From Tears to Cheer: Our Team's Top Picks for Timeless Christmas Ads

It’s that time of the year again; Christmas is approaching and some of us are feeling more ready for it than others. One thing that arrived early were the Christmas adverts playing on our TV screens at the start of November. Whilst we debated over when the right time to put the tree up is and started playing festive music in the office, we asked our team of marketing enthusiasts and video specialists... 

“What’s your favourite Christmas campaign of all time?” 

From older classics such as CocaCola’s 1995 'The Holidays are Coming’ to Aldi’s 2023 mascot ‘Kevin the Carrot’, the verdicts are in.  

Coca-Cola: The Holidays are Coming! 

Starting with an all-time 90’s classic, Coca-Cola’s ‘Holidays are Coming’ advert had 3 votes from our team as being one of their favourite Christmas campaigns.  

“I do like the Coca-Cola ad, ‘Holidays are Coming’. When I see that I think Christmas is on the way”. - Phil Dean, Managing Director & Founder of Studio Certain. 

“You know it’s Christmas when this comes on the box.” - Chris Djiallis, Senior Account Manager at VideoSmart.  

This festive jingle is one that returns every year, signalling the beginning of the holiday season for many. According to Coca-Cola's research, the ad resonates so much with Brits that 30% will feel nostalgic after watching ‘the twinkling truck gliding through a winter wonderland’.  

John Lewis: The Snowman’s Journey 

It wouldn’t be right to exclude the company that seems to have monopolised the Christmas TV Ad game, John Lewis. 

One of their most iconic tear-jerking stories shows a Snowman’s journey to find the perfect gift for his Snowwoman. He makes his way through snowstorms and wintery obstacles until he’s reunited with her for Christmas.   

The advert has racked up over 4 million views since its release over a decade ago and the story that evokes ‘happy tears’ is named #1 of John Lewis’ Christmas ads by many.  

“I have a soft spot for the old John Lewis Christmas advert, specifically the old snowman one. I just think it’s so cute! The John Lewis adverts are some of my favourites every year.”  - Natasha Wiltshire, Junior Motion Graphics Designer at VideoSmart. 

Sainsbury’s: 1914 

In 2014, Sainsbury’s released this poignant advert to commemorate the 100th year anniversary of the start of World War I. The ad showcased a moment of truce during the war, where soldiers from opposing sides dropped their weapons to share a rendition of ‘Silent Night’, stories of love ones, and even played a game of football on Christmas Day. Sainsbury’s successfully captured just the right amount of sentimentality to warm the nation’s hearts.  

“Thought this was a memorable advert. Right in the feels.” - Chris Djiallis, Senior Account Manager at VideoSmart. 

M&S: Mrs Clause  

Ellen Teale, Senior Designer at Studio Certain, described the 2016 M&S ‘Christmas with Love’ advert as “one that sticks in my mind”.  

Shining the spotlight on Janet McTeer as Mrs Clause instead of Santa Clause, audiences loved the story of this famous actress’ mission to save a little boy’s Christmas.  

Spoiler alert: Mrs Clause makes it back home in time before Santa could suspect a thing, adding humour to the heart-warming message about a boy wishing for his sister to have the present she desired.  

John Lewis: Buster the Boxer 

Tabitha Newbound, Marketing Manager of VideoSmart chose another one of John Lewis’ most-loved Christmas adverts as her favourite. 

This one featured a comedic Boxer dog named ‘Buster’. Buster witnesses the garden wildlife trying out a gifted trampoline on the night of Christmas eve. On Christmas morning, a young girl is thrilled with the present before her eyes in her garden, but Buster runs past her and beats her to be the first one bouncing on the trampoline.  

The campaign was made even better by the responses from dog owners across the nation. One viewer’s Boxer dog even went viral on social media for a video of him jumping in front of the TV screen during the John Lewis advert, and was viewed over 9 million times.  

Heathrow: Retired Bear’s Fly Home for Christmas 

Krissy Georgiou, Customer Success Director at VideoSmart, said “I really loved the Heathrow ad in 2018! It’s about 2 retired bears who are living abroad but fly home for Christmas to be with their loved ones.” 

We watch the bears, Doris and Edward, set out on their journey home whilst encountering several challenges, before finally reuniting with their family at Heathrow arrivals gate. 

If being with loved ones is what Christmas means to you, this one will tug at your heartstrings! 

John Lewis: ‘The Boy and the Piano’ with Elton John  

In another hit Christmas advert by John Lewis, we were given a heartfelt tribute to Elton John’s music career. The advert opens with Elton sitting at his piano playing ‘Your Song’, and each scene takes us back in time to pivotal moments in his career. We watch Elton get younger and younger, from singing in a stadium to a school concert. As the music crescendos, a little boy walks into his living room on Christmas day to find a large piano-shaped present from his family. The message reads, ‘some gifts are more than just a gift’.  

