Our top picks of this year’s Christmas ads

Asda 

Agency: Havas London

This year, Asda did something new and used footage of Will Ferrell from the much-loved Christmas film Elf - adding ‘Buddy the elf’ as Asda’s newest festive employee. This ad is a favourite because of its humour and the use of a globally recognised and loved character. The creativity of incorporating existing elf footage into a script that worked for Asda is particularly impressive, too.

You can see how the ad was created here:

Aldi

Agency: McCann UK

Aldi also referenced a well-known Christmas movie, Home Alone, with Kevin the carrot playing Kevin McCallister, the child who was left behind at Christmas. Just like in the movie, Kevin the carrot has intruders at home that he has to stop and his family make it back to him just before Christmas Day. It’s filled with puns, including a “Peasy Jet” plane. The teaser for the ad also contained some amusing references to the World Cup - with food characters like “Marrowdona” and “Macarooney” passing the ball to each other.

John Lewis

Agency: adam&eveDDB

This heartfelt ad shows a man trying to learn skateboarding, but constantly getting injured. What we don’t learn until the end is that the reason for all this hard work is that he’s picking up the skill to have something in common with the child he is about to adopt from foster care. This ad highlights those who will be spending Christmas in care. John Lewis is donating 25% of profits from sales of its Lewis Bear Collection to their Building Happier Futures fund, which supports young people in care.

Disney

Disney released “The Gift” - the final part of its  #Fromourfamilytoyours series, which shows perspectives from a different generation each time. This final part features a new addition to the family. The story is heartwarming and Disney are particularly strong at portraying and conveying emotion in their characters. By the end of the series, Disney will have donated $4 million to their partner, Make-A-Wish.

McDonald’s

Agency: Leo Burnett

The story is about a young boy who writes an extensive Christmas list. He takes it to town with him, but when it blows out of his hands, he is only able to save one square of the list. He is visibly upset, so his parents take him to McDonald’s to cheer him up. It is later revealed that the square he saved contained a drawing of him and his parents - highlighting the importance of family and memories at Christmas, over material things.

What all of these demonstrate is the value of playing on humour and nostalgia, as well as introducing great storytelling to a universally relatable message: at Christmas, love is what matters most. 

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