Best Christmas Adverts of All Time
Remember the good old days when your much-anticipated Christmas advert was a 20 second job, sandwiched in between Coronation Street and Strike It Lucky? Now it’s a three minute short film, rammed with A-listers and special effects and sound-tracked with the obligatory acoustic version of a reinvented well-loved rock classic.
And, thanks to the rapid increase in social media video sharing, a campaign’s reach now has the potential to break-through those time-constrictive commercial breaks – enabling viewers access to the advert anytime, anywhere and on multiple devises and platforms.
So, whether you’re overwhelmed by the schmaltzy sentiment, uplifted by the emotive cover tunes or wowed by the stylish choreography or animation, there’s no denying that the battle of the Christmas adverts has begun!
To celebrate the start of the madness, we’ve compiled the six best Christmas adverts of all time! So grab yourself some mulled wine and settle down for a journey through the televisual decades.
- John Lewis – ‘The Long Wait’
In our opinion, this was the one that started it all. Beautifully storyboarded, set in a lovely aspirational home with a heartwarming message – that, ultimately, it’s better to give than receive. A motto that, whilst endearing, will also line John Lewis’ pockets. Well played there JL.
- Marks and Spencer – ‘It’s not just food…’
The seductive soundtrack, the husky voiceover. This advert spawned a multitude of parodies and copy-cat campaigns. Simple, sultry and so successful.
- Coca Cola – ‘Holidays Are Coming’
There’s no flies on Coca-cola. They came up with a great, well-loved, iconic concept and they’ve stuck with it, reinventing it slightly year on year.
- Yellow Pages – ‘Mistletoe’
Good old Yellow Pages, helping young boys everywhere get their first winch under the mistletoe. I’m not quite sure what they’re selling here but we’re buying it! Lovely stuff. In other news, this ad is 24 years old! Pass the sherry!
- Irn Bru – ‘Snowman’
A play on the classic animated short film featuring a precocious young boy and a cheeky snowman as they fly past some of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks.
- Boots – ‘Special Because’
Finally an advert which challenges the traditional (and, let’s face it, outdated) roles of mother-in-the-kitchen! Hankies at the ready because this one is a tearjerker.
