by Now is the perfect time to count down the best Christmas commercials of all time. With only a few days until Christmas, most of us are feeling extra relaxed, festive and ready for our favorite traditions. Christmas ads play a bigger role in our understanding of Christmas than you might think. No matter how much you care about the commercial side of Christmas, past Christmas ads have infiltrated our collective consciousness and may indeed sound pretty nostalgic (that Mistletoe Yellow Pages ad for a start).
There are also some excellent examples of Christmas advertising, from Doc Morris’ beautiful advertisement to John Lewis’ artistic fantasy. In this guide, we look at the 10 best Christmas commercials ever, from the simple but enduring Hershey’s Kisses Christmas Bells to the 2014 cinematic depiction of Sainsbury’s 1914 Christmas truce. Do you have a taste for advertisements? Here are our favorite print ads ever. And if you’re into Christmas shopping, you should take a look at our advice on what NOT to be a graphic designer for Christmas.
The best Christmas ads of all time
01. Christmas Bells – Hershey’s Kisses (1989)
Ogilvy’s Christmas Bells ad for Hershey’s Kisses has been on the air for thirty years (opens in new tab) it held up very well thanks to the sheer simplicity of the idea. The ad shows Christmas colored foil-wrapped chocolates playing the We Wish You a Merry Christmas tune, thereby capitalizing on the chocolate brand’s popularity as a stocking stuffer in the US.
In 2012 the ad was updated with CGI animation and a new soundtrack, and even last year it proved to be perfectly adaptable to social media, with the brand giving the public the chance to ‘ring the bells’ and record their own tunes. Share the results on Instagram Stories using different sound effects, from rattles to DJ horns. Festive fun for everyone!
02. Mistletoe from the Yellow Pages (1992)
Could this really have happened 27 years ago? This is AMVBBDO (opens in new tab)– The created icon of 1990s advertising gives a brief but sweet dose of yuletide nostalgia and leaves such a lasting impression that then six-year-old child actor Dean Cooke plays the kid who reaches for the phone book to make it. He kisses a girl under the mistletoe, says he is still recognized on the street. A piece that felt warm and nostalgic at the time feels even more so now that phone books feel like a mysterious relic from the Dark Ages.
03. Holiday is coming – Coca-Cola (1995)
Some think that Coca-cola invented the Christmas ad or even the Christmas ad, and while we won’t go that far, it was one of the first brands whose adverts became an event that is considered a greater herald of the festive season. than roasting chestnuts in every street shop or playing Slade.
The brand already had a shape – check out the 1971 Christmas version of the famous overhead song. (opens in new tab) – but it was the arrival of trucks that truly sanctified his relationship with Christmas in this 1995 ad for WB Döner, creating a motif that he could enjoy forever, even bringing trucks to city centers to the delight of Christmas shoppers.
04. It’s not just – Marks and Spencer (2006)
Unlike the tears that came a decade later, there is no deep and valuable message here. Showing seductive slow-motion close-ups of festive food with a voiceover that appears to be intended to produce ASMR before it becomes a thing, the ad revels in the pure hedonistic pleasure of luxury Christmas dinners and unashamedly embarrassingly important elements of the most festive season.
Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R (opens in new tab) With its iconic slogan ‘This is not just…’, the campaign pioneered the concept of food porn long before the Instagram era, and has made enough of an impression in the collective memory to serve as a jocular revival this year. (opens in new tab).
05. Extraordinary Christmas – Irn Bru (2007)
You have to be careful when dealing with a treasure trove of much-loved Christmas traditions, such as Raymond Brigg’s magical classic The Snowman, but The Leith Agency (opens in new tab)‘s brash overhaul of Scotland’s best-selling soft drink just hits the tone.
Enraged when the little boy doesn’t share his Irn Bru with him, the snowman steals the box and leaves the boy’s hand in a piece complete with local references, the duo fly over landmarks like the Falkirk Wheel. Forth Bridge and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. Like an expertly dosed mulled wine, just the right amount of respectful and disrespectful.
06. Hand Color Reserve – Freixenet (2008)
Viewers outside Spain may not be familiar with Friexenet’s ads – the 158-year-old cava brand made its UK TV commercials this year (opens in new tab) – but throughout the Bay of Biscay, Christmas advertisements have been highly anticipated annual events since 1977.
