Say Hello 👋

It’s beginning to look a lot like ad-mas. Now that all the brands’ Christmas adverts have landed, and Black Friday is in the rearview mirror, why don’t you settle in for the 2023 instalment of Carys Ranks with Senior Account Manager Carys? Come on, you know you want to. 

Like the rest of the (mainly UK-based) world, I’ve especially been looking forward to this holiday ad season ever since the adam&eveDDB and John Lewis split. Would this change the holiday ad landscape forever? What would Saatchi & Saatchi do to usher in the new generation? Am I even ready for this?

Well, dear reader, a slight spoiler ahead of my full reviews: The answer was no, no, and meh.

Sainsbury’s 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrlx6oXyECA 

A young girl sneaks away from her mother in the grocery store so she can use the intercom to ask the age-old question: what does Santa have for his Christmas dinner? And, of course, everyone has their own opinions. Enter: the name drop of Sainsbury’s entire Christmas food range.

Puns? Check. Vague references to Santa? Check. Product pushing that leaves no room for error of interpretation? Check. Rick Astley? Weirdly….check. But overall, this one lacks heart, humour, and spirit. They would’ve been better off committing to a full Rick focus in my opinion.

1 turkey for making me hungry.

1 / 🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃

Tesco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efQfDORyFxo 

A teenage boy fights the urge to get into the Christmas spirit, despite everyone around him outwardly showcasing their festive auras. By the end though, his dad is able to warm his heart and he *checks notes* turns into a Christmas tree. (We’ll ignore the implied murder plot featuring the neighbour).

I actually think this is a fantastic blend of product, originality, and a heartwarming, fun story. I had a real smile on my face at the end there. Take note, Sainos.

(But absolutely terrifying snowman prosthetics. How bizarre.)

4/🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 🎄 

Boots

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb_WDpevjHg

A mother-daughter duo journey to Lapland to make sure Santa Claus also gets a gift this Christmas. On their trek, they embark on a gifting spree for everyone that helps them along the way.

Boots have really limited themselves with this one, not only by shamelessly declaring that gifting must involve products, but that those products are only things that can be bought at Boots. For other brands (thinking of you, JL) there’s quite a bit of freedom in that statement. But what it means here is that their roadtrip companions end up receiving damage reversal serum, body wash, and, for the big big man himself, a single pair of flight socks – all without even a lick of wrapping paper.

I also have to ask: is this not essentially the exact same advert as the 2021 Mary Poppins bag of presents, sans the magical bag? And did they split the cost of the Santa body double with Sainsbury’s?

1/ 💄 💄 💄 💄 💄 

TK Maxx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg5uScxZWSo 

Jeanne bought all the farm animals stylish designer outfits, even though the family agreed to ‘keep it small’ with the gifts this year. 

It’s the shortest crimbo slot in this list, but what it lacks in storyline it more than makes up for in Welsh accents and adorable CGI animals. It gives you exactly what you want in that short tv advert slot – a smile, a giggle, and a warm fuzzy feeling – all without trying too hard. While it wouldn’t win for most memorable in 5 years time, I think it’s a really solid advert that stands above a few of the others. 

3.5/🦙🦙🦙🦙🦙

Asda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9903IpCC1CA 

Michael Buble joins Asda as the new Christmas Chief Quality Officer, which mainly means that he gets to sample all the Christmas food (the dream).

If I had a nickel for every time Asda capitalised off an existing beloved piece of Christmas media for their advert instead of doing something original I’d have two nickels – which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?

While this year’s advert at least worked a little harder than last year’s Elf ripoff, I’d be lying if I wasn’t analysing Buble’s every movement to detect if he was on set at the same time as the rest of the cast. Regardless, it’s clear that he polished up on his Meisner techniques for the role and surprisingly carries a really strong performance (less of a surprise when I learned they’d tapped Taika Watiti to direct – what kinds of budgets are Asda working with here?). Ultimately though, the concept is just a vehicle (albeit well-produced) that needed a Christmas-adjacent celebrity to prop it up. I assume Mariah was too busy this year.

Whilst it’s clear that Asda are not here to play, I simply can’t give them the top spot. Try something original next year guys, and I’ll consider it.

3/ 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀

Aldi 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCoPv4aedfU 

Kevin the Carrot stars in Aldi-own brand Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

I’ll be quick on this one because I really don’t have too much to say. It took me too long to realise this was a riff on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but in my defence this advert has jam-packed far too much into its 90 sec slot that it was an assault to the senses. It doesn’t matter though, because Kevin the Carrot has a loyal fanbase and Aldi really don’t have to do too much. I do enjoy the metaphor of Aldi-own brand Christmas films though.

The least they could’ve done was incorporate a Kevin x Timmy Chalamet crossover for the girlies.

1/🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕

M&S

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94GslcJcaWU 

Hannah Waddingham, Zawe Ashton, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and Tan France hate certain Christmas traditions – and they ain’t doing them anymore!

