one BIG question.”
A curious girl steps up to the in-store tannoy at Sainsbury’s to ask: “What does Santa eat for his Christmas dinner?” Her question sparks a flurry of responses from Sainsbury’s workers, each offering their suggestions of festive dishes, showstoppers and treats.
ARGOS – Dancer
Connie’s lively table-dancing and Trev’s sweet character set a festive mood in Argos’s short, enjoyable ad, showcasing their products in a relatable and fun way.
Boots: Give Joy
Boots excels in capturing the essence of Christmas by highlighting the joy of giving. In their quirky ad, a girl poses an unusual question to her mom, akin to Sainsbury’s approach: “Who gives presents to Santa?”
Sources: DMI, USA Today, Creative Boom
From John Lewis to the return of Will Ferrell as Elf at Asda, here’s a list of the best Christmas ads in 2022 from around the world.
As the holiday season approaches, brands around the world are releasing their much-anticipated Christmas ads.
From heartwarming stories of family and togetherness, to hilarious and lighthearted takes on the holiday season, this year’s batch of Christmas ads includes everything from the return of Will Farrell. as ‘Buddy the Elf’ to cinematic ads directed by Taika Waititi, Michael Gracey and more.
Check out the fill list of 2022 Christmas ads that reflect a year full of change, hope and joyful optimism:
John Lewis – The Beginner
Another year, another heartwarming ad from John Lewis, the ad follows a middle-aged man as he attempts to learn how to skateboard. What’s all this in aid of: a mid-life crisis? No: when the doorbell rings, we learn that he has been prepping the arrival of Ellie, the young girl it looks like the couple will be fostering over Christmas (and who loves to skateboard).
Lidl – Lidl Bear
The supermarket chain – Lidl’s marketing campaign is a stuffed toy in a branded jumper, named “Lidl Bear”, an adorable teddy bear dressed in an accidentally shrunk-down Lidl knitted jumper. The bear becomes a roaring success after being spotted in a supermarket, eclipsing even Paddington’s star as he climbs the giddy heights of fame. But later, he realized what really matters and got back to his young owner, who’s been missing him.
Boots – #JoyForAll
Boots’ ’Joy For All’ campaign follows Holly, played by actor Lydia West, who finds a pair of magic glasses on the bus that let her see the hidden ’joy’ all around her. Lydia effortlessly carries the entire thing and leaves the kind of warm, fuzzy feeling that only the best Christmas ads can conjure.
Sainsbury’s – Once Upon a Pud
Sainsbury’s supermarket chain tells a fantasy story depicting an English countess’ Christmas dinner as chefs prepare their creations. Everything goes smoothly until the young chef who prepares the pudding is disappointed by the countess, since she confesses that she has never liked pudding. It is then that the cook leaves to create a new recipe for the popular Sainsbury’s dessert that the countess may like.
Asda – Have your Elf a Merry Christmas
Will Ferrell, Buddy the Elf is once again spreading cheer for all to hear. Using footage from the hit Warner Bros film, Asda recruited the lovable character as a festive colleague. Ferrell’s Elf proceeds to charm old ladies with his smile; put behind the microphone he starts singing. And of course, he manages to decorate the store to the nines once everybody’s gone home.
Argos: Avalanche
Argos is celebrating the chaos that sometimes ensues when family and friends get together at Christmas time. In their latest ad viewers see a couple nervously anticipating the arrival of their guests – a few visitors according to them, but as a huge crowd of neighbors began to make its way to the couple’s home.
Amazon – Joy is Made
There’s no festive flex quite like getting Taika Waititi to direct your Christmas marketing. Set to the obligatory indie song, this year’s offering tells the story of a dad whose daughter is obsessed with a snow globe. So, for Christmas, what better gift is there for this strange child than for dad to make her a life-size snow globe of her very own?
Heathrow – The Gift
When you’re living far away from your family, what would be your dream Christmas present? London’s Heathrow knows the answer, and the result is this tearjerker of a short film.
M&S – Gifts That Give
Inside each home something unusual is happening … every time an M&S gift is opened, there is an unexpected occurrence that disrupts family Christmases and draws them to the street outside to find it taken over by real-life community groups who will benefit from M&S donations – from bikers with hearts of gold to brass bands. The ad is Directed by the filmmaker Michael Gracey, (The Greatest Showman).
Age UK – Fred’s World
Taking viewers on a journey through the decades, Age UK’s new film follows the relationship of football fan Fred and his wife through the lens of the World Cup years, starting in 1966.
Have a Christmas ad you would like to run in cinema? Contact us for more information on advertising across our circuit in the GCC.
The Super Bowl is a high-stakes game, and the ads and trailers aired during the event, in addition to the half-time performance, is as exciting as the game itself. With millions tuning in every year, the Super Bowl has become a prime advertising opportunity for big- companies, and studios hoping to whip up excitement for their upcoming blockbuster releases.