This is the 2008 JWT (opens in new tab)Directed by British music video director Howard Greenhalgh, the commercial celebrates its success in winning a medal at the Beijing Olympics with Spain’s synchronized swimming team, replacing international celebrities (demi Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Pierce Brosnan and Penelope Cruz had starred in commercials in previous years) . the pleasure of a sparkling drink with something fresh, festive and unmistakably Spanish-feeling.
07. The Long Wait – John Lewis (2011)
It may seem like a Christmas tradition that goes back to stockings, crackers, and ridiculous sweaters, but John Lewis only aired his first Christmas commercial in 2007. It aims to produce as many tears as It’s a Wonderful Life. They do this with exciting emotional expressions backed by slowed-down cover versions of well-known songs, breaking records for Christmas ad budgets in the process.
This 2014 ad by Adam&Eve DDB (opens in new tab) It begins with a young boy looking forward to Christmas. Reinforced by the lyrics of Slow Moving Millie’s cover of Please Please Please, Let Me Get What I Want What I Want by The Smiths, we imagine she’s desperate for her presents, but on Christmas morning she ignores her own gifts and ends up delivering a present to her boyfriend. running for it. Sleeping parents focus on giving rather than receiving, with the motto ‘For Gifts You Can’t Wait To Give’.
08. 1914, Sainsbury’s (2014)
The mid-2010s saw Sainsbury go head-to-head with John Lewis in his struggle to create the most emotional Christmas joke, and it was one of the most epic. The simple narrative, inspired by true events that took place 100 years ago, tells the well-known story of Christmas Day 1914, when nearly 100,000 warriors lay down arms to socialize and play football on the Western Front.
This ad by AMV BBDO in collaboration with The Royal British Legion (opens in new tab) it did more than advertise a supermarket, and the profits from the sale of a chocolate bar went to charity that supports members of the armed forces and veterans and their families.
09. Special Because – Boots (2014)
Street pharmacy and retailer Boots also joined the fray in 2014, turning the usual festive meal from Mother into a more soulful offering. (opens in new tab) Celebrating the work of the UK’s National Health Service staff. A mother, after a long Christmas day shift at the hospital, is surprised by her family in an ad that features realistic, unassuming, perhaps even bleak attention to detail and good direction, that makes it immediately relatable to most of her audience. These details make it feel traditional yet modern at the same time.
10. English for Beginners – Allegro (2016)
Christmas can be a lonely time, especially for older folks, and it can also be a flurry of commercials trying to make the subject stand out. John Lewis took the job with Man in the Moon last year, and in Germany supermarket Edeka took a tougher approach with the somewhat guilt-inducing Heimkommen. (opens in new tab) (Homecoming).
Polish e-commerce platform Allegro tackled the issue with winning humor at Bardzo’s. (opens in new tab) The story of an old man who teaches himself English so that he can communicate with his grandson, whom he will meet for the first time when he visits his son in London for Christmas. Although the brand is little known outside of Poland, its universal sense of humor and the reality of families living across borders have made the brand a social media hit in many countries.
11. Miracle Ham – Aldi, Australia (2019)
Another favorite has to be Aldi Australia’s The Miracle Ham from BMF. We love our take on Christmas from the southern hemisphere, and the idea of a never-ending magic ham that brings people together offers some welcome light relaxation. There’s no snow, reindeer, or Santa Claus, but while there’s a fun message about the community, we can definitely relate to the lady driving to throw Christmas dinner off a cliff.
12. IKEA – Silence the Critics (2019)
IKEA’s first Christmas ad was a seriously refreshing change from the usual pathetic festivity of recent Christmas commercial efforts. With a humorous hip hop soundtrack, Silence The Critics follows a tired couple who are fed up with their shabby home. In the face of upcoming Christmas visitors, they have to head to IKEA to get the place settled.
“This place is not blessed, this place is a mess (disgusting)” the rap continues as the couple tidy up. We especially love the part where the T-Rex gets crammed into his toy chest and starts dealing more devastating blows, taunting everything from outdated furniture and cracked walls to lack of space.
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