It’s that time of year again! The Christmas advert battle has commenced in the traditional form of short films with hopes of pulling on your heartstrings and of course your wallets to spend lots of money.
2016 has not only seen the usual suspects gracing our screens with heartwarming festive adverts but also some new contenders including fashion brands, charities and even pet food. So, in no particular order here’s our top ten ads of 2016:
Alzheimer’s Research UK
This is a beautifully animated story of a girl named Freya who believed that Santa’s elves could find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, which Santa has been fighting over the last few years. It packs a powerful message showing the importance of science and being part of the Alzheimer’s fight with seasonal charm.
Aldi
Aldi pinned all its hopes on Kevin the Carrot and his journey to meet Santa this Christmas. As always with Aldi, it’s very tongue in cheek and well executed. This has been followed up with lots of humorous short adverts, one of which pokes fun at John Lewis. You can watch the full list here.
Marks & Spencers
This one is a little cheesy but M&S actually pull off a great advert. It’s like a full length film piled into 3 minutes with a perfect blend of emotion and humour. It even has a helicopter called R-Dolf! what more could you want?
H&M
A late arrival to the festive adverts is this little beaut, Come Together, which has been directed by American film director Wes Anderson. We are on board the ‘H&M Express’ with Adrien Brody. It’s a sweet little film, worth a watch.
Milka
The time machine is bought to us by chocolate brand Milka. It tells the story of a little boy who just wants to re-live Christmas all over again. To begin with you’re not really sure what is going on but eventually it all comes together nicely.
John Lewis
Probably the most anticipated Christmas advert of the year, let’s face it Christmas can’t begin until this airs. Instead of the emotional tearjerker they usually delight us with John Lewis have gone for humour instead. I don’t think it has had the desired effect for a lot of people but it was a hit with the dog!
Waitrose
This year Waitrose has gone in a different direction giving us a beautifully shot film of a plucky little robins epic journey home. Not only that, but this has been paired with all sorts of merchandise and fun activities for children to enjoy.
Whiskas Temptations
As bizarre as it is to see a Christmas pet food advert, this ad is actually a little gem. Temptations always come up with comical adverts and this sits nicely in the pack.
Sainsbury’s
A lovingly made stop frame animation and an extremely catchy theme tune sung by James Corden. The balance between humour and truth is very well executed. See the behind the scenes here.
Burberry
This is the tale of Thomas Burberry. As to be expected by a high end fashion brand, it’s very glamorous but a long advert and it doesn’t fill us with the warm Christmassy feeling you would like!