From the trailers of Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Jurassic World Dominion, to ads from brands such as BMW and Booking.com, here’s what wowed the viewers and fans at Super Bowl LVI:
Ambulance
In this breakneck thriller from director-producer Michael Bay, decorated veteran Will Sharp desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from the one person he knows he shouldn’t—his adoptive brother Danny – a charismatic career criminal, Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history.
Release Date: 07 April 2022
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
When Dr. Robotnik comes back, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to both build and destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.
Release Date: 07 April 2022
Starring: Ben Schwart, Idris Elba, Jim Carrey
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Since he tampered with a forbidden spell (No Way Home) that opened the door to the multiverse, Dr.Strange has been unhinging the reality –which leads to an important question from Wanda. Why is he considered a hero when he does it, but she a villain? Get ready to experience ‘a new dimension of Strange’. Probably the much awaited trailer of the Super Bowl.
Release Date: 05 May 2022
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams
Jurassic World Dominion
Even though the plot in this third installment from the franchise is kept under wraps, one thing is sure: Jurassic Park/World fans will be thrilled to see Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and the original Jurassic Park trio all together in one movie!
Release Date: 10 June 2022
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern
Nope
Oscar winner Jordan Peele disrupted and redefined modern horror with Get Out (2017) and then Us (2019). Now, he reimagines the summer movie with a new pop nightmare: the expansive horror epic, Nope.
Release Date: 21 July 2022
Starring: Keke Palmer, Barbie Ferreira, Daniel Kaluuya
See the full line-up of blockbusters releasing in 2022 in our Sizzle Reel.
Porsche/Top Gun: Maverick
Porsche is bringing the speed in Top Gun: Maverick. Playing on the original movie’s “I feel the need for speed” quote, the trailer showcases snippets of the movie in-between promotional footage of some of Porsche’s cars.
BMW
Zeus (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is underwhelmed by all earthly electric things and becomes a shell of his former self. But right when we think all hope is lost, his wife, Hera (Salma Hayek), introduces him to the all-electric BMW iX and helps mighty Zeus reclaim his spark.
Squarespace
Zendaya plays the role of Sally, who is looking to grow her seashell business, so she creates a store on Squarespace, which helps her become a seaside sensation.
Booking.com
In this ‘Big Game’ ad, Idris Elba takes you on a special journey into the heart and soul of Booking.com. In a way that only he could pull off. While staying on-script – mostly.
Lay’s
Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd remember some beautiful moments together that all revolve around Lay’s Potato Chips. Stay tuned until the end.
Verizon
We have officially entered the era of Cable Guy nostalgia. Jim Carrey reprises his role from the movie only to learn that cable is a thing of the past.
Kia
Every dog deserves to find their forever home. Even Robo Dog, who risks it all in Kia’s ‘Big Game’ ad to live fully charged with the all-electric Kia EV6. Kia’s Robo Dog is probably the ad that made the viewers tear up as they feel affectionate towards the #Robodog.
Amazon
What if Alexa could read your mind? That’s the issue plaguing real-world couple Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost in this ad for Amazon’s home-based helper.
Flamin’ Hot Doritos and Cheetos
A group of animals are in the forest beatboxing the song “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa, with a bunch of Flamin’ Hot chips nearby. What more could you want?
Nissan
The ad introduces Nissan’s brand-new range of 2023 high-tech models – Nissan Z and the all-electric Nissan Ariya. Eugene Levy stars as a high-octane pedal-to-the-metal action star, along with Brie Larson, Dave Bautista, and Danai Gurira.
Chevrolet
Continuing the all-electric vehicle trend of the evening, Chevrolet channeled ‘The Sopranos’ for a commercial starring Jamie-Lynn Sigler set to the show’s iconic theme.
Watch all the Super Bowl 2022 commercials here.
Source: Gamespot
Here’s a round-up of the ‘must-watch 2020 Christmas commercials’
2020 has been quite a year! The year of the global pandemic has changed us, turning our worlds upside-down in so many ways. But thankfully, a few things have remained a constant in life, one of which is the battle between brands to be crowned the ‘most popular Christmas commercials of the year’.
Christmas is a time for good cheer and festivity, time with loved ones, lots of delicious food and of course, show-stopping festive advertisements. As we creep closer to the first week of Advent, most big brands have already delivered their 2020 Christmas campaigns. This year however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ll notice a distinct change in tone. While festive ads were once full of glitz and glamour with budgets on the higher side and offerings getting more elaborate as the years went by, this year’s Christmas commercials are distinctly more pared-back, in keeping with the public mood after a year of much hardship.
