hristmas is a heightened and intense time for the ad industry. For one, they need to work hard to drive people to spend the lion's share of their Yuletide cash on their clients' brands. On top of that, the media nowadays pays special attention to each new commercial, reviewing and assessing them as if they were mini-movies—which, in many ways, they are.
We at Creative Boom are no exception. For five years now, we've been reviewing the best Christmas ads and helping set them into context for you, the reader, both in terms of how they were created and the social and economic environment they existed in.
Starting with the pandemic-altered festivities of 2020 we then progressed to the cautious optimism of 2021, and the careful navigation of economic challenges in 2022. Then last year in 2023, we saw a shift towards comforting escapism.
In short, Christmas advertising has reflected our collective journey through unprecedented times. And the journey continues as 2024's festive campaigns begin to unfold.
Of course, you'll be aware that most seasonal ads haven't been released yet. So, we'll be updating this article regularly with new campaigns as they launch, building up to a comprehensive showcase of this year's festive creativity. Once all the major retailers have revealed their Christmas spots, we'll bring you expert industry analysis to unpack the themes, techniques, and cultural significance of this year's advertising landscape.
So bookmark this page and check back regularly as we document another year of Christmas advertising magic.
Argos: Rockstar
While other brands try to make Christmas ads that ape big-budget movies and pull on the heartstrings, Argos wisely sticks to its lane and focuses on the prime task of helping people find presents their loved ones actually want. In recent years, it's done so via its brand mascots, Connie the doll and Trevor the dinosaur, a decidedly British take on children's playthings coming to life—a little less Toy Story, a little more EastEnders.
That doesn't mean there isn't some star power behind the scenes, though. This year's ad is directed by Golden Globe winner Michael Gracey, best known for directing The Greatest Showman. The narrative features Trevor living out his rockstar fantasy, performing T-Rex's 20th Century Boy (renamed 'toy') atop a mountain of Marshall speakers and a roaring crowd. He then awakes in his front room, where Connie gives him his Christmas present: a Bluetooth speaker shaped like a Marshall.
Brought to life through collaboration between T&P agency, ETC animation, and music producer David Kosten, it's got a great, fist-pumping soundtrack and hits all the right notes, both aurally and visually. Ultimately, this ad is not going to change the world or even be remembered past January. But it does do a good job of showcasing the retailer's range of Christmas gifts, and ultimately, that's what ads are for, right?
Sainsbury's: BIG Christmas
With audiences so fragmented these days, how do you make a splash that grabs everyone's attention? For example, two big brands used the brilliant Hannah Waddingham last year, but if you've never watched Ted Lasso or Game of Thrones, the star power may have been entirely lost on you.
This year, Sainsbury's has decided to solve the problem by basing its ad around a children's character everyone has heard of—the Big Friendly Giant from Roald Dahl's classic tale—and teaming him with a Sainsbury's colleague named Sophie in a magical culinary adventure.
The 60-second ad opens with the BFG's infamous snozzcumber before following the unlikely pair as they discover delicious festive foods from Sainsbury's Taste the Difference range. With the BFG seeking to make Christmas more "phizz-whizzing", they explore Sainsbury's trusted suppliers, gathering fresh produce including salmon, Brussels sprouts, and Stilton cheese. It all culminated in a feast laid out in the BFG's dream cave.
Directed by Sam Brown and featuring Stephen Fry's narration alongside a bespoke soundtrack recorded at Abbey Road with a 54-piece orchestra, the campaign extends across multiple channels, including TV, cinema, social media, and digital platforms. The ad reinforces Sainsbury's commitment to 'Good Food for all of us' while partnering with Comic Relief to distribute over five million meals to families experiencing food poverty this Christmas through their Nourish the Nation programme.
ASDA: The Gnome of Christmas
If you want to give people an instant feelgood feeling, choosing a kick-ass song will usually get you most of the way there. And that's exactly what Asda has proved with its 2024 Christmas ad. It's a big budget epic in which the garden gnomes sold by the store come to life, set to the theme tune to 80s action show The A-Team. And this cheesy but evocative score works with the frenzied animation in a way that effortlessly hits home with the viewer.
For its makers, of course, it wasn't effortless at all. Produced by Havas London and directed by Bryan Buckley, the ad took seven months to create and is built from 3,000 hours of animated footage.
The 90-second story follows two Asda employees worried about preparing their store during a snowstorm. They activate a signal that summons gnomes from across the country who help transform the store for Christmas. The ad introduces five main gnome characters: Max the adventurer, Gnicky the drag artist, Gnibbles the chef, Gnarla the surfer, and Gnorma the party planner.
It's not just an ad for the store, but also for the gnomes themselves, which have been a huge hit; selling over 100,000 in the past four Christmas periods. The campaign will appear across multiple channels including TV, social media and in-store displays.
Amazon: Midnight Opus
By now, most right-minded people realise that Amazon is a ruthless, monopolistic, money-making machine. So how do you translate that into a happy, cuddly Christmas message?
Well, in recent years, their ads have run with the idea that because Amazon is so convenient, it allows people to do good and help each other. For instance in last year's Yuletide spot, Joy is Shared, three frail elderly ladies sat on a bench at the top of a snowy hill, and one used her phone to order the other a seat cushion on Amazon.
This year, they've upped the ante with a film titled Midnight Opus, which the company describes as "capturing the spirit of workplace camaraderie and the joy of supporting others' dreams". The 90-second ad tells the story of a theatre janitor whose hidden singing talent is discovered by his colleagues. After overhearing his remarkable voice during his night shift, his coworkers arrange a surprise, transforming their theatre into a performance space and using Amazon to deliver a black tuxedo jacket for his moment in the spotlight.
It's soundtracked to the 1965 Bacharach-David classic What the World Needs Now, which the janitor performs in the culminating scene. Produced by Amazon's internal creative team and production company Hungry Man, the ad will run across multiple European countries through December, with a later launch in North America on 18 November. It will be shown across broadcast TV, video-on-demand, online video, cinema and social channels.
According to Amazon, the campaign aims to "celebrate everyday acts of thoughtfulness and their power to create meaningful moments". Yes, the company may be vigorously opposing attempts by its low-paid workers to unionise right now. But never mind that: look at the happy, smiling people.
Aldi: Kevin the Carrot's Christmas mission
Aldi's Kevin the Carrot is now on his ninth Christmas advertisement, so is he wearing thin yet? For our money, the answer is no, for three reasons.
Firstly, the character is wonderfully simple and appeals to everyone's inner child: who wouldn't like a talking carrot who just wants everyone to be happy? Secondly, the mere sound of Jim Broadbent's voice is enough to send most of us into paroxysms of nostalgia. And thirdly, because the production values on this year's animated epic are off the charts.
The story follows Kevin on a special mission from Santa to rescue the 'Christmas Spirit' from Dr. Humbug and her minions, who have stolen it from a festive village. Alongside his wife Katie, Kevin uses disguises and clever tricks to infiltrate the Humbug Headquarters and restore Christmas cheer.
The campaign, created by McCann, maintains Aldi's tradition of light-hearted entertainment (replete with boob and bum gags the little ones will love) while emphasising their commitment to offering quality food at competitive prices. The advertisement was brought to life through collaboration between McCann, Riff Raff and Psyop.
