Mumbrella’s Christmas wrap of 2015’s best (and worst) festive ads
Are you struggling to feel festive? Then look no further as Mumbrella’s Miranda Ward runs down the ads which will inject some Christmas cheer into the hardest of hearts.
1. It’s hard to go past a cat ruining, and then saving, Christmas.Sainsbury’s Christmas ad features a CGI version of Mog the cat, the character from the popular children’s book series penned by author Judith Kerr, and has been adapted from a book written by Kerr especially for the ad. To top it off, the ad is narrated by Emma Thompson.
2. Amongst the local haul of Christmas ads, it’s hard to go past Myer‘s stop-motion effort. The worried elf and his friend, a nonchalant reindeer coupled with a Gold Coast holidaying angel is just a beautiful take on the Christmas shopping rush. It is was also starkly at odds with the retail-focussed efforts of many of its low-cost competitors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVSLBTEyh8E
3. In at third place is Harvey Nichols’ Avoid #Giftface spot. Everyone can surely relate to the pained smile pasted on for Christmas Day as you graciously accept the most terrible gifts.
4. With a similar theme to Harvey Nichols’ effort is this spot from Curry’s PC World. Their secret was recruiting Jeff Goldblum who encourages the recipient of a dud Secret Santa to act like he’s more excited by the gift.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=54&v=9d-yzSIhDbY
5. Mulberry‘s take on the nativity is brilliant. While making a Mulberry bag take the role of the baby Jesus is sure to put some viewers off, it’s an excellent fellow up to last year’s #WinChristmas effort.
6. In at sixth place is Kwik Fit‘s charming effort in which young children are surprised to discover Santa Claus waiting to get his sleigh being repaired at Kwik Fit.
7. Burberry‘s festive nod to Billy Elliot was quite lovely. Set to the track Cosmic Dancer by T-Rex, the spot features Sir Elton John, Julie Walters, Romeo Beckham, James Bay, George Ezra, Michelle Dockery, James Corden, Naomi Campbell and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=961k-cHjMLk
8. You always know you’re in for a treat when the John Lewis ad launches. But this year, it didn’t quite match the efforts of previous years. While a lovely thought, it struggled to hit the right emotional heart-strings for me and led to the question of just why there’s an old man on the moon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuz2ILq4UeA
9. Aldi‘s spot which tracks the stress around Christmas shopping, decorating, partying up to the final moment of sitting down to a Christmas lunch perfectly encapsulates how most adults feel about the festive period. In a sea of local, very retail led, Christmas efforts, it was a stand out.
And here’s Aldi’s UK effort, set to the Sound of Music’s Favourite Things.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=k6qx7U_SuQE
10. For a bank this ad is quite sweet. Lloyds Bank in the UK promoted its partnership with Apple Pay by telling the story of a girl struggling to find the perfect gift for her mother.
Honourable mentions:
Aldi’s parody of John Lewis’ Man on the Moon christmas spot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzsMiCBzciY
The Body Shop’s combination of showering people and Jingle Bells deserves to be noted.
The bland Christmas spot
Boots fairly retail Christmas push is better then others, but it still sits here in the bland category, alongside local efforts from Target, Big W and Bonds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9OX-3ccG5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkOAiwYnqIs
The depressing Christmas ad of 2015…
German company Edeka attempted to pull on the heartstrings in this spot which sees a lonely grandfather repeatedly endure Christmas lunch by himself.
And the weirdest Christmas ad of 2015..
While we can’t be sure it’s not a parody, Robert Dyas’ Christmas ad celebrating the sexuality of its staff and customers sure is different. The ad features a staff member gesturing towards a Christmas tree, saying: “Look at this Christmas tree. It’s perfect for a gay person. Or a straight person.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YS2dSa-Ud0
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