“I’ve always liked the 2018 John Lewis Ad with Elton John. It’s shot really well, and I love the messaging behind it.” - Luke Farquharson, Mid-weight Designer at Studio Certain.  

This campaign was debuted in 2018 but arguably became more relevant this year as Elton John wrapped up his goodbye tour in July, ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’.  

During his last ever tour performance, Elton John thanked his fans; 

“You have no idea what it means to me, your kindness. I've had the most wonderful career," he said. "How lucky am I to play music. But I wouldn't be sitting here and talking to you if it wasn't for you." 

Erste: What would Christmas be without love?  

Account Executive, Afsana Hoque’s all-time favourite Christmas advert is one from the Austrian Bank, Erste Group. 

Defying the stereotypes of the financial sector, Erste Group created an emotional festive advert in 2018, spreading the message of believing in yourself and in the goodness of others.  

We meet Henry the Hedgehog, who is a lonely outsider at school because no one wants to go near his prickly coat. Other woodland creatures avoid sitting next to him on the school bus and he feels deflated after a game of football that goes wrong when his spines end up bursting the ball. Just as we begin to lose hope for him, his classmates give him a genius Christmas gift; polystyrene covers for his spikes.  

The ad went viral, gaining over 38 million views within 2 weeks and bringing in thousands of interactions and comments. This came as a shock to Erste Group’s marketing team, who said “it went so far beyond what we had hoped to achieve”.  

This goes to show that thinking outside the box can end up doing your brand huge favours! 

Sam Teale Productions: The GoKart 

The campaign that sticks out the most to our Account Manager, Esmee Robinson, is last year’s ‘The GoKart’ by Sam Teale Productions.  

They produced an ‘alternative John Lewis Christmas Ad’ amid the cost-of-living crisis in 2022. The advert also hits on themes of grief and the importance of being with your loved ones. 

The campaign tells the story of a widowed father who is trying to make ends meet for his young son during the festive season. We see the father turning off the heating to save money, skipping his meals to give more food to his son, and not being charged for his son’s haircut after the boy tells the barber that ‘Santa is poorly this Christmas’.  

In the latter half of the video, the father decides to make his son a go-kart for Christmas rather than buying a gift, depicting the message, ‘the magic of Christmas is made, not bought’.  

Despite this Christmas campaign being created by a small business, the moving three-minute video clocked up over 40 million views across 120 countries. People appreciated a more realistic take on what Christmas is like for many families who are facing similar challenges.  

One Instagram user commented on the video... 

“I wish all the TV channels would show this to remind people what is truly important. Unfortunately, this will be the reality of Christmas for so many people this year.” 

ASDA: Have your Elf a Merry Christmas 

My personal favourite had to be the advert that included a character we all know and love from one of the most iconic Christmas films of all time, Elf.  

Buddy the Elf took centre stage with the help of extreme editing skills. The original movie footage was used to model him into a digital remake of an Asda supermarket. There for a job interview, he causes mischief by running around the store, singing over the Tannoy, eating too many pigs in blankets and decking out the store with Christmas decorations.  

Although there were mixed reviews that debated whether “the editing is shockingly poor” or the Christmas campaign was “the best one yet”, it was chosen as the nation’s favourite ad of 2022, according to an ITV study.  

Aldi: Kevin and the Christmas Factory  

Motion Graphics Designer, Ollie Holland, chose Aldi’s ‘Kevin the Carrot’ as his favourite Christmas campaign of all time.  

According to System1 and Kantar, Aldi’s ‘Kevin and the Christmas Factory’ has so far been the most effective in 2023. On their eighth year of featuring Kevin the Carrot as the star of their Christmas adverts, Aldi recreated the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  

Earning high marks for creativity, Aldi cleverly incorporated parallels to the 2005 film by crafting a gravy-filled wonderland owned by William Conker, which was explored by characters such as Greedy Gluttonous Grape and Mischievous Kiwi.  

This campaign arrived just ahead of time for the release of the Wonka movie, which may have contributed to its popularity.  

JD Sports: Forever Forward 

JD’s Christmas advert this year has caught the attention of many critics due its unique approach. 

The campaign puts the spotlight on their recognisable yellow duffle bag, which many of us reused as PE bags in secondary school, acting as a symbol of our youth.  

With the help of Central Cee, Kano, and Ella Toone, JD celebrates the youth culture of Britain whilst also marking the 25th anniversary of their duffle bag.   

“I love how they bucked the trend of the “Christmas ad” and went with something much cooler!” 

- Paul Irwin, Creative Director of Studio Certain.  

Conclusion 

After reminiscing about our team’s favourite Christmas adverts from over the years, it seems that there’s no one-size-fits-all approach for creating a great campaign. Whilst some prefer playful and humorous ads to get them in the festive spirit, others prefer tear-jerking tales with a meaningful message. The key is to aim to trigger an emotional response from your audience so that they remember your advert for years to come.