From John Lewis and Amazon, to Marks & Spencer, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Tesco, here’s a round-up of the ‘must-see Christmas commercials’ that have been revealed so far:
Amazon – The Show Must Go On
Disney UK – From Our Family To Yours
Tesco – No Naughty List
McDonald’s – Inner Child
Argos – An Evening with AbracaDaisy & The Incredible Lucy
Aldi UK – Kevin the Carrot
Coca-Cola
Asda – That’s an Asda Price Christmas
LEGO
Waitrose & John Lewis – Give A Little Love
Boots UK
Sainsbury’s – Gravy Song
Burberry
Dobbies – Festive Thrills
Lidl GB – Big on a Christmas you can Believe in
Marks & Spencer
Walkers Crisps – A Sausage CaRoll
TK Maxx – The Lil’ Goat
Chester BID – Give the Gift this Christmas
Deliveroo – Christmas in On
Matalan – It’s a Matalan Christmas!
O2 – Unwrap the Magic of Christmas
Woodies
Three – Everyone’s a Kid at Christmas
Papa Johns Pizza GB – Giving More This Christmas
Notonthehighstreet – The Magic of Small Things
JD Sports – #JDWonderland
Advertisers…. Don’t miss out on the chance to display your festive ads on the BIG Screen this holiday season, especially alongside the MEGA Blockbuster release – Wonder Woman 1984 on 17th December 2020.
Contact us for more information on festive cinema advertising
Sources: Good Housekeeping, Creative Boom, The Drum and YouTube
The Super Bowl is an annual sporting event for die-hard football fans, general sports enthusiasts and businesses.
It is one of the the most-watched program on television in the United States and the second most-watched program worldwide, uniting all things pop culture – sports, music, movies and ads, all vying for attention and February fame.
For years, film studios pay millions of dollars to secure a chance to get as many eyes as possible on the latest upcoming movies, while advertisers throw as much for a 30-second spot to air commercials as a means of building awareness for their products and services.
Commercials played during the Super Bowl have also developed a reputation for being memorable, funny and clever, with people who are not interested in the game tuning in during breaks to solely watch the commercials.
This year’s ad bowl was once again just as intense as the match on the field – featuring familiar names and a few new ones, including Facebook’s first big game spot. According to analytics firm Kantar, it was the largest ever in terms of in-game ad spend, with marketers spending an estimated $435 million, and interestingly, according to Bain, the percentage of spots including women was up 90% from 74% last year.
Here’s some of the most trending content from Super Bowl 2020:
Movie Trailers
Mulan
Release Date: March 26, 2020
No Time To Die
Release Date: April 2, 2020
Black Widow
Release Date: April 30, 2020
Fast and Furious 9
Release Date: May 21, 2020
Top Gun: Maverick
Release Date: June 25, 2020
Click here to check out other movie trailers that aired during Super Bowl 2020
Commercials
Amazon
Amazon’s spot – starring celebrity couple Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, imagines what life was like without Alexa. According to Google, it was the most-watched Super Bowl commercial as of 10pm on game day, and according to Brandwatch, it had more than 39,000 mentions online as of 10:15pm.
Google’s tearjerker about its virtual assistant helping a man remember his late wife was the most effective ad, according to Unruly.
Nearly half of survey respondents had an intense emotional reaction to “Loretta,” and the ad scored 6.5 out of 10. It also had more than 121,000 online mentions, per Brandwatch, with 10,000 of those mentions coming within two minutes of the ad airing.
Jeep
According to Talkwalker, Jeep’s recreation of ‘Groundhog Day’ – featuring Bill Murray, got more than 47,000 online mentions, accounting for nearly 6% of the entire conversation around the Super Bowl.
It also received a score of 5.2 from System1, which rates ads from 1 to 5.9 based on the emotional resonance they garner to predict long-term growth potential for the brand.
Microsoft
Microsoft’s Super Bowl ad featured the first female – and openly LGBTQ – coach to ever be in the NFL championship game.
The ad elicited intense emotional engagement from 47% of Unruly’s survey audience – obtaining a score of 5.7, and got 5.3 stars from System1.
Olay
Olay’s all-female Super Bowl spot featured successful women asking “Is there enough space in space for women?” and pledged to donate $1 to Women Who Code for every tweet directed @OlaySkin with the hashtag #MakeSpaceforWomen.
Olay captured nearly 20% of the conversation around the Super Bowl, according to Talkwalker. The hashtag #MakeSpaceForWomen was being used even before the game, but spiked again during the broadcast.
Benjamin Hordell, partner at ad agency DXAgency, called it “the best social integration,” saying that “incentivizing the tweet was a nice way to make it happen.”
Click here to check out other leading brand commercials that aired during Super Bowl 2020
Sources: Adweek, Digital Trends, Screen Rant, Business Insider, Wonderopolis and The Drum
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
