It’s that time of year again! The E1MA team share their favourite Christmas ads of the year. We all know this has been a year like no other, and this has certainly been reflecting in the team’s picks.
Nick – Joules & The Woodland Trust
Joules’ ad this year is a nice departure from the big budget activity from the supers and high street retailers. Or worse making a fuss about not spending a big budget ‘because 2020’.
Instead, the online retailer has endeavoured to plant a tree in partnership with The Woodland Trust for every item sold on its Christmas list, a similar pledge that we implemented for our ‘Living Thing’ clothing brand.
The video itself is a sweet short story, the character showing that she cares for someone important.
Joey – Coca-Cola
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi , this year’s Coca Cola advert was always set to stand above the rest.
The story follows a Dad on his mission to deliver his daughter’s Christmas letter to Santa Claus. This mission is like a 3 hour movie, fast-tracked into 3 minutes. An advert starting with great depth and adventure leads into the iconic Coca Cola Christmas truck, restoring faith in the magic of Christmas. No cheesy emotional soundtrack, but still managing to pull on heart strings at the end.
This year has demonstrated the importance of friends, family and community. Coca Cola have managed to reflect this, showing that deep down the most important thing we need this Christmas is each other and through thick and thin, nothing can keep us apart.
Bryce – Branston
My favourite advert this Christmas time is Branston’s ‘Hit of Home’. Not your stereotypical Christmas advert but what it symbolises is all the same, There is a very personal feel to the advert which makes it more relatable and endearing than many others.
Its portrayal of a challenging time for the protagonist who is then cheered up at the end with the arrival of a very personal, gift that only someone that knows and cares a lot about you would send, regards a lovely sentiment that a personal touch can mean a lot at Christmas.There’s not a more comforting taste than one that reminds you of home. It reminds me of when I was traveling last year and i’d do anything for one of my parents’ amazing Christmas dinners!
As this festive period we will all be spending it at least slightly more independently than previous years, I feel it’s important that in some way we should all aim for the warm taste of home.
Ben – Disney
Disney were always going to produce a tear-jerker, and I think they’ve nailed it this year. I’ve always found it impressive how xmas ads manage to be so emotionally moving in such a short space of time. At the 3-minute mark, Disney’s is longer than your typical tv ad, presented as a short film.
This year tells the story of Lola and her granddaughter’s Christmas tradition of sharing Disney dolls and making lanterns – a tradition that fades as they both grow older. The granddaughter later realises how much it means to Lola, and makes up for it in a heart-warming fashion.
A Mickey Mouse doll acts as the vehicle for this story, a perfect choice as its iconic and instantly recognisable. The background song is a powerful yet stirring number by Griff, aptly named ‘Love is a Compass’. A creative juggernaut such as Disney always had an advantage over smaller brands, but I still believe this is the standout ad of the year.
Joel – TK Maxx
I like this year’s Christmas advert from TK Maxx because it’s funny. As opposed to trying to pull on the heartstrings with a soppy whitewashed cover of a classic song, it’s simple to the point and made me laugh out loud.
It’s only 30 seconds long and the wobble in the farmer’s voice when he says “she blooming well deserves it” is hilarious to me.
George – Barbour
I’ve gone with the Barbour ad – this ad features Santa reading Christmas lists from kids. Instead of a gift, one child asks for his dad’s Barbour jacket to be repaired and the ad shows Santa trying and failing to repair it before taking it to the Barbour factory to be repaired.
I really like the animation style and it’s nice that they’re advertising mending their jackets rather than buying new ones considering the state of the climate, especially over Christmas which will be a key sales period for them. Plus the message of passing them down through generations is a nice touch too.
