It’s that time of year!
It’s that time of year again where we start getting ready for the ultimate festive season. Now, it wouldn’t quite be Christmas without the return of the festive adverts, would it? Christmas adverts are a great way for retailers like Asda, M&S, Aldi, Tesco and Morrisons (amongst others) to show off their tasty range of food. Some supermarkets bring back characters from their previous adverts (‘Kevin the Carrot’ and ‘Fairy’) whilst others bring new faces/voices (Michael Bublé and Ryan Reynolds). So in no particular order, here are a few of the most popular ads from this year. Let’s dig into part 1?
ASDA | Make this Christmas Incredibublé ✨
We start with Asda’s ‘Make this Christmas Incredibublé’. If you hadn’t yet guessed by the title, this one features Canadian singer, Michael Bublé. Shot by the Oscar-winning filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi, Bublé plays a ‘Chief Quality Officer’ who is responsible for making sure everything is perfect this Christmas.
When speaking about his involvement, Bublé said: “I love my relationship with the UK, and I’m the biggest fan of Christmas, so it was an honour to be asked to star in Asda’s Christmas advert this year. Adopting the role of Chief Quality Officer, I took my responsibility very seriously, ensuring all product met the highest possible standards – naturally ensuring I had the joy of personally sampling them all. I believe Christmas is a time like no other, there’s a special feeling in the air, a little more magic to be found, and even more excuses to put on a show with great tasting food.”
If you’re a fan of Bublé, chances are you’ll probably love this ad. However, if you’re not, you may not like this one…you decide!
Aldi | Kevin and the Christmas Factory
Aldi’s ‘Kevin the Carrot‘ is back. This time, William Conker joins him, whisking Kevin through a spectacular Christmas wonderland. Sharing similarities with Roald Dahl, oompa-loompas are now little plums and spoilt Violet is a gum-chewing rhubarb. Oh and the epic chocolate river is a delicious gravy one, yum! With a tongue in cheek script (“I can see his plum crack” and “that’s huge, Willy!”) narrated by the great Jim Broadbent, the video has a warm and friendly tone with a clear and thought out storyline. This one gets my vote, go Kevin!
John Lewis | Snapper: the perfect tree
Notorious for being the kings of the Christmas adverts, this year’s John Lewis Christmas advert feels a bit flat compared to their usual tearjerkers. Released on 9th November 2023, the video tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a young boy, Alfie and his Venus flytrap, Snapper.
You may recognise the operatic voice in the advert; Andrea Bocelli, sings an original song (written for the ad) called “Festa”(party or celebration in Italian). Speaking about his participation, Bocelli says: “I am delighted to take part in this wonderful and unique tradition of Christmas storytelling. It is very special for me given the great support this will bring to both the John Lewis and Andrea Bocelli foundations. Joy to all of your worlds this Christmas!”
Despite this, YouTube commenters are largely disappointed, and I’m inclined to agree. Some viewers said: “Is this the actual real Christmas ad? What a departure from the previous years! This is awful.” and “Wow, absolutely the worst ad they’ve ever done. Sack the agency responsible!” Ouch…Although the overall advert seems a bit random, you can’t ignore how great the special effects/CGI are. Check out the John Lewis website to discover the BTS of their Christmas advert. For those of you who loved it, why not treat yourself this Christmas? For £18 you can buy your child (or yourself, no judgment!) a Snapper character plush toy.
M&S | Christmas Food 2023 advert
Dawn French returns as ‘Fairy,’ this time teaming up with two new famous voices for this year’s advert. Wrexham FC superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, play a festive pair of reindeer mittens called ‘Left’ and ‘Right’. Speaking about his feature, Ryan Reynolds says: “Our partnership with M&S Food is important to Rob and I, due to its established history with Wrexham and its commitment to supporting the local community. The connection we have to the club and its supporters is something we’re deeply proud of. It’s essential we partner with a brand who understands the broader goals for the community.”
Dawn French adds: “I’m so excited to be returning to my role as the Fairy this Christmas, and what a treat to bring to life some new friends, the lovable lost mittens ‘Left’ and ‘Right’! It was a delight introducing them to the joys of a British Christmas and a traditional fabulous festive feast.” After showing all the mouth-watering food, the advert ends with a festive variation to their slogan “this is not just food, this is M&S Christmas food.” What did you think?
Morrisons | Nothing’s gonna stop us now
Now, it’s not just about food when it comes to Christmas. Oven gloves (yes, you read that right) are important too. In fact, this year, Morrisons have dedicated their whole advert around them. In this 60 second ad by agency Leo Burnett, oven gloves come alive and sing the power ballad; Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship’s. I mean, what a song choice!
Mark Elwood (Leo Burnett UK) said: “The humble oven glove is at the heart of every Christmas across the UK. Everyone has a pair in their kitchen drawer or hung up on the oven, whether they’re a fresh new set or the ones that got scorched while making Christmas dinner in 1993. Our singing oven gloves are there to support hosts up and down the nation whilst making their Christmas dinner special. Bringing a little festive joy to the nation with an 80s banger that everyone can sing along too”. #GloveOke anyone?
Which one has your vote from part 1?
So, now that you’d seen a few of this year’s contenders, which one takes your vote so far? Don’t have a winner yet? Stay tuned for a part 2 coming soon…