Look, I do admire that M&S works hard to not compete with its department store counterpart in the Christmas ad showdown – but ultimately their ads pretty much always fall flat for me. This one, however, falls more than flat. It pretty much skydives into a belly-flop/face-plant-tinsel-covered horror combo. In their attempt to be ‘not like the other Christmas adverts’ they shit on their families’ Christmas traditions – oftentimes right in front of them.  

I think this advert wouldn’t bother me if they focussed on the things people actually do dislike around the holidays. Eating dry turkey at dinner. Sweeping up endless pine needles (despite your tree advertising itself as ‘no needle drop’) and confiscating the baubles from the cat after they scale the tree. Rushing around a packed shopping centre on your one free Saturday afternoon when you’d rather be at the pub. That sort of stuff! 

But instead the advert shits on some of the most important stuff about Christmas: Playing games and bonding with family; Decorating with your kids’ homemade ornaments; Making a school nativity play costume; Wearing silly little crowns at the dinner table. M&S tried to go too cool for school, thinking we’d all follow suit, but actually if we don’t have those fun silly little traditions (especially in a cossie lives, when we all know it’s going to be a tight Christmas for many families) then what’s even left of Christmas? Shopping? Oh, okay.

I don’t mean to get really sentimental in a blog about Christmas adverts, but I really think M&S need to do a little bit more audience insight for next year to find a creative concept that will actually land with the consumer mindset.

(Please note: I do understand and agree with Zawe’s complete obliteration of Elf on the Shelf – that whole craze must be done and dusted before I will consider having kids.)

0/ 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

M&S Food

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzJ2T_oa7q4 

Dawn French dawns (bu dum psh) our screens again, this time with two American mitten sidekicks (played by Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney) to show them the magic of an M&S food Christmas. 

Whilst M&S Food also went equally as big with their celebrity budget this year, my main question is…why? Whilst Dawn French is a British icon, and by now a favoured character in M&S food lore, Reynolds and Mcelhenney are more likely to be recognised by their faces than their voices by majority of the UK public. And by needing to explain the American accents they used up nearly 60 seconds of the 1:20 ad for exposition. Rule number one is show, don’t tell guys! The M&S food range feels like an ever-so-insulting afterthought.

1.5/ 🧤🧤🧤🧤🧤 

John Lewis 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXBoPDcQ_8s 

A young boy purchases a ‘Grow your perfect Christmas tree’ seed pack from a dodgy retailer. What grows, instead, is a massive, blood-thirsty, animated Venus Fly Trap. After he destroys the house and tries to eat the dog they chuck him outside in favour of a traditional Christmas tree. On Christmas morning, the family share their presents with the murderous monster who, for some reason, opens them up; spits them back out; and pukes confetti into the sky.

Here it is, the big one. Did it live up to its predecessors? Did it try something completely new? Did it reinvent the wheel?

No. It didn’t do any of that. The only reason I know this wasn’t made by adam&eveDDB was because it….sucked? 

I was initially excited by the preview, I felt like something magical was coming a la Excitable Edgar. Or at least something heartwarming like The Beginning. But all I got was a weird, slightly sad, mildly terrifying mess. I still haven’t really understood the narrative or larger meaning behind any of it, and to be honest it feels like a creative fell asleep whilst watching Little Shop of Horrors and pitched his resulting lucid dream. It was like a new agency trying to be edgy, but with a client too nervous to deviate too far from the tried and tested formula. The ‘subtle’ product placement didn’t escape my eagle eyes either. 

The shop who sold that poor boy ‘Christmas tree seeds’ should be prosecuted for environmental terrorism.

0 / 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

And drumroll please – the winner of Carys’ favourite 2023 Christmas ad is 🥁 

Lidl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7SpYFZzqlY 

The cutest raccoon in the world saves Christmas when he returns a lost present to the young boy across the street.

I didn’t think a raccoon would have me sobbing this Christmas, but here we are. Two years in a row Lidl have turned around some solid, heartwarming concepts without trying too hard. The journey sequence feels like it’s taken strong inspiration from Paddington, and they’ve even somehow mastered creating the most expressive eyes I’ve ever seen on a CGI animal. They’ve leaned into the sugar this season, but not in a sickly, stomach ache-inducing way. Instead, the message of kindness, love, friendship, and good deeds that make this season special rings so clearly it resonates in my heart with a resounding ring (or jingle).

Go out and hug your neighbourhood raccoon this Christmas.*

Now that you know all of my opinions on this year’s advert round up, go forth and spread Christmas cheer this festive season! Oh, and if you want my expertise on how to run an absolute banger of a Christmas campaign next year then drop us a line at hello@puzzlelondon.com.

*Not a Puzzle endorsed recommendation. Please cuddle wild animals at your own risk

If you want to hear more of Carys’ opinions on social media, advertising, and the digital world then you can add her on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carys-jeffrey/