Over the last few years, the Christmas TV advert has become an integral part of many large brands’ Christmas marketing campaigns and a significant way to raise their brand awareness. In turn, audiences now see the Christmas TV advert reveals as a key moment in the build-up to their own festive celebrations. We take a look at this year’s top adverts…
John Lewis:
This is the one that always gets everybody talking on social media! Continually upping their game creatively, John Lewis’ advert, The Unexpected Guest, focuses on a young boy teaching a space traveller the many Christmas traditions we all recognise and love. From tree decorating to eating mince pies, we get to see the joy of Christmas through someone experiencing it for the first time, whilst subtly reminding us of the power of sharing our cultures and forging new friendships.
Aldi:
Building on their Kevin the Carrot branding, Aldi has taken the traditional Christmas Carol story and given it a twist with their new character “Ebernana Scrooge”. For further marketing and merchandising opportunities, the fun additional fruit and vegetable characters are a winner.
The supermarket giant is also donating 1.8 million meals to families in need, with support from Marcus Rashford. This touch gives their campaign far more depth as it smartly aligns with the moral messaging of A Christmas Carol – and did you spot the nod to their legal battle with M&S over Colin / Cuthbert the Caterpillar?!
Disney:
The champions of emotional storytelling, this year’s Christmas TV advert from Disney is simply titled, “The Step-Dad”, and gently shares the story of a man trying to do all he can to get it sensitively right in the run-up to his first Christmas with his new step-children. Who’d have thought a gingerbread house could give us all such a lump in our throats?! It will resonate with anyone who can find celebrating Christmas with their own or new family tricky at times.
Coca-Cola:
Their 2021 Christmas TV advert ties into their wider Real Magic brand platform (which includes their annual Coca-Cola truck tour and additional digital campaigns), and has a simple message guaranteed to lift anyone’s spirits.
The advert shows a boy fashioning a chimney out of cardboard boxes (topped of course, by a Coca-Cola box) so he can send an invite to his neighbour to join them at a festive get-together, with the advert ending with the simple message: “The holidays are magic when we share them”.
Marks & Spencer:
M&S have gone all-in on their beloved Percy Pig, bringing him to life (aided by the voice of Tom Holland) to star in their annual Christmas food TV campaign. The food, however, remains the star of the show, with emphasis on M&S quality with a splash of Christmas magic as Percy discovers their festive food items for the first time. Whilst not as emotive as other campaigns, they have been savvy to bring a much loved Marks & Spencer brand to life.
Which advert is your favourite this year? If you’re looking for advice on how you can inject a little Christmas magic into your next campaign to boost your eCommerce and online sales, get in touch with us today to discuss how our digital marketing experts can help.
