It’s that time of year! 🎄
It’s that time of year again where we start getting ready for the ultimate festive season and it wouldn’t quite be the festive season without the return of the Christmas adverts, now would it? Christmas adverts are a great way for household retailers like Asda, M&S, Aldi, Tesco and Morrisons (to name a few) to shine and show off their tasty Christmas range of food. Some faces are back from previous adverts like ‘Kevin the Carrot‘ and ‘Fairy‘, whilst some new famous faces like Michael Bublé (or voices!) make a whole new appearance. In no particular order, here are a few of the most popular entries from this year. Ready? Dig into part 1!🎅🏼
ASDA | Make this Christmas Incredibublé ✨
To kick things off, we start with Asda’s ‘Make this Christmas Incredibublé’ – if you hadn’t yet guessed by the title, this advert features famous Canadian singer, Michael Bublé as the star of the show. 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 for the nation this Christmas time. Here are some words from Mr Bublé himself: “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 – from Black Tiger Tempura Prawns, Truffle and Parmesan Pigs in Blankets to chocolate and Orange Panettone. 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 and if you’re not, you may not like this one…you decide!
Aldi | Kevin and the Christmas Factory🥕
This year, Aldi’s ‘Kevin the Carrot‘ is back. This time he is joined by ‘William Conker‘ who shows Kevin around his wonderful Christmas wonderland. Sharing similarities with Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory‘, the orange oompa-loompas are cute little plums, spoilt Violet is a gum-chewing rhubarb and the epic chocolate river is now 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 English actor, Jim Broadbent, the video has a warm, funny 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 advert world, 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 that features in the advert; it’s Andrea Bocelli, who sings an original song (written specifically for the ad) called “Festa”(party or celebration in Italian). Speaking about his participation in the video, 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!”
On YouTube, the comments are mixed with the majority of users being disappointed with the advert and I have to say, I’m inclined to agree…“Is this the actual real Christmas ad? What a departure from the previous years! This is awful.“,“What is the message of this ad?” 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. Head over to the John Lewis website to see how the advert was made. For those of you who loved the advert, 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 is ‘Fairy’ for another year and this time she is joined by two new famous voices in this year’s advert. Recent Wrexham FC superstars and actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, play a festive pair of reindeer mittens (named ‘Left’ and ‘Right’) whilst the M&S range of yummy Christmas food is displayed around them. Speaking about his involvement in the ad, Wrexham co-chairman, 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 as a whole and is committed to making positive changes.”
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 video ends with the well known slogan (with a slight festive variation) “this is not just food, this is M&S Christmas food.” What did you think?
Morrisons | Nothing’s gonna stop us now
It’s not always all about the food when it comes to Christmas – oven gloves (yes, you read that right) are important too! This year, Morrisons have recognised that fact and have dedicated/ centred their whole advert around them. In this 60 second advert created by agency Leo Burnett, oven gloves from all over the country come alive and start to sing to the Starship’s classic power ballad Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, and the song choice couldn’t have been better! Mark Elwood, ECD at 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…🌟
