A Show of Appreciation to Some of the Best Christmas ad Campaigns from Over the Years

Dec. 07, 2020

Clever advertising certainly has the ability to get us in the Christmas spirit. Some people don’t feel Christmassy until the Santa themed television commercials kick in or the Christmas based adverts start to appear in their morning newspapers. Every year, the Christmas advertising we’re exposed to is different too.

JD Sports’ festive creation has gone down relatively well this year already, with a star-studded line up featuring the likes of Anthony Joshua and Rita Ora having the desired effect, judging by the reaction online anyway. We’ve been exposed to an array of Christmas classics over the years, though. Everyone tends to look forward to Coca-Cola’s offering at this time of the year, for example, although a number of massive brands have shone in terms of their creative output over the Christmas period.

We aren’t exposed to a Christmas advert from every type of business, though. Gaming brands, for example, can’t tailor their existing online slots licensed in the UK from the best game developers towards a Christmas market, although they do tend to create new Christmas themed games. Putting a Santa’s hat on Gabriel the Warrior or a reindeer sleigh as a mode of transport in Red Dead Redemption just wouldn’t really work, but that doesn’t mean those types of brands can’t tap into the Christmas market still. On the whole, though, it’s usually the big shopping stores, supermarkets and the like that really get creative with their advertising at the most wonderful time of the year.

With that in mind, here’s a look back at some of the best Christmas advertising campaigns from over the years.

Burberry, ‘From London With Love’, 2014

A memorable classic from 2014, Burberry’s ‘From London With Love’ short film featured a loved up couple getting swept away by the spirit of Christmas as they danced through England’s capital city. Featuring Romeo Beckham throughout, which was actually his debut role, the film featured stunning dancing, it was extremely well choreographed and it encapsulated everything that Burberry is about. Its compelling story certainly drew viewers in, as did the catchy soundtrack. Selecting Romeo Beckham was a masterstroke, too.

Coca Cola, ‘White Christmas’, 2014 

As we mentioned above, people look forward to a Christmas themed Coca Cola advert and that’s because of iconic promotions like the ‘White Christmas’ creation from 2014. This particular advert was aimed at the Singaporean market and Coca Cola absolutely smashed it. Created by Ogilvy Asia, the advert perfectly captured the essence of what a white Christmas feels like, especially considering that the people of Singapore aren’t familiar with snow at Christmas given the hot climate in the country. It was purely a branding exercise and it worked beautifully.

John Lewis, ‘Moz the Monster’, 2017 

A recent Christmas advert fresh in the minds of many people, the ‘Moz the Monster’ Christmas advert by John Lewis helped establish the brand as one of the best Christmas marketers around. Focussing on a little boy who hates the dark, that all changes when he meets Moz who keeps him company every night. Not all monsters under the bed are bad, essentially. It was a clever, heartwarming and funny campaign.

Qantas, ‘Feels Like Home’, 2015 

Qantas, an airline, helps you get to your family over Christmas. That was the exact theme for its popular festive advert from 2015, which helped promote the idea of getting the family together over Christmas with the help of Qantas and the service it provides. It was hugely successful across all platforms, from social media to television, and gave the brand a real human feel.