Five years of 5-Star Christmas ads – no other brand aside from Coke and their Trucks can claim that, and certainly no other brand has managed it with new creative every time. Aldi’s Kevin the Carrot is an advertising phenomenon. The Kevin ads combine several of the elements we know to be particularly effective in advertising, like living characters, cultural references, humour and consistency. He really is Aldi’s golden ticket at Christmas, and now he’s back on top of our Nation’s Favourite charts.
Reissued almost every year – the trucks took a year off in 2022 – and you can see why. “Holidays are Coming” is a bellwether for Christmas performance. If it gets a maximum score, as it did this year, audiences are in the mood for festive fun. Coke’s perennial performer is also a testament to the wisdom of investing in a great ad. Now it feels like an old friend and the start of Christmas every year – but back in the 90’s it was just a good commercial. Coke backed it and turned it into a phenomenon.
Amazon are big believers in the power of story and use that storytelling to show off their core product benefit. This year’s “Joy Ride” is a heartwarming tale – three girls who grow up together and as older ladies remember the joy they used to feel going sledding. Thanks to Amazon, they get the chance to recreate that joy and race down a hill again together. As usual, the story is tightly and expertly told, and Amazon’s product is central to it but never allowed to overwhelm the emotion.
The Master Chocolatier strikes again with this reissue of his Christmas ad. Not that there’s many overt holiday season references getting in the way of the chocolate, the Chocolatier, and the delighted consumers. Lindt are one of the only brands who can get away with going easy on the Christmas elements – their Star Ratings are through the roof anyway thanks to a delicious product and ads which highlight the joy of consuming it. They’re also smart enough to keep effective work on screens.
2023’s top newcomer to the list is budget retailer The Works. Their first Christmas campaign, "Unwrap Real Value", encouraged families to embrace the authentic spirit of Christmas by creating priceless moments without breaking the bank. This heartwarming ad captures genuine and delightful reactions from children enjoying affordable toys, gifts, books, games and crafts. Amidst the cost-of-living crisis, The Works smartly positions itself as a budget-friendly shopping hub, highlighting its role to deliver real value in-store and online during holiday occasions.
Holiday brands do their advertising after Christmas, right? Luckily nobody told TUI that! Their debut Christmas advert unveils the "untold" tale of Santa's elves enjoying a well-deserved holiday after the presents are delivered. The short film features the elves on a beach vacation, indulging in cocktails and massages while ignoring calls from Father Christmas. Set to Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca," the light-hearted ad, created in collaboration with Leo Burnett and model-maker Andy Gent, introduces a playful twist to the festive season, encouraging viewers to dream of future adventures.
M&S Food have given audiences a couple of years to get used to their brand character the M&S Fairy. And now that the Dawn-French voiced Fairy is a hit, she’s able to drive the brand to their first ever maximum 5.9-Star score. For once the emphasis is on storytelling, with new characters Left and Right Mitten, and the ‘food porn’ the brand does so well is saved to the end.
Morrisons achieve the maximum Test Your Ad score by putting the spotlight on one of the hidden helpers of a family Christmas – the humble oven glove. The gloves dance, sing, sway, make heart signs and are generally adorable. The ad hits two of 2023’s big themes: Christmas traditions and animated characters. Morrisons show you can delight viewers by being quirky – spotting a part of the tradition people don’t usually think about.
Barbour love to feature an iconic British character in their Christmas campaigns, and they’ve had their biggest success yet with this heartwarming Shaun the Sheep collaboration. The festive film features Shaun, Bitzer, and the Flock attempting to repair the Farmer's worn Barbour wax jacket to keep him warm and dry. The humorous and joyful storyline unfolds, showcasing the chaos that ensues during the repair attempts. Despite their best efforts, the jacket ends up looking worse than before. The film concludes with the Farmer's jacket magically restored by Barbour experts, emphasizing the benefits of professional jacket maintenance.
The cinema is a magical place that transports people to other worlds. Sky bottles up this feeling in their ad highlighting classic films. It’s a sure way to evoke nostalgia in viewers and bring them on an emotional journey, with clips of beloved characters at key turning points in their respective works – all great examples of what Orlando Wood would describe as ‘moto e azione’. There’s romance, action, comedy and more, and it’s all backed by a spirited rendition of “Never Enough” from The Greatest Showman.
Lidl delivers one of the most compelling storytelling ads of the year, featuring a heartwarming tale of raccoons assisting a child in retrieving a lost toy. Leaving their usual tongue-in-cheek Christmas ads behind, Lidl takes a fresh approach with an unconventional choice of Christmas animal. However, the strength of the narrative makes it a holiday season triumph, marking Lidl's highest score to date in crafting memorable and emotionally resonant advertisements.
Disney breaks from the norm, spotlighting its Make-A-Wish foundation with a heartwarming ad. Kids worldwide sing a classic Cinderella song in different languages, a departure from Disney's usual big character focus. Despite consumer concerns about multi-language ads, Disney takes a risk with exceptional results.
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