Festive Shops And Helicopter Drops: 5 Xmas Ads You Should Watch Right Now

Every week, Unruly searches far and wide for the branded content making the biggest impression across the social web. This week, there’s only one topic of discussion: Christmas!

With more and more brands unveiling the highly-anticipated festive campaigns, the race is heating up for the season’s big winner. Could it be Sainsbury’s with a family-friendly musical? Or M&S with its action-packed look into the inner workings of the Claus family.

Or Waitrose with their own take on Planet Earth? Or even Tesco’s rather more sceptical view on the holiday season?

Let’s get into it.

5. Waitrose – #HomeForChristmas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtKYdG9r0Pk

With David Attenborough’s Planet Earth recently returning to our screens, it seems only right that the animal world should get their moment in the Christmas limelight. While Buster may have pets all sewn up, ‘#HomeForChristmas’ is a touch wilder, following a robin as it travels across land and sea, through wind and snow, in pursuit of a Christmas pie. We’ve all been there, right?

4. Lidl – Christmas Turkey

Obviously, you can’t talk about Christmas without mentioning Christmas dinner. Lidl’s spot begins from this point, showcasing a tweet from a customer asking whether their birds are battery-farmed. The ad finds this customer taken on a tour of Lidl’s turkey farm to discover – surprise, surprise – that it’s a veritable turkey paradise. Reassured that her Christmas dinner is being raised in the lap of luxury, she sits down to eat with a clear conscience.

3. Tesco – Bring It On

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37BWlK4VHRo

While most festive spots revel in the all-out positivity of the Christmas season, occasionally one comes along to remind us of those niggling annoyances we all feel. Featuring their regular shopping family, ‘Bring It On’ shows the inner monologue of a mum as it slowly dawns on her quite how much there is to prepare in time for the big day. It’s not all negativity though, as Ben Miller appears to remind her of Christmas’ simple pleasures. On a separate note, Tesco’s is one of two ads on this week’s list to feature a twerking reference!

2. Sainsbury’s – The Greatest Gift

Sainsbury’s has absolutely given it their all with ‘The Greatest Gift’. A musical extravaganza, this stop-motion ad tells the story of a busy father and husband who wishes for the perfect present for his family. Voiced by James Corden, with music and lyrics by the Flight of the Conchords’ Bret MacKenzie, no expense has been spared to make ‘The Greatest Gift’ a truly memorable example of the genre.

1. Marks & Spencer – Mrs Claus

Among the more ambitious spots of this season, Marks & Spencer’s superb campaign shines a light on an unsung hero of gift-giving: Mrs Claus. The big-budget ad shows how Santa’s better half spends her day while her husband is away on his annual duties. With our lead deciding to intervene and help a young boy in desperate need of a present, the spot’s charming tone steers clear of what we were secretly hoping for: a twisted ‘45 Years’-style tale of lies and deception in the Claus household. Oh well.