The Top 5 Christmas TV Campaigns for 2015
A brand’s Christmas marketing campaign is often the crucial event in a marketer’s calendar. And this year was no exception; the competition for king of Christmas advertising is well underway, with John Lewis and Sainsbury’s leading the race to be crowned the best of the best. There have been some real crackers (pun intended) this year, but here’s who we reckon deserves a special mention this Christmas season.
1. Cadbury – ‘Cadvent’ Calendar
Chocolate lovers up and down the country will be particularly pleased with Cadbury’s Christmas offering. In their promotional video, the beating sound of the Thunderbirds theme tune drums up excitement as we watch 24 festive trucks packed with chocolate come together to create the ultimate advent calendar. As the countdown to Christmas rolls on, each truck will roll out to a different secret location every day. Cadburys is hoping to use the power of social media to help spread the Christmas joy locally using the hashtag #Cadvent.
2. John Lewis – Man on the Moon
One of the most eagerly anticipated ads of the year, John Lewis’ Man on the Moon caused a social media frenzy as the campaign kick started the Christmas season. Made in partnership with Age UK, the ad features a little girl’s quest to send the man on the moon a present. With a softly sung soundtrack cover and a tear jerking storyline, the ad has all the hallmarks we have come to expect of the annual John Lewis Christmas campaign. The department store has also taken the opportunity to create an augmented reality app featuring an interactive moon, making for a nicely integrated campaign. The popularity of the campaign has been proven with a whole host of spoofs trailing in its wake, our favourite being the tongue in cheek offering from Aldi which they have aptly used to compare the prices of telescopes.
The ad split opinion across the board (Did you see our Creative Director’s thoughts on John Lewis’ ad? Have a read here), but whether you think the moon man is cute or creepy, it’s hard to argue with the six million youtube views that it racked up in the first 24 hours.
3. Sainsbury – Mog’s Christmas Calamity
Judith Kerr’s Mog the Cat leaped from page to screen for this year’s Sainsburys Christmas advert. Thirteen years after being killed off by the author, the disaster prone cat has been resurrected to cause all new kinds of calamity. In a series of unfortunate incidents, Mog manages to destroy all the Christmas preparations. Luckily for Mog however, disaster is averted as he accidentally alerts the fire brigade and is instead crowned hero of the hour. Alongside the advert, Sainsbury’s has launched a new Mog book with all sales profits going to help the charity Save the Children.
4. Sky Movies – Brussel Sprouts
For anyone who would like to see Brussels sprouts banished from the Christmas table, Sky Movies has come up with an extremely relatable ad. The controversial vegetable takes centre stage as a little girl is desperate to ditch her sprouts before her favourite movie starts. We are taken on a magical journey as the girl slips under the table and emerges into another world full of her favourite film characters. The sprouts disappear one by one, slipped into champagne glasses and fed to dinosaurs as she waltzes through Cinderella’s ball and runs through into the Night at the Museum.
5. KitKat – Have a Break
And finally, for those who are finding all the festivities a bit much this year KitKat has offered the perfect break. The 30 second ad features a blank screen and a soothing voiceover, offering ‘absolutely nothing’ with ‘no re-recorded sentimental songs’ as the ultimate respite from Christmas ads. The ad cuts through the clutter of commercials as the perfect antidote to the festive frenzy.
