‘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.
From John Lewis, to M&S and Disney, here’s a list of the best Christmas ads in 2021 from around the world.
We’re at that time of year again, when the Christmas ads we see leave us feeling nostalgic, teary-eyed, emotional and in the mood for holiday time spent with family. They also give us a sense of collective spirit.
In contrast to subdued messages of pandemic stricken 2020, brands have gone all out with their storytelling this year. From fantasy filled extra-terrestrial scenarios, to intimate tales of holiday gatherings, here’s a collection of all the festive Christmas ads from your favourite brands and retailers, including the much talked about ones from John Lewis and M&S.
Check out the best Christmas ads of 2021 that reflects a year full of change, hope and joyful optimism:
John Lewis & Partners – Unexpected Guest
The U.K. retailer is back with a heartwarming tale set to cover of ‘Together in Electric Dreams’. The two-minute advert, entitled ‘Unexpected Guest’, is a joyful story of friendship between a young boy called Nathan and the space traveler, Skye, as they celebrate the magic of Christmas moments.
M&S Food – Percy Pig comes to life for the first time EVER!
Marks & Spencer’s Christmas advert for this year features Spiderman star Tom Holland as the voice of Percy Pig. The Christmas clip, which also stars Dawn French as a festive fairy, sees Percy Pig come to life and explore the treats on offer in an M&S food hall.
Aldi: Ebanana Scrooge
Aldi has released a charming Dickensian-style take on ‘A Christmas Carol’ with a spot that follows the story of Christmas loathing Ebanana Scrooge, who is reminded of the joys of the festive season by Kevin the Carrot. It’s part of a seasonal campaign that will see 1.8 million meals donated to families that need help across the UK over the festive period.
GAP – All Together Now
Katy Perry sings a Beatles song – ‘All You Need Is Love’, while playing the guitar in GAP’s 2021 Christmas advertisement.
Disney – The Stepdad
Disney celebrates blended families with its new Christmas ad. The Stepdad is a beautiful animated short that sees a new stepfather moving in with the family at the beginning of the holiday season, and it’s such a lovely example of how families can learn to interact with each other… you are definitely going to cry at least once when watching the ad. The Stepdad is a sequel to last year’s animated short from Disney – Lola.
Sports Direct – GO ALL OUT This Christmas
It’s the most expensive Christmas advert ever. And with tennis champ Emma Raducanu and football ace Jack Grealish leading a line-up of 16 sports stars, it is bound to score highly with viewers.
Boots: Bags of Joy
BAFTA-nominated actress and ‘Doctor Who’ star Jenna Coleman plays the leading role in Boots’ festive ad for 2021. As Boots puts it, “This Christmas is all about joy.” The joy of being with friends and family, the joy of getting out there and connecting with each other.
Argos: Baubles to Last Year! Christmas is On
Another British retailer to recognise our appetite for going BIG this festive season given the disappointment of last year. The campaign shows the pure joy of Christmas and all the ways we can make a big splash. The 60-second fun spot reminds us that Argos is a decent source of inspiration for shoppers looking for that perfect gift for family and friends.
Asda: Make Christmas Spectacular
Asda’s Christmas spot which features a family gliding through the festive season on their ice skates. The ad is about making the festive season ‘spectacular’!
Morrisons: Farmer Christmas
Morrisons is introducing Farmer Christmas to the nation with its festive ad this year, following two young friends who discover the other hero of Christmas. The 60-second spot tells a tale about Farmer Christmas who works all year too in order to deliver a delicious Christmas feast to tables across the country.
Coca-Cola: Chimney
Coca-Cola is another brand to into some real magic this Christmas with its festive ad that focuses on the concept of community. Featuring a story of a young boy who brings his apartment block together to celebrate the holidays, it opens with his desire to create a chimney out of cardboard boxes, ready for Santa Claus to deliver presents
Have a Christmas ad you would like to run in cinema? Contact us for more information on advertising across our circuit in the GCC.
Sources : Creative Boom, The Sun, Daily Mirror
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
Christmas has become UK’s version of the ‘Super Bowl’ for advertisers with ad-spend in Q4 2017 amounting to a whopping £5.9bn in the UK (Nielsen) – up by £1.2bn (+37%) over the last five years.
Each year, the competition intensifies with pressure on brands to beat the all time favourite John Lewis, and 2018 has seemingly taken the theme of childhood and nostalgia.
Check out our compilation of popular and heartwarming Christmas ads and decide for yourself:
John Lewis – The Boy and The Piano #EltonJohnLewis
John Lewis commercials have become an annual tradition in British pop-culture and signals the countdown to Christmas in the UK – attracting widespread media coverage and acclaim upon release.
This year’s ad – featuring Elton John portrays the power of a gift and how it inspired, changed and influenced the course of a little boy’s life. The commercial begins with a song by Elton John ‘My Gift is My Song’ in present day, and chronologically works backwards through Elton’s life, up until the moment on Christmas morning when he received the special gift that changed his life.
The ad received more than 8 million views in just 3 days since release.
John Lewis & Waitrose – For Us, It’s Personal
John Lewis and Waitrose ran their first joint marketing campaign as they launched new visual identities to mark their rebrand to John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners. The ad shows a group of primary school kids putting on a special performance to Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ for their surprised parents.
The campaign, created by adam&eveDDB is called ‘& Partners’, uses the tagline ‘For us, it’s personal’ as it aims to shine light on the stories and skills of its staff – who the retailers call partners, to illustrate what makes it different from other retail chains.
Saintbary’s – The Big Night
The earliest Christmas ad to appear in 2018 was from Sainsbury’s whose commercial ‘The Big Night’ features a cast of 60 children, led by a young girl dressed as a star. An eclectic group of Christmas characters give a rendition of the New Radicals’ nineties song, ‘You Get What You Give‘, as their parents watch on.
The ad has received 1.6 million views in 3 days.
Argos – The Christmas Fool
Argos’ 2018 festive campaign features a mischievous Christmas ‘fool’ determined to ruin Christmas. The impish creature, which resembles a Christmas version of Dobby the elf from Harry Potter (with an extra sock), causes chaos around the house – from breaking fairy lights and stealing Sellotape, to unwrapping presents and knocking things over, as a family try and get their final Christmas preparations into place.
The mischievous ad has received 1.8 million views in a mere week of release.
The ad brings to light an important reality: where everyone expects Christmas to be perfect, but the reality being it never is. In this commercial, Argos promises their customers a foolproof Christmas.
Very – Find the gift that helps them find their Gift
‘Find the gift that helps them find their gift’ is the theme behind Very’s heartwarming new Christmas advert. The festive ad, titled Elsie’s Gift, is a short, 30-second magical animation and tells the story of a schoolgirl named Elsie, who dreams of being an astronaut.
For Christmas, her parents gift her with a toy astronaut helmet, which inspires Elsie to pursue her dream. We see her learn and study with a growing interest in the universe and space travel – with the helmet always by her side.
The ad received 1.9 million views in 6 days since of release.
Iceland – Say Hello to Rang-tan #NoPalmOilChristmas
Iceland has repackaged a short film by Greenpeace which portrays the destruction of an orangutan’s rainforest habitat due to palm oil growers.
The Christmas campaign has been banned from TV as it was considered ‘too political’. However, due to buzz around its ban, the commercial garnered 4.3 million views in 6 days of release online.
Click here to watch more 2018 Christmas commercials.
Sources: DigitalSpy, House Beautiful, Marketing Week, The Guardian, and The Drum
