That’s it! The counter has barely ticked over into November and festive season is already upon us yet again.
In a flurry of activity over the last fortnight, big money efforts from major retailers and brands have all dropped – providing Christmas ad fans with plenty of material to sink their teeth into before November even gets properly underway.
While some have pumped their budgets into recruiting famous faces to front their campaigns (we’re looking at you, Asda, M&S and Sainsburys), others have taken more of a risk. Christmas adverts are, of course, planned months in advance, so it can be a gamble to try and judge the mood of the nation in November when planning the campaign in July.
It’s a fine line to tread and retailers are often nervous of getting it wrong – but if they get it right, the ad can become a major cultural moment…
John Lewis, created by Saatchi & Saatchi
John Lewis’ much-anticipated Christmas ad for 2023 celebrates the joy of new festive traditions with a Venus flytrap taking centre stage as an unconventional Christmas tree.
The ad has already divided opinion as it moves away from the traditional tear-jerker and offers a lighter take on the festive season. The campaign – the first by creative agency Saatchi and Saatchi – captures a new spirit of Christmas inspired by the many different traditions and ways people celebrate the festive season.
Airing for the first time during last Friday’s Gogglebox on Channel 4, the ad takes centre stage as part of John Lewis’ most interactive and shoppable campaign ever.
Aldi, created by McCann
Kevin the Carrot has made a welcome return this festive season as Aldi has launched its much-anticipated Willy Wonka-themed Christmas advert for 2023.
This will be the eighth year that Kevin and gang have starred in Aldi’s festive campaign, which was developed and directed by the discount grocer’s creative partner McCann, following last year’s advert which focused on the festive world cup.
Aldi UK marketing director Jemma Townsend, said: “Christmas is made magical by coming together and sharing the joy of celebration even in tough times – just like Kevin wants to with his Christmas wish.”
McDonald’s, created by Leo Burnett
McDonald’s latest Christmas campaign gives an energetic nod to the brand’s feel good identity, building on the business’s “Raise Your Arches” theme and centring around escaping from the less enjoyable moments of Christmas – first a dull office party followed by an excruciating school nativity play.
The film, created by advertising agency Leo Burnett UK, will be shown ahead of Love Actually 20th anniversary screenings and centres around the simple question “Fancy a McDonalds?”
Directed by Killing Eve director Shannon Murphy, the advertisement features the iconic 80s song ‘Jump’ by Van Halen.
Sainsbury’s, created by New Commercial Arts
Sainsbury’s has kicked-off its festive activities with a spot featuring 80’s popstar Rick Astley and the all-important question: “Hey Sainsbury’s, what does Santa eat for his Christmas dinner?”
The 60-second feel-good advert explores the grocery retailer’s Christmas range, while featuring real Sainsbury’s employee’s playing the role of store colleagues.
Created by newly appointed agency New Commercial Arts, there’s even a cheeky cameo from Santa himself.
Asda, created by Havas London
The rumours are true – Asda has confirmed that Michael Bublé will be the star of its 2023 Christmas show with a new 60-second teaser ad.
Seasonal speculation has been rife, but this video gives fans a sneak peak of the highly-anticipated Christmas campaign, starring the multi-platinum-selling global superstar as the grocer’s latest seasonal recruit.
The 60-second teaser, created by Havas London, has launched on the same day that Argos, M&S and Very have all unveiled their Christmas campaigns, well and truly kicking off the countdown to the festive season.
Amazon, created in-house
Ecommerce giant Amazon is celebrating how joyful festive moments are made even more special when they’re shared in its 2023 Christmas campaign.
Centred around a 60-second ad, ‘Joy Ride’ tells the story of three older women reviving their lifelong friendship by reliving youthful escapades sledging down a snow-covered hill.
Set to The Beatles’ ‘In My Life’, the ad acts as an ode to enduring friendship and features a specially-recorded rendition of the classic song produced by sonic branding agency DLMDD.
Vodafone, created by Ogilvy
Vodafone UK is embracing the power of connection in its festive spot, with an ad featuring a hero elf and a young girl on a mission to catch Santa on camera.
Adjusting to the cultural climate, the #FeeltheConnection advert aimed to lean into ‘customer desire’ and create something that was both “optimistic and light hearted during this festive season“.
Waitrose, created by Saatchi & Saatchi
Waitrose has launched its festive spot for Christmas 2023, championing food and drink as the ‘good stuff’ and featuring British celebrity and television host, Graham Norton.
Created by new creative partners Saatchi & Saatchi, the advert leans into Waitrose’s brand promise of ‘food to feel good about’ as “when the food’s good, everything else is good”.
Boots, created by The Pharm
Boots is encouraging customers to ‘give joy’ this December as it aims to hit consumers right in the feels with its heartwarming 2023 Christmas campaign and charity partnership.
The festive marketing campaign, titled ‘Thank you, Santa’, is centred around a festive TV ad which reminds viewers that there is a present for everyone at the high street retailer.
Created by advertising agency The Pharm, Boots developed the campaign with System One, a platform that measures viewers’ emotional responses to adverts. The results put the finished version within the top 5% of all adverts tested.
M&S Food, created in-house
M&S Food has launched its Christmas 2023 campaign, featuring A-list stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in a six-part mini series to be shown across TV and on social media.
Designed as a festive exploration of the retailer’s new Christmas range, the six-part campaign – with five 30-second spots to follow – spans the entire festive period, with the final creative focusing on the New Years Eve range, and released on 26 December.
M&S clothing and home, created by Mother London
M&S has released its star-studded Christmas clothing and home advert, ‘Love Thismas, Not Thatmas’, which focuses on celebrating the things consumers love – and don’t love – about the festive season.
Featuring a roster of well-known British talent, including Hannah Waddingham, Zawe Ashton, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Tan France, the advert was created by newly-appointed creative agency Mother London.
The 80-second advert includes a cover of Meatloaf’s ‘I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’ and unfolds across the celebrities’ four different homes.
Argos, created by The&Partnership
Argos launched its festive campaign on 1 November, with a 30-second Christmas spot featuring the inimitable duo Connie and Trevor as they dance to disco classic Le Freak by Chic, telling the nation that ‘This Christmas, There’s More To Argos’.
Developed by creative agency The&Partnership, the hero film shows Connie dancing across a table on Christmas eve as she struggles to contain her excitement in anticipation of the big day.
Unfortunately for Connie, Trevor’s directorial debut falls somewhat flat as, tasked with filming the performance, it is revealed that he’s been recording himself by mistake the whole time.
Very, created by The Gate
Online retailer Very is celebrating customers transforming everyday experiences – such as shopping for gifts – into something wonderful.
Developed by The Gate, ‘Let’s Make It Sparkle’ positions the digital retailer and its customers as vibrant, pink flamingos.
Showcased across TV, cinema, video on demand (VOD), out-of-home (OOH), digital and social, the ad is accompanied by a new creative platform, and aims to bring to life the retailer’s revitalised brand strategy; ‘There’s good, and there’s Very good’.
Duracell, created by Wunderman Thompson UK
‘Bunny saves Christmas’ is a new integrated campaign from international agency Wunderman Thompson UK, pitching the Duracell Bunny as a Christmas hero as it saves Santa from a blackout in the battery brand’s first festive campaign in five years.
The battery brand’s anthropomorphic hero makes sure that nothing gets in the way of a magical Christmas, saving Santa’s route from near-disaster by offering a helping hand after the main man himself forgot the importance of having back-up batteries to hand.
The campaign will be led with a hero TV spot, which will also run in 20, 15 and 10-second versions, as well as extending across out-of-home, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and in-store activations.
