With many consumers struggling to make ends meet right now, retailers faced a big challenge to get the tone of their Christmas advert right.
How did they fare? Did the skateboarding foster dad pull on heartstrings or did Buddy the Elf bring a smile our faces?
Retail Gazette gets together some of adland’s finest to find out which was the bet Christmas ad this year.
Meet the panel
Media.Monks group creative director Philipp Sens
Phillip leads creative for digital-first marketing and advertising agency Media.Monks. His clients have included Nike, Chanel, Google and Huawei
Starcom chief strategy officer Dan Plant
Dan leads strategy for Starcom, where he is responsible for turning its ‘Human Experience’ philosophy into real-life experiences. He was named one of Campaign’s Top 10 media planners last year.
MullenLowe Group UK chief creative officer Nicky Bullard
Nicky leads MullenLowe’s creative output focusing on growth and creative excellence. She was the first creative woman to be named chair of a UK marketing agency.
FCB Inferno chief creative officer Owen Lee
Owen leads creative for FCB Inferno, who has worked with brands such as BMW, Levis and Andrex.
Toast TV managing director Sophie Bell
Bell leads Toast TV, a full-service TV commercials and content production agency that counts Innocent, Loaf and Indeed amongst its clients.
Media.Monks executive creative director Jimmy Blom
Jimmy is an award-winning creative director with 25 years of experience in progressive advertising, brand building, brand design, and UX.
Views: 3.4 million
Likes: 18,000
Jimmy Blom: “Aaargh! Every inch of me didn’t want to be emotionally sucker-punched by a Christmas ad, but, even despite its predictability, I ended up having a little moment. That said, who am I to judge…I cried watching Face/Off.”
Dan Plant: “The John Lewis team must feel the pressure each year to top the emotional intensity of their Christmas ad.
“However, this year feels different to previous years, and the connection to John Lewis isn’t as clear for me as it has been in previous years.
“In saying that, they have clearly pulled out all the stops here to tug on the heartstrings and it makes for a lovely tear-jerking film that delivers a powerful message. I definitely had a lump in my throat.
Sophie Bell: “It’s different and emotive. A strong narrative that manages to capture what’s relatable from our everyday festive season whilst reminding us what’s important without preaching or being self-congratulatory.”
Owen Lee: “It’s difficult for anyone not to like the message, but it plays one of the two ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ cards that brands can play to be liked and that’s the CSR card.
“I don’t think it will be remembered as vintage John Lewis like ‘The Long Wait’ or ‘Monty the Penguin’.”
Tesco: The Christmas Party
Views: 78,000
Likes: 426
Sophie Bell: “Captures the current climate with relatable humour. Felt very ‘Tesco’.”
Philipp Sens: “What happened here? This ad left me completely cold. It tries to do so many things at once that, in the end, nothing sticks with me. Though I can imagine there were a few boxes to tick, this ad has nothing to offer but offers.”
Owen Lee: “For some reason Tesco tries to play on the farce that is British politics at the moment, but I’m not sure reminding us all there is a ‘joy shortage’ and forming a faux political party quite works.”
Sainsbury’s: Once Upon a Pud
Views: 308,000
Likes: 2,000
Jimmy Blom: “A very well crafted, but superficially delivered fairy tale. Overall, it could have used a bit more of the magic that it was set up for.”
Owen Lee: “Sainsbury’s puts all its festive bets on a twist on the traditional Christmas pud with caramelised biscuit topping. Alison Hammond is very likeable, but the agency must have looked at Bud Light Dilly Dilly more than once wondering if it were too close.”
Sophie Bell: “I like the pay off “and that’s why you can taste the difference” but I didn’t feel emotionally engaged.”
Asda: Have Your Elf a Merry Christmas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnW1TWqAXYs
Views: 2.2 million
Likes: 11,000
Nicky Bullard: “There’s no creative intellectualism here. Or charity partnership. Or social statements. It’s just a bit of a giggle. Which I hope we can all find at some point this Crimbo.”
Philipp Sens: “I mean, how can you not love Buddy the Elf, aka Will Ferrell?! This is a very simple idea that is incredibly well executed. On top of that, it’s not trying to be overly deep, but rather simply culturally relevant. I love it!”
Owen Lee: “Asda has run headlong into the Hollywood blockbuster and completely pulled it off. It’s populist, it’s cleverly done, it’s right for the brand and we all so want it to work, and it does. Bravo!”
Dan Plant: “A spectacular piece of creative visual craft that I believe will generate admiration and memorability for Asda in equal measure.
“Not sure if the strategy was simply inspired by the green and yellow colour synergy between Will Ferrell’s Elf and Asda’s brand colours, but it just works.”
