Last year, I liked the John Lewis Christmas ad. The carnivorous plant concept was definitely different, and once I’d realised what the hell was going on, it really grew on me.
But what do I know?
Last year’s outstanding festive advertising (according to effectiveness measurement firms System1 and Kantar) was delivered by Aldi, scoring a maximum of 5.9 against whatever criteria they judge these things by.
When we reviewed the Aldi ad in 2023, this is what we said:
“So Kevin the Carrot is back, this year in a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-inspired spectacular.
Hmmm. Instead of Willy Wonker, it’s Willy Conker who presents his cheesy key to Kevin.
In response Kevin exclaims, “that’s huge Willy”.
Is it just me?
Or did the writer win a bet?”
According to the experts, that was the best of the bunch.
Just goes to show that a little bit of filth goes a long way. Even at Christmas.
Have we moved on?
So what have Aldi, John Lewis and the rest of them got to offer this year?
Aldi
So Kevin the Carrot is back, this year in a Mission Impossible-inspired spectacular.
Hmmm.
Slightly more wholesome this year, just bottoms and boobs references for the schoolboys amongst us.
Snurk, Snurk.
It’ll probably win an Oscar.
Asda
Speaking of boobs, Asda have finally moved on from a reliance on celebrity Christmas legends. From last year’s Bublé-fest to… Gnomes.
According to vice-president of marketing Adam Zavalis, with this campaign Asda are hoping to have created something that’s in his words, “distinctly ours”.
The Gnome of Christmas.
Gnomes?
I mean as an ad, it’s fine, the jokes are seasonally bad – and that’s fine too.
But it lacks heart.
And can they really ‘own’ gnomes?
M&S Food
Dawn French in both fairy and human form.
It’s a party, everyone’s dancing to Elton John’s ‘Step into Christmas’.
Lots of pork pies.
Maybe I’m over analysing, but Dawn French doesn’t know any of the guests and hasn’t put any effort into making the party happen.
Is that really the spirit of Christmas??
Do we care?
Sainsbury’s
OK, this year, Sainsbury’s have gone from Rick Astley, to… the BFG.
Want to go big this Christmas?
It’s nice, if fairly one-dimensional.
It’s a bit of a stroke of luck that the featured Sainsbury’s staff-member is called Sophie.
I’m a bit non-plussed, but it’ll probably score well.
Lidl
Watch the standard-length version of Lidl’s ‘A Magical Christmas’ and you might be left feeling a bit flat; there’s just not enough time for the story to unfold properly. This is the version I saw first and was hugely underwhelmed.
But when I caught the full-length version at 3 minutes and 51 seconds, I cried a bit.
Maybe it’s just me.
But there’s a lovely narrative here, and it’s what Christmas is all about.
Apart from the giant gingerbread man.
Morrisons
Speaking of underwhelmed.
So the singing oven gloves are back. This year it’s a number from Bugsy Malone.
It’s like the Muppets meets Homesense.
Again.
Pretty much the same response as last year.
It’s a bit of fun, does a job.
At least there’s some people in it this year.
It doesn’t offend me and it will play a part in the general ambience of the festive season.
But it doesn’t do much to persuade me to shop at Morrisons this Christmas.
Waitrose
Well this is different.
Matthew Macfayden solving a Christmas food crime mystery.
And it’s a 2-parter.
As you’d expect, it features all the posh Christmas fayre Waitrose has to offer, but it doesn’t just wash over you in a stream of over-indulgence.
It draws you in.
You’ve actually got to watch it.
I find myself actually looking forward to part 2.
The jury’s out until then.
Greggs
Unexpected.
Nigella.
‘Nuff said.
Amazon
I’ve really enjoyed the Amazon Christmas ads recently.
Just like last year, this one is beautifully simple.
People doing something nice for someone else.
No sign of excess.
With a soundtrack penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
What the world needs now.
Considering the state of things – in my book, this is spot on for the times we live in.
Good work.
Boots
Santa meets Bridgerton.
Spectacular, but there’s just too much going on.
It features a ton of products, but I don’t see them because I don’t know where to look.
It sparkles but lacks depth.
Argos
Don’t get me started. Those dolls freak me out.
M&S
Doom and gloom.
Snow globe.
I believe in miracles.
Dancers.
Sparkly outfits.
Revolving house.
Cheer up.
Meh.
Tesco
Yeah, this is nice.
The full three-minute version is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and fully acknowledges that Christmas isn’t just about unadulterated joy.
Plus it has a bit of grit to it. Feels real.
I must admit the gingerbread theme got a bit weird early on, but once the metaphor became clear, I was all-in.
Good work, and for me, the best of the big 4 supermarkets.
John Lewis
OK, and now for the main attraction. We couldn’t publish this blog until we’d seen this year’s John Lewis offering. But was it worth the wait?
On balance, yes.
With Richard Ashcroft’s beautiful ‘Sonnet’ adding pathos to the narrative, ‘The Gifting Hour’ follows the story of a young woman who has left it a bit late to buy a present for her sister. In a fantasy sequence, we follow the joys and heartaches of their relationship throughout their shared lives… until she finds the perfect gift – the idea being that the secret of shopping for someone we love lies within our hearts.
And they’ve done it without being sickly sweet.
It’s heartwarming. It makes us think about our close relationships. It reminds us to be thoughtful.
Perfect for Christmas.
So well done Saatchi & Saatchi (and John Lewis of course). Good job.
A final word
So for me, the long-anticipated John Lewis ad is top of the shop this year.
It remains to be seen whether it lives as long on our memories as Moz the Monster, Edgar the Dragon, or Man on the Moon – but it does feel that they have the balance right. Christmas is a time when we all want to feel hopeful and happy, joyful and content. It captures all these emotions but doesn’t get carried away with them – adding a dose of reality and recognising that relationships are complicated, life isn’t perfect and Christmas can be a stressful time too.
That said, may I refer you to my earlier statement?
“What do I know?”
Why do we need depth and meaning when there’s bums and boob jokes on offer?
Maybe Aldi know what people really want.
<Sighs>
Merry Christmas everybody.
