It’s nearly Christmas time and that means it’s the time when some of the biggest and most well-known brands go head-to-head in producing their unique takes on a Christmas advert. In this blog we’ll take a look at some of the most popular Christmas adverts and compare them to one another based on their memorability, originality and Christmas cheer.  

John Lewis  

John Lewis’s Christmas ad this year follows a young boy who buys a ‘grow your own Christmas tree’ at a market which turns out to be a magical Venus flytrap. After getting up to a bunch of reckless shenanigans, the flytrap becomes unmanageable and is sent out to the garden and replaced with a regular Christmas tree. In the end, the boy still wants to be with the flytrap on Christmas morning so the whole family ends up bringing out the gifts to the flytrap who swallows them up and spits out the unwrapped presents to the family.  

This very original and strange take on a Christmas advert is a fun spin on a traditional Christmas morning. The advert has an enjoyable story line which is easy to follow with an unexpected twist at the end.  

Memorability 7 
Originality 9 
Christmas cheer 7 

Aldi 

This year Aldi’s Christmas ad is a joyful animated spin on the classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where William Conker (Aldi’s version of Willy Wonka) lets in five lucky winners into his factory but instead of a chocolate factory, this is one where all the ingredients of a Christmas meal are kept inside, like a river of gravy.  

This whimsical and festive take on a classic is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. The mince pies, turkey and other Christmas food being showcased throughout the advert really get you excited for this time of year and the celebrations that are to come.  

Memorability 7 
Originality 5 
Christmas cheer 8 

Asda  

This advert features a famous singer who is well known for his Christmas covers. Michael Bublé is prepping an Asda team on this years ‘food flavour trends’ which are apparently brown butter and spiced dark rum. The advert goes on to show Bublé choosing cheeses, taste-testing foods and making quality control checks.  

The video is an entertaining way to showcase Asda’s Christmas specials but seems to be missing some Christmas charm. Incorporating Bublé into the ad is a fun way to send the Christmas message through but the advert itself seemed to be lacking spirit and excitement.  

Memorability 5 
Originality 4 
Christmas cheer 6 

M&S 

The M&S Christmas advert this year shows two mittens, left and right, being turned to life by a Christmas fairy. The Christmas fairy sees the mittens lying outside in the cold snow and decides to turn them into real life mittens and bring them inside. They go on to tell the fairy their backstory of how they lost their owner and to cheer them up the fairy sprinkles them with some ‘M&S Christmas magic’ and showcases a feast of M&S Christmas food and decorations.  

Although the idea of two mittens being turned to life by a magical fairy is slightly ridiculous, this advert is still a fun and creative way to show off the Christmas food M&S has to offer. The setting and decorations are cheerful and really bring across the Christmas cheer and the spirit of the festive season.  

Memorability 5 
Originality 8 
Christmas cheer 7 

Sainsbury’s  

This advert is cheery and light-hearted, showing a young girl in Sainsbury’s making an announcement to the whole store and asking what Santa has for his Christmas dinner. The advert then goes on to showcase a bunch of different Christmas meals like a ‘Charcuter tree’ board, a beef wellington and mince pies.  

The advert does a good job of showcasing the different Christmas food that Sainsbury’s has to offer, the Christmas music and Santa commenting on the meals keeps it fun and festive. 

Memorability 5 
Originality 5 
Christmas cheer 7 

Boots  

To showcase Boots’ products, this advert follows a mother and daughter going around giving presents to a bunch of strangers that they cross paths with. It follows their travels that they take as an attempt to give Santa Clause a Christmas present, which eventually turns out to be travel flight socks.  

This ad is a good example of sharing Christmas spirit and being giving this time of year. With a good message and a fun ending, this advert does a good job of being cheerful but at the same time showcasing the products that Boots has to offer as gifts this Christmas season.  

Memorability 6 
Originality 7 
Christmas cheer 7 

All of these Christmas adverts bring a creative spin on the festive season but the one that stands out from the bunch is John Lewis’s. Christmas is a time to come together with family and friends and this advert perfectly shows a family doing just that on Christmas morning. This advert is well-rounded from start to finish. Not only is it memorable and has an original story line but also brings feelings of Christmas cheer to its viewers.