Aldi: Feast of Football
Views: 4.3 million
Likes: 3,600
Sophie Bell: “Sweet but because I know Home Alone so well it didn’t capture my imagination.”
Jimmy Blom: “Honestly, this is one of the most confusing Christmas ads I’ve ever seen. It’s a nostalgic play that captures none of the charm of the original film. Can’t say I was expecting a carrot penis joke, though, so at least there was a surprise element.”
Owen Lee: “Aldi re-enacts Home Alone with Kevin the Carrot almost shot for shot.
“And just in case that that doesn’t make you feel all warm and festive, one of the little carrot children offers to donate their pocket money to Neighbourly, the charity that Aldi is supporting this Christmas. Despite shamelessly playing both cards, I think this misses the mark.”
Lidl: The Story of Lidl Bear
Views: 48,000
Likes: 344
Jimmy Blom: “Nice little story, but didn’t quite reach the heartstrings—I really wanted it to, but it ended up feeling a little meh.”
Owen Lee: “The Lidl ad is fun, if a little too knowing. It is interesting to simultaneously play to all the tropes of Christmas advertising while also peaking behind the curtain of Christmas marketing for the more cynical among us.
“We of course, have not seen the last of the Lidl Christmas Bear or Christmas character as they refer to it.”
Dan Plant: “Well, this can hardly be accused of forgetting to put the brand front and centre! Pretty much every frame has the Lidl bear proudly bearing the brand’s logo.
“It’s a cute story, although I’m not sure it does much to reinforce Lidl’s Christmas credentials as there is little focus on the Christmas food that Lidl actually do really well.”
Amazon: Joy is made
Views: 1 million
Likes: 81,100
Sophie Bell: “I really liked the different take on the magic of Christmas. I appreciated the focus on storytelling over pushing the brand but it felt a little long and the connection to Amazon could have been more prominent.”
Owen Lee: “Amazon has the feeling of a classic Christmas ad. It’s heart-warming, it’s about giving and there is a good deal of sentiment in it. It’s sweet, but I found the full-length version a little bit of a long climb for a short slide.”
Dan Plant: “It’s a cute (if a little obvious) story, that follows the now standard formula of tugging on the heartstrings.
“It is also clearly an international ad, and as such I think has fallen into an ‘uncanny valley’: only sort of looks like the Christmas we know. I feel like it might struggle to resonate with UK audiences. The Amazon brand is also not mentioned until halfway through.”
M&S Clothing: Gifts that Give
Views: 59,000
Likes: 771
Philipp Sens: “Solid work, and I think there’s a nice connection with the charity throughout the ad. But as many others, it leaves me quite cold—a bit freezing actually.”
Dan Plant: “A fun celebration of the community feeling of Christmas, but I found it a little confusing.
“It only makes sense when you read the line in the final 2 seconds that says, ‘M&S, supporting local communities in association with Neighbourly’, which could be quite easy to miss.
“Again, the sentiment is a good one and the execution is suitably joyful, but the brand name could be missed this ad.”
M&S Food
Views: 548,000
Likes: 1,400
Sophie Bell: “French and Saunders are always entertaining but the narrative driver of ‘I need to find me a little friend’ feels a little forced compared to last year’s drop of the wand and the arrival of a much loved Percy Pig character.”
Philipp Sens: “The ad started off so well with Duckie, but then it quickly turned into a series of product ads. Such a shame!”
And the winner is…
Our panel’s favourite Christmas ad is:
Philipp Sens: Lidl
“I was looking for the ones that would best get across the essence of Christmas. To me, that is the feeling of belonging and leaving the harsh reality aside for a few hours.
“All in all, Lidl is my very personal winner—gotta love the Lidl Bear!”
Dan Plant: Asda
“It is a truly entertaining piece of content in its own right that people will spend time actively watching even if just to spot the digital editing seams.
“Most importantly, it showcases the entire Asda offering, with strong visual brand cues throughout, making the store the co-star of the ad.”
Jimmy Blom: Asda
“If I had to choose, it would come down to John Lewis and Asda, with Elf just taking the lead—but only because Will Ferrell is amazing.”
Nicky Bullard: Asda
“Some brands didn’t read the vibe of the nation correctly – loads of food and long lists. Asda is my favouite – it’s taken a Christmas classic that everyone loves, repurposing it and bringing a smile to all our faces.”
Sophie Bell: John Lewis
“John Lewis is my ultimate winner largely because the emotion is underpinned by a meaningful cause.”
Owen Lee: Err…none of them
“I don’t think we have a vintage crop of Christmas ads from the retailers this year and in fact The National Lottery ad captures the magic of Christmas more than all of them.
“It’s a beautifully observed human story that is brilliantly cast and wonderfully shot. Perhaps the retailers are trying a little to hard